As top execs at Live Nation Canada, Erik Hoffman, Riley O’Connor and Melissa Bubb-Clarke are orchestrating one of the most ambitious stretches in the company's history. Together, the trio claim the No. 1 spot on Billboard Canada Power Players 2025.

Already the biggest players in the Canadian music business, Live Nation is just getting bigger – and they’re on track for a record-breaking summer. Rogers Stadium is opening at the end of June to host some of the most buzzed about shows this year, including the highest-grossing rock tour of all time, Coldplay's Music of the Spheres, and Oasis' buzzy reunion tour. It's a tangible symbol of Live Nation's ambitious plans for Canada, which include triple the number of stadium shows they've ever run in Toronto.

The company is also opening History Ottawa this year, adding another purpose-built music venue to its growing portfolio that includes long-running venues like Muskoka's KEE to Bala, Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom and Toronto's Mod Club and Opera House. With one major exception – Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which was promoted by Messina Touring (though Ticketmaster sold the tickets) – the company has had its fingerprints on nearly all of the biggest shows coming through Canada over the past year.

Hoffman and O'Connor have been lifers in Canadian live music, and they're excited to see the sector now at the top of the industry after years of being treated as "second-class citizens" of the business, as Hoffman puts it. “Entrepreneurs started the business, but then a lot of other really talented folks got into it and made sense of it,” he says. “They helped grow it up.”

Melissa Bubb-Clarke made the top 10 of the Billboard Canada Power Players list last year for a different company, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). She was the SVP of Music & Live events, which included programming at Scotiabank Arena and Coca-Cola Coliseum. She’s worked at and with Live Nation in a variety of marketing and partnership roles throughout her career (where she first started as a receptionist nearly three decades ago), but returned officially this year in a prime new position: Chief Commercial Officer.

From a corporate partnership standpoint, sports was super viable in big business, and music was kind of confusing to people,” she says. “Now it’s evolved and become such a massive platform for not just the artist and the fans together – it's also become a platform for a lot of brands and corporate partners to be part of.”

Those factors have led to record profits for Live Nation, both in Canada and worldwide, and put its leaders at the top of this year's Power Players list.

Read a full cover story interview with O'Connor, Hoffman and Bubb-Clarke here.

Golnar Khosrowshahi is the Canadian powerhouse behind the first female-founded-and-led publicly traded independent music company in the U.S. With classical piano training from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and an MBA from Columbia University, she's a leading figure on both sides of the industry in an important sector of the music business. As publishing becomes an increasingly hot market in the industry, Reservoir has established itself as one of the field’s biggest players. In the past year, the company signed two major names with very different careers, but both are testaments to Reservoir’s relationships and vision. The company inked deals with Alberta gem and LGBTQ+ icon k.d. Lang — who has four Grammys and an Order of Canada to her name — and hip-hop trailblazer and multimedia star Snoop Dogg, who signed with Reservoir on the heels of providing commentary to NBC’s coverage of the Paris Olympics.

That’s on top of the company’s continued relationship with Canadian legend Joni Mitchell, whose catalogue Reservoir has managed since 2021, a source of pride for Khosrowshahi on a personal and professional level. Mitchell’s comeback continued to crest in 2024, with a Grammy win and performance, as well as Joni Jam concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. The company's portfolio contributed to six 2025 Grammy winners through its clients, including Steph Jones' co-write on the top 3 Billboard Hot 100 charting hit "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter. Khosrowshahi is continuing to push the company forward, notching a reported 14% growth in revenue to $144.9 million in 2024 and expanding into the MENA region, a growing global market. The company signed a deal with “queen of Arab pop” Nancy Ajram, began a partnership with Saudi Arabian hip-hop label Mashrex, and acquired the catalogue of Egyptian rap duo El Sawareekh. Reservoir now has offices in Toronto, L.A., Nashville, London and Abu Dhabi. Khosrowshahi has a massively impressive track record of vision and fruition, a Canadian leader with global impact.

