Billboard has revealed its 2026 Music Industry 40 Under 40 list, recognising emerging executives and power players across the music business. The annual list matters because each honouree can appear only once, highlighting a continuing influx of younger leaders tackling issues such as artificial intelligence, ticketing fairness, artist development and industry wellbeing.

This year’s list is led by Hilary Gleason, co-founder and executive director of mental-health nonprofit Backline. Other highlighted figures include Foundations’ Max Gredinger, credited with helping develop Laufey’s career, CAA agent Shirin Nury, who works with Gracie Abrams and Tate McRae, and HYBE’s Juan S. Arenas, whose Latin division launched Santos Bravos; the group has surpassed 150 million global streams, according to Luminate.