Billboard’s 2026 40 Under 40 List Revealed
Categoria: Musica
Backline co-founder/executive director Hilary Gleason leads Billboard’s annual celebration of the young executives leading the music industry’s next generation.
Por Billboard | 30/07/2026
Unlike many of Billboard ‘s annual power lists, the yearly 40 Under 40 requires that honorees only appear on it once. Despite that limitation, Billboard receives hundreds of nominations of qualified young executives — which of course poses a challenge to our editors, but is also a heartening reminder of the constant influx and ascent of new talent in the business. This year’s edition of the 40 Under 40 is no different. As the music business continues to confront challenges ranging from artificial intelligence to fair ticketing, the executives on this list aren’t just helping to find solutions — in many cases, they’re taking the lead in conceiving and executing those strategies, in service of the artists they work with and the broader industry. Related THE•TEAM Selling to Providence Equity Partners Chris Brown Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge of 'Affray' in 2023 London Club Assault Case Soulja Boy Requests DNA Test for Son With Ex Jackilyn Martinez The 2026 40 Under 40 is led by Hilary Gleason, co-founder/executive director of Backline, the nonprofit that’s committed to connecting music industry professionals and their families with mental health and wellness resources. Gleason’s work in the nonprofit space may differ from her follow honorees across the management, agency and label worlds, but she and the other 39 executives here share their creativity, resourcefulness, diligence — and, perhaps most importantly, their passion for music. Whether it’s Foundations’ Max Gredinger, who has helped to shepherd Gen Z jazz-pop sensation Laufey to superstardom, or CAA’s Shirin Nury, the agent behind the arena-level touring careers of Gracie Abrams and Tate McRae, these young industry leaders are shaping the music business today and guaranteeing its prosperity tomorrow. Several answered Billboard ‘s question about what they would’ve done for work if they weren’t in the music business; the industry can be thankful it never came to that. Tom Allen Chief technology officer, Virgin Music Group Courtesy of Tom Allen Allen co-founded Curve Royalty Systems in 2019, which became a leading royalty platform before Downtown Music Holdings acquired it in 2023. Following Virgin’s February acquisition of Downtown and subsequent spinoff of Curve, Allen, 39, has been responsible for technology across Virgin, overseeing everything from its products to fraud and security protection to how its data is stored and used by AI agents. “It’s been a transformative few years for us at Downtown,” he says. “I’m proud to have helped guide our people through that change.” The best advice I’ve received is… “ ‘Look at yourself before blaming others.’ Coming up through the restaurant business as an apprentice chef from 16, you learnt very quickly that you had nowhere to hide and had better own your work and mistakes.” Juan S. Arenas President of global HYBE label services, HYBE HYBE “I help build the infrast