The President of Sony Music Canada has been instrumental in shaping the careers of some of the country’s most successful artists and continues to lead the label with a sharp focus on innovation, artist development and global impact. Over the past year, Carter has overseen a banner period for Canadian artists on Sony — the RCA-signed Tate McRae, whose single “greedy” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, and Charlotte Cardin (under the Sony Music Canada umbrella through her Montreal label Cult Nation), who charted multiple times in Canada and was named a Global Woman of the Year at Billboard Women in Music 2025. Carter’s leadership has also driven a broader strategic push to champion diverse and genre-expanding Canadian voices, including the signing of Indigenous hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids for their first major label release, RED FUTURE, and R&B rising star Tia Wood. The biggest wins, though, came through one of the best-selling artists of all time: Quebec icon Celine Dion, whose comeback while dealing with Stiff Person Syndrome has been nothing short of inspiring. Her performance atop the Eiffel Tower at the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony was one of the musical high points of the year. Carter served as an executive producer of the deeply personal and authentically powerful Prime Video documentary I Am: Céline Dion. "It was a highlight of the year," he says, "and also my career."

With Kristen Burke at the helm, Warner Music Canada is staying relevant in a transforming industry. As the music industry globalizes, Warner is forging international partnerships and putting resources behind rising movements. In 2024, Burke renewed Warner’s deal with one of Canada’s biggest new stars, Karan Aujla, as well as deepening label support for Punjabi music. Aujla took home the Juno fan choice award in 2024, completed his first Canadian arena tour and fostered new cross-genre collabs like his Billboard Canadian Hot 100 charting hit “Tell Me” with OneRepublic. Warner Canada’s joint label with Warner India, 91 North Records, is also a growing success, signing powerhouse lyricist Chani Nattan in 2024. Burke has also overseen the launch of ADA Canada, Warner’s independent distribution arm in the country. Signees include major legacy stars like Nickelback and emerging names like Jamie Fine. Producer Intense, who has worked with Aujla, AP Dhillon and Sidhu Moose Wala, also signed with ADA for his Double Up label, which is fostering the next era of Punjabi Canadian stars. ADA has also signed deals with Punjabi artist management and content company EYP Creations, as well as country label MDM Recordings. At the same time, Burke has worked on the re-energized career of B.C. band Mother Mother, turning TikTok virality into a strong new chapter on the international stage. In a rapidly changing landscape, Warner Canada is thinking global.

This past year saw the live music industry take some hits, with festival ticket sales declining and production costs rising. FACTOR CEO Meg Symsyk is doing what she does best — tackling the problem head-on, launching FACTOR’s Promoter Program and investing directly into Canada’s live sector, supporting concerts presented by Canadian promoters and featuring Canadian artists. At the same time, Symsyk is fighting some major battles, as FACTOR’s expected revenues from the CRTC’s “streaming tax” regulation to support Canadian Content face a legal appeal by the biggest companies in the business — Spotify, Apple and Amazon, among others — and the company takes on Scotiabank in a high-profile cybertheft case. Amidst all that, she runs an organization that provides pivotal funding to Canadian artists and organizations every year — including early support for stars like Charlotte Cardin and The Weeknd — and continues to work with one of her favourite clients from her previous artist management career, a little Canadian band called Rush.

Universal Music Canada made a big move this year, promoting Julie Adam to President & CEO in early 2025. She succeeds Jeffrey Remedios, who shifted roles to president of strategic development for Universal Music Group's REPUBLIC Collective after a decade at the helm of UMC. Adam brings more than two decades of experience in media – including her two-and-a-half-decade tenure at Rogers Sports & Media, where she served as President of News & Entertainment, her continued role as the Chair of the Board of CARAS, the organization behind The Juno Awards, plus two years as Executive VP and General Manager of UMC – where she has consistently championed artists. According to Universal Music Canada, seven of the 10 best-performing albums of 2024 were released by the label thanks to Post Malone, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, The Weeknd, Morgan Wallen, Noah Kahan and Taylor Swift. Domestically, Sofia Camara is making inroads in the U.K., country breakout Josh Ross tied for the most Juno nominations this year, while acclaimed comedian Mae Martin signed to the label for their debut album as a musician. A champion of kindness in leadership (she wrote a book about it), Adam has a chance to do big things and set the tone for an empathetic culture at a major that bills itself as Canada's top record label. "Stepping into my new role as President & CEO was, and continues to be, a total pinch-me moment," she says. "It is my absolute honour to lead Universal Music Canada and work with the best team in the business supporting the most incredible roster of artists."

