Billboard published its 2026 40 Under 40 list on 30 July, spotlighting the young executives steering the music industry through label deals, streaming growth, touring and mental health advocacy.

Topping the list is Hilary Gleason, co-founder and executive director of Backline, a nonprofit that connects music industry professionals and their families with mental health and wellness resources. Backline launched B-LINE in January 2026, a 24/7 mental health and crisis support line reachable by calling 855-BLINE99 or texting 254-639 (Billboard). Gleason's recognition adds to a busy year: she was named to Pollstar's 2026 Women of Live list in March and to Billboard's own Women in Music 2026 list, published 25 July.

The 40 Under 40, part of Billboard's Power Player series, allows honorees to appear only once. Billboard says it receives hundreds of nominations each year for qualified young executives. A separate Billboard Canada 40 Under 40 list launched in October 2025, with its first celebration event held later that November to honour emerging leaders in Canada's music industry.

Among the music business figures recognised, Tom Allen, 39, is chief technology officer of Virgin Music Group. He co-founded Curve Royalty Systems in 2019, a royalty processing platform that Downtown Music Holdings acquired in 2023. Virgin Music Group then acquired Downtown Music Holdings in February 2026, bringing Allen's technology into one of the larger independent distribution operations.

Juan S. Arenas, 36, serves as president of global HYBE label services at HYBE, the South Korean entertainment company behind BTS. Under his remit, HYBE Latin America launched Santos Bravos, a Latin boy band that has surpassed 150 million global song streams, according to Luminate, the data firm that tracks music consumption.

Andrew Baron, 34, is senior vice president of corporate development at Warner Music Group, one of the three major record labels. Warner recently acquired Revelator, a music data and rights management platform. Baron started his career as an intern at Republic Records.

The list also reaches into the agency and management worlds. Shirin Nury of CAA, one of the largest talent agencies, is the booking agent behind the arena-level touring careers of Gracie Abrams and Tate McRae. Max Gredinger of Foundations, a management firm, helped shepherd Gen Z jazz-pop artist Laufey to widespread commercial success.

What makes this year's list stand out is the spread of roles: a crisis-line founder at the top, a CTO consolidating royalty tech after two acquisitions, a label services president breaking a new boy band in a growing Latin market, and a corporate development VP shaping acquisitions at a major. The industry's numbers, as the old shop-counter lesson goes, are people — and these are the people behind them.