On September 15th, Billboard France held its first in-person event, the Power Players ceremony.
A French adaptation of the American publication's flagship format, already present in the United Kingdom, the Middle East, Latin America and at Billboard Canada, Power Players honours those who shape the French music industry across the full range of professions in the sector: live performance, labels and distribution, music publishing, streaming and tech, management and collective management organizations.
Supported by AEG Presents France, Amazon Music, AXS, Bpifrance, Bolero, and Sacem, this first edition was held at Salle Cortot, an iconic venue for classical and jazz music located in the 17th arrondissement of Paris.
Hosted by Julie Gayet, founder and president of the Sœurs Jumelles festival, the ceremony brought together 400 members of the music industry who came to celebrate their peers. The following day, the complete list of Power Players, the most powerful figures in the French music market, was unveiled.
Billboard France Power Players 2026 Honourees
The ceremony was punctuated by the presentation of six awards, some of them handed out by an artist:
- Impact Award, presented by singer Naïka to Luc Barruet, co-founder of the Solidarité Sida association and the Solidays festival
- Artist-Entrepreneur of the Year Award, presented by artist RnBoi to Aya Nakamura
- AEG International Outreach Award, presented to Julie Hassid, manager of DJ Snake
- Female Executive of the Year Award, presented by DJ Mosimann to Marie-Anne Robert, president of Sony Music France
- Male Executive of the Year Award, presented by rapper Youssoupha to Denis Ladegaillerie, founder and CEO of Believe
- Bpifrance Innovation Award, presented to Alexis Lanternier and Aurélien Hérault, respectively general manager and head of innovation at Deezer, for their AI-generated music detection tool, deployed since January 2025
Naïka lors de la cérémonie desPower Players de Billboard France, à la Salle Cortot à Paris, le 15 septembre 2026.Pierre Perusseau
The evening was also marked by a tribute to Daniel Colling, Jean-Philippe Allard, and Olivier Caillart, three figures of the music industry who recently passed away, performed by pianist Gael Rakotondrabe, first-prize winner of the piano competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2008.
In addition, the recipients of the Billboard France Scholarship, Marie Goubaud-Picard and Smith Jordan Ndento Tchouaffe, were introduced to the audience. Backed by Amazon Music and integrated into the Equal Opportunity program of the All Access Musique association, this initiative provides them with full funding for a year of study, along with privileged mentorship at the heart of the French music ecosystem.
The evening was followed by a cocktail reception held in partnership with AXS and Moët-Hennessy.
With this first edition, Billboard France intends to establish the Power Players over the long term, with the ceremony intended to become an annual meeting point for the French music industry.