Noah “40” Shebib is a Grammy-winning producer, engineer and label executive at OVO Sound, which he co-founded with Drake and Oliver El-Khatib. Known for his minimalist, atmospheric production style, 40 has played a pivotal role in shaping modern hip-hop and R&B. Amid Drake's high-profile beef with Kendrick Lamar — which ultimately led him to sue Universal Music Group — OVO continues to be one of Canada's biggest success stories. This year saw Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR release $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, and the label recently announced the return of the star-studded OVO Fest this year, which remains Toronto's highest-profile music event. As a fierce advocate for artist development and mental health awareness, 40 remains a vital force in the music industry and an advocate for social causes through the Justice Fund, a non-profit organization he co-founded to support communities in conflict with the law through community initiatives and philanthropy. He continues to guide the next generation of Canadian producers through The Remix Project and via his own personal mentorship. Last year, 40 provided pro bono production on Verbathim, the acclaimed album by Nemahsis, after she was dropped from her major label for her advocacy for Palestine. His fingerprints are on culture, from Toronto to the world.

As she celebrates SOCAN’s centennial, Jennifer Brown also helped the organization reach a different kind of milestone. The music rights organization hit a record-high half-billion dollars in total royalty distributions to artists and rights-holders in 2024. SOCAN, which currently has nearly 200,000 songwriter, composer, and music publisher members, distributed $512.4 million in royalties and grew revenue to $559.4 million, a 7% increase over 2023. Under Brown’s leadership, SOCAN has worked to enhance licensing strategies and improve transparency with royalty distributions, as well as introduce educational resources and tools for members. "Whether through more transparent royalty distributions, enhanced member services or increased advocacy on their behalf, we’ve worked hard to ensure our songwriter, composer and music publisher members feel seen, supported and valued," says Brown. The organization has become a key advocate for rights-holders in Canada, raising awareness in its 2024 Annual Report about the importance of consuming Canadian-made music. It also launched two new awards in partnership with Billboard Canada: one in 2024 honouring non-performing songwriters, and another in 2025 celebrating screen composers. Both are celebrated at Billboard Canada Power Players, advocating for unsung members of the industry among its most powerful people.

As President of Sports & Entertainment for Groupe CH, France Margaret Bélanger is leading an entertainment powerhouse that includes the Montréal Canadiens, evenko and Équipe Spectra. 2024 was a big year for partnerships and acquisitions under Bélanger’s guidance. Groupe CH established a partnership with the NBA G League that hosted six games at Place Bell in Laval (in the greater Montreal area). The company also acquired the Latin music festival Fuego Fuego, an important foray into a growing global market. The Bell Centre witnessed a star-studded lineup of major sold-out shows in 2024 from the likes of Madonna, Sabrina Carpenter, Travis Scott and Olivia Rodrigo, plus successful sold-out shows at Place Bell from Charlotte Cardin and Charli XCX & Troye Sivan. Groupe CH has set records at Osheaga the last two years, last year with 147,000 attendees, and produced 1,600 live events in its venues in 2024. As the concert and entertainment sector continues to surge, Groupe CH is bringing increasingly blockbuster events and success to Montreal under Bélanger’s leadership.

Tricia Silliphant is the Managing Director of Music & Live Events at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, where she oversees concert programming at Scotiabank Arena, Coca-Cola Coliseum and BMO Field. In the past year alone, she led the execution of over 110 shows, generating a reported $120 million in gross ticket sales and setting new records in food, beverage and merchandise revenue. For the 2025-26 season, more than 140 live events are expected. Silliphant has also expanded MLSE’s event calendar while championing diverse and inclusive programming reflective of Toronto’s multicultural identity. “Toronto is a market known as one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world,” Silliphant said as she was being recognized on the Billboard Global Power Players list. “This rich diversity is mirrored in our venues showcasing an international scope of content.” The city has become a premier stop on the touring circuit, and Scotiabank Arena is an important venue. That's been reflected in its ongoing renovations, something MLSE is also doing with BMO Field. Silliphant sits on the board of the Canadian Live Music Association and was named one of Billboard Canada’s inaugural Women in Music honourees.