Today's country music is about crunchy guitar riffs, hip-hop beats and massive audiences that fill arenas, stadiums and bank accounts. Last year, the genre accounted for $830 million (12 percent) of total U.S. music sales and $397 million (15 percent) of the domestic touring business -- and took aim at the future in an industry seen as constrained by the past. In its first assessment of influence in country music, Billboard ranks who's got the most muscle in Music City.
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They are the most powerful legal team in Nashville. Katz represented Scott Borchetta while the Big Machine CEO spent the last eight months entertaining offers to buy his company (ultimately re-upping with Universal); he was in the thick of Sony Music's restructuring of its Nashville office and represented the senior management team that was recently installed. Rosen, meanwhile, co-represents Little Big Town with Katz and, on his own, a long list of top talent that includes Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves and Brad Paisley.