![\"Pusha](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/P103X8G4-e1769710882435.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIt was a who’s who of the music industry on Wednesday night, as Billboard honored Jody Gerson, Lucian Grainge, Alex DePersia, Janelle Lopez Genzink, PlaqueBoyMax & Sharon Osbourne.<\/p>\n
\t1\/29\/2026\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tPusha T and Alex DePersia winner of the Breakthrough Executive Award at Billboard Power 100 Presented by VENU held at Zouk on January 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBillboard<\/p>\n
\n\tOn Sunday, Pusha T<\/a> will be at Crypto.com Arena for the 2026 Grammy Awards, where Clipse \u2014 his rap duo with brother Malice \u2014 are up for five awards, including album of the year for their Let God Sort Em Out comeback project. But he was on a different stage Wednesday night, joining the Billboard Power 100<\/a> party at West Hollywood\u2019s Zouk LA to put the spotlight on his manager Alex DePersia, Billboard\u2018s Breakthrough Executive of the Year.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019ve always been impressed with Alex\u2019s creativity, her instincts, her strategic thinking and her all-out hustle,\u201d Pusha said as he presented DePersia with the honor. \u201cAlex has always been tapped in.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAnd the star power didn\u2019t stop there: Billboard Hot 100 queen Mariah Carey<\/a> was also on hand to pay tribute to Jody Gerson, Billboard\u2018s newly minted Executive of the Decade for her work as CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group. In her speech \u2014 which was preceded by pre-taped well-wishes from Chris Martin, Brandi Carlile, J Balvin, Barry Gibb, Gracie Abrams and Rosal\u00eda \u2014 Carey recalled an early moment in her career when she wishes she had someone like Gerson on her side.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI almost sold my publishing when I was 18 years old, for $5,000. We remember some of the songs in the catalog, right?\u201d Carey said. \u201cBut I was just thinking: If I had someone like Jody there to protect me, it never would\u2019ve gotten that far.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBelow, we\u2019ve rounded up more highlights from the night, which was a who\u2019s who of the music industry, as Billboard honored Gerson and DePersia, as well as Power 100 No. 1 Lucian Grainge, Executive of the Year Janelle Lopez Genzink, Disruptor Award recipient PlaqueBoyMax and Visionary Award honoree Sharon Osbourne.<\/p>\n \tMariah Carey Presents Executive of the Decade Jody Gerson<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tAfter a video montage featuring UMPG artists including Chris Martin, Brandi Carlile, J Balvin and Barry Gibb, Mariah Carey took the stage<\/a> to present Billboard\u2019s Executive of the Decade Jody Gerson<\/a>, who has \u201capproximately tripled her company\u2019s publishing revenue, while championing songwriters and fighting for the value of a song at every turn,\u201d Carey noted. \u201cIn the process she\u2019s shown the music industry how to lead a global music giant with grace, integrity, selflessness and the utmost respect for both songwriters and her staff, while always speaking her mind and using her role as what she calls \u2018a platform to build strategic bridges with influential leaders beyond the music industry. As a UMPG artist myself, I know the power of this woman very well, and I\u2019m grateful to work alongside someone who advocates to steadfastly for songwriters.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tGerson then came onstage to accept the award, calling it \u201ctruly a special moment, accepting this award from an artist and songwriter who\u2019s spent more weeks at number one than anyone in history.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn her speech, Gerson went on to say she has \u201cthe best job in the world, working with and supporting some of the greatest artists and songwriters of all time. They have all touched my heart and enriched my soul through their music. They mean the world to me, and I care about them and their songs deeply.\u201d \u2013 KATIE BAIN<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tPower 100 No. 1 Lucian Grainge Is Introduced by Sherry Lansing<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tWith details of their long friendship, former film studio executive and\u00a0chairwoman\u00a0of Universal Music Group\u2019s board of directors Sherry Lansing presented Lucian Grainge with his\u00a0award for landing atop the Billboard Power 100<\/a> ranking for an eighth year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe only thing harder than becoming No. 1 is staying No. 1,\u201d Lansing\u00a0said of\u00a0Grainge\u2019s accomplishment. \u201cThe source of Lucian\u2019s success is not just his vision or his business savvy or his ability to not only drive change but to embrace it. \u2026 The key to Lucian\u2019s success is his\u00a0undiminished\u00a0lifelong passion for great music and the artists who make it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tGrainge detailed how he has seen many technological advances in music over the years \u2013 from sheet music\u00a0to\u00a0radio to\u00a0synthesizers\u00a0and more. \u201cBut this time is different,\u201d Grainge said. \u201cIt is different because\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0always had to deal with reproduction and distribution, but now with AI,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0going to really embed itself into the creation\u2026we\u2019ve\u00a0never really had that before.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tHe continued: \u201cAll of us will be challenged to be able to define what real creativity\u00a0actually means\u00a0and how we can protect the role of creative artists \u2013 human beings with original ideas and\u00a0soul.\u00a0I believe that this\u00a0is an opportunity for all of us to collaborate \u2013 independents, majors, managers, lawyers \u2013 all of us with a common goal and common interest and shared values to harness AI. AI collaboration means\u00a0aligning behind new legal frameworks and business models, structures that protect and elevate great music and\u00a0great artists\u00a0that ensure listeners are not overwhelmed in a sea of imitation and a sea of slop.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIf we get this right,\u201d Grainge added, \u201cI believe that this transformation will allow our industry to continue to grow and continue to change \u2013 because\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0grown and changed cyclically for the last 50, 60, 70 years. This transformation is different.