Billboard’s 2026 40 Under 40 List Revealed

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 infrastructure that allows artists, labels and creative teams to thrive globally,” says Arenas, 36, who has helped establish HYBE Latin America as a global hub for original intellectual property development, artist services and strategic partnerships, all while building a scalable ecosystem for Latin talent and expanding his division across the region. Among his team’s recent milestones: the launch of Santos Bravos, a new Latin boy band developed through HYBE’s artist development methodology that has already surpassed 150 million global song streams, according to Luminate.

Ten years ago, I was… “Sitting at a desk in Doral [near Miami], working at Univision/Fusion Media Group and witnessing the change of the media and digital media industry.”

Andrew Baron

Senior vp of corporate development, Warner Music Group

Jean-Marc Chautems/Magali Paul

From Warner Music Group’s recent acquisition of Revelator to integrating 10K Projects and supporting Elliot Grainge’s vision for Atlantic Music Group, Baron, 34, has played a key role on WMG’s deals team, evaluating and executing acquisitions, joint ventures and partnerships. After starting as an intern at Republic Records, Baron joined Vector Management and eventually WMG, where he has had an “incredible, accidental rotation program” that has included working for the CFO, negotiating digital service provider licensing deals and now dealing with mergers and acquisitions. Says Baron: “Partnering with visionary entrepreneurs is the best part of my job.”

If I wasn’t working in the music business, I would be… “Playing for the New York Knicks.”

Dana Biondi

Label partner/manager, G59 Records

Courtesy of G59 Records

Billboard ’s 2025 Indie Power Players Executive of the Year continues to steer the career of marquee act $uicideboy$, whose two 2025 albums charted in the top 25 of the Billboard 200 . Last year’s installment of the duo’s annual Grey Day package tour featured artists including G59’s Night Lovell, Germ and Chetta and was 2025’s fourth-highest-­grossing rap tour. Says Biondi, 37: “These accomplishments are the result of years of building the label independently, staying committed to our vision and creating a sustainable platform where artists can thrive on their own terms.”

The best advice I’ve received is… “[Loud Records founder] Steve Rifkind once told me to always be one of someone’s first five phone calls — the person they trust to handle problems, fix situations and get things done.”

Erin Blankstein

Director of sync A&R, Universal Music Publishing Group

Andrew Angel

Blankstein runs point on original song placements in film, TV and commercials for the publisher’s roster, connecting it with opportunities and tending to key relationships with studios, networks, streaming platforms, music supervisors and agencies. “Being able to connect a songwriter with a project they genuinely love and then see that collaboration reach this level of recognition is incredi...

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Billboard. Open at source →