\u201d \u2013 TAYLOR MIMS<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tPusha T Presents Breakthrough Executive Alex DePersia<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tClipse\u2019s Pusha T \u2014 nominated for album of the year at this coming weekend\u2019s Grammy Awards for their comeback album Let God Sort Em Out \u2014 presented the Billboard Breakthrough Executive of the Year award to his manager, Alex DePersia. \u201cI first met Alex DePersia 15 years ago when she was just getting started in music, as an assistant at Pharrell\u2019s company I AM OTHER. Over the years, I\u2019ve watched her make moves, navigate the industry, meet new challenges and continuously grow into the incredible executive she is today. I\u2019ve always been impressed with Alex\u2019s creativity, her instincts, her strategic thinking and her all-out hustle. Alex has always been tapped in.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tDePersia took the podium to thank Clipse, her \u201coriginal mentor\u201d Caron Veazey, and a slew of other top women executives \u2014 Jody Gerson, Jen Mallory, Lesley Olenik and more \u2014 saying, \u201cI look up to these women deeply. Their guidance has shaped how I build, how I lead, how I parent \u2014 everything. I carry it with me, and it\u2019s a privilege to know them.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tShe then spoke about her career, started in 2011, working with Ron Laffitte and rising through the ranks through the years, working with artists like Gracie Abrams, Pharrell and more. \u201c2025 was a breakthrough year for me,\u201d she said. \u201cI started my own company, By The Way, and my husband and I welcomed our first child. \u2026 Motherhood gave me the confidence to bet on myself, create on my own terms, and to move with even more intention. It sharpened my instincts, deepened my empathy, and raised the bar for how I show up, for my artists and for the work.\u201d Then, to cap her speech, she added to huge applause, \u201cFuck ICE, and have a great night.\u201d \u2013 DAN RYS<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tExecutive of the Year Janelle Lopez Genzink Introduced by Imran Majid & Justin Eshak<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tFollowing a warm introduction from\u00a0Justin Eshak and Imran Majid,\u00a0Island co-CEOs (and Billboard\u2019s 2025 executives of the year), Janelle Lopez Genzink accepted her honor as the 2026 Executive of the Year<\/a>. Lopez Genzink touched on her childhood, saying that she has been given the amazing opportunity to \u201clive out a dream.\u201d As she shared, it was all possible thanks to her grandma immigrating and working double shifts in the garment industry.<\/p>\n \n\tAs a result, Lopez Genzink \u2014 a second-generation immigrant \u2014 said she has always believed in \u201cwhat the American dream can\u00a0actually\u00a0be.\u201d Today, that dream looks like founding a leading music management company, Volara, and supporting a roster that includes Sabrina Carpenter, Marina and HAIM. \u201cI started Volara to create more space for women in the industry,\u201d said Lopez Genzink. She then added of her roster, and herself: \u201cThere is nothing better than a strong woman with a clear vision.\u201d \u2013 LYNDSEY HAVENS<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tPlaqueBoyMax Receives Disruptor Award From VENU\u2019s Terri Liebler<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tWhile presenting PlaqueBoyMax with the Disruptor Award, Terri Liebler, president of growth & strategy at VENU, said the Twitch streamer-turned-artist \u201chas a way of pulling people into the story and challenging the status quo\u201d while \u201crewriting the playbook in real time.\u201d In accepting the award, PlaqueBoyMax, a 2026 Grammy nominee for best dance\/electronic recording for \u201cVictory Lap\u201d \u00a0\u2014\u00a0making him the first Twitch streamer ever to be nominated for a Grammy \u2013 thanked collaborators Fred again.. and Skepta, adding, \u201cI am just extremely blessed to have the ability bind these worlds together and do something new.\u201d \u2013 CHRIS EGGERTSEN<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \tSharon Osbourne Accepts Visionary Award From Clive Davis & Michelle Anthony<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\tJudging from Sharon Osbourne\u2019s speech at Wednesday night\u2019s Billboard Power 100 party, her fiery spirit is still very much intact six months after the tragic death of her husband Ozzy Osbourne.<\/p>\n \n\tThe businesswoman and television personality \u2014 who managed her late husband\u2019s career, as well as The Smashing Pumpkins, M\u00f6torhead and Lita Ford over the years \u2014 accepted the Visionary Award from record execs Clive Davis and Michelle Anthony, who lauded Sharon\u2019s accomplishments, from founding Ozzfest to helping organize what would become Ozzy\u2019s final concert, July\u2019s Back to the Beginning benefit show in Birmingham, England. \u201cThis award honors people who see farther, fight harder and leave the business different than they found it,\u201d Davis said in his intro. \u201cSharon Osborne has done all three loudly, unapologetically and with results that speak for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn her speech, Osbourne noted that her music-manager father taught her the right and wrong things to do in this business \u2014 because she saw first-hand how he swindled musicians out of their money. But there was one lasting lesson: \u201cHe told me at the age of 15, if I wanted to make it in this industry, I had to know more than any other man in the industry. And I would say that my balls are bigger than many men\u2019s, and I\u2019m quite proud of that,\u201d she said to big laughs and applause from the crowd. \u2014 KATIE ATKINSON<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \t<\/p>\n \t<\/a><\/p>\n Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tThe Daily\t\t<\/p>\n A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry<\/p>\n \t\tBy providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use<\/a> and our Privacy Policy<\/a>.\n
![\"Jody](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/P103X8GM-e1769713321856.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Billboard\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"Lucian](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/P103X76H-e1769713963453.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Billboard\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"Pusha](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/P103X85Q-e1769714160899.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Gilbert Flores\/Billboard\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"Imran](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/P103X70Y-e1769714342211.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Billboard\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"PlaqueBoyMax](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/P103XGXL-e1769714472507.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Rashida Zagon\/Billboard\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"Sharon](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/P103X8FW-e1769715142246.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Billboard\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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