AUGUST 10 , 2 019 | WWW.BILLBOARD.COM 57
H
A
IR
A
N
D
M
A
K
E
U
P
B
Y^
A
S
H
L
E
Y^
H
U
M
P
H
R
EY
S
A
T
C
E
LE
S
T
IN
E
A
G
EN
C
Y.
M
A
K
E
U
P
B
Y
A
M
Y^
C
H
A
N
C
E
A
T
C
E
LE
S
T
IN
E
A
G
EN
C
Y.
A
L
LE
M
A
N
:^ C
O
U
R
TE
S
Y
O
F
W
M
E.
B
R
A
G
G
- M
IL
E
S
:^
CO
U
R
T
E
SY
O
F^
A
P
P
L
E.
C
A
R
A
G
L
IA
N
O
:^
JE
R
E
M
Y^
S
T^
R
O
M
A
IN
.^ C
A
R
SO
N
:^
M
E
K
KO
M
A
R
JO
.^ C
H
E
N
:^
C
O
U
R
T
E
S
Y
O
F
L
IV
E^
N
A
TI
O
N
.^ C
O
L
Ó
N
:^
C
O
U
R
T
E
S
Y^O
F
SIRIUS
X
M.^ D
AVIS:^
K
A
THE
R
INE
TY
LER
/IH
E
A
R
T
ME
D
IA.^ E
L
S
H
A
R
E
EF:^
T
EDSU
N.^
A
Z
A
L
E
A
:^
R
A
N
D
Y
H
O
L
ME
S/A
BC.RA
INE
Y
:^ DO
N
A
L
D
S
O
NCO
L
LEC
T
ION
/GE
T
TYI
MA
G
E
S.^
PR
EVIOUS^SPR
E
A
D:^ HA
IRAN
D
MA
K
EUP^B
Y
DA
R
IAN
DA
R
L
ING.Lance Alleman
AGENT
WME
Alleman, 35, did $22 million in bookings
for WME in 2018 with 370 fair and
festival dates, and he has almost
surpassed those numbers this year, he
reports. The agent also co-signed (with
colleague Carrie Murphy) Shy Carter,
who co-wrote two No. 1 hits on the
Country Airplay chart for Kane Brown,
including “Heaven,” which SESAC
named country song of the year in 2018.
AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE IS
“Invaluable,” says Alleman, the first
openly gay agent in WME’s Nashville
office. “I’ve felt nothing but love and
support from my colleagues.”
Alaysia Sierra
Bragg-Miles
HEAD OF R&B PROGRAMMING
Apple Music
Bragg-Miles* digs deep on social
media to find voices that they feel
need to be heard. “I’ve never seen
anyone who looks like me here,” says
Bragg-Miles, who identifies as a queer,
nonbinary, black, woman-presenting
person and works to add diverse new
faces like Tierra Whack, Summer
Walker and Omar Apollo to Apple’s
playlists. “I’ve been able to help create
visibility for artists of all identities who
otherwise may not have received major
support,” they say.
MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE “The lack of
visibility and [opportunity] access for
women. I’m speaking more specifically
about engineers, producers, A&Rs
and executives. We need to create
more spaces for women to be seen
and heard.”
Jess Caragliano
CO-FOUNDER/CEO
Terrorbird Media/Terrorbird
Publishing
Under Caragliano, 37, Terrorbird has
expanded beyond radio promotion,
publicity, synch licensing and
publishing administration into original
music composition, working with digital
service providers and international
marketing strategy. “I am proud to lead
a 15-person team, the majority of whom
identify as female and/or queer,” says
Caragliano of her fully independent
music marketing company that recently
celebrated its 13th year.
MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE “Mental health
and emotional well-being are crucial
issues that need to be addressed for
everyone’s long-term sustainability.”
Christine Carson
HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL
MARKETING
Glassnote
Carson, 34, drives the success of
Glassnote’s artists outside the United
States. In the past year, label acts
Mumford & Sons, Childish Gambino
and The Strumbellas earned gold
record certifications abroad; Jade Bird
and Half Moon Run sold out European
tours, says Carson; and Aurora broke
through on the Australian Recording
Industry Association charts.
PRIDE TODAY IS “An understanding of
the history of the LGBTQ+ movement
and [the ability] to look back while
progressing continually forward.”
Jane Chen
VP INTEGRATED MARKETING
Live Nation
While Live Nation’s overall sponsorship
and advertising revenue rose 13% in
2018, business doubled in categories
that Chen* oversees: tech, mobile,
gaming, travel and business-to-
business. That was “driven by deals
with brands we’ve never worked with
before, like T-Mobile and Google Pixel,
Dish network and Sony,” she says.
WHERE INCLUSION IS NEEDED As a
lesbian woman of color, Chen says she
embodies an “intersectionality” that
she would like reflected at festivals.
“People look up at the stage and see
who is performing. It’s very obvious
when certain identities are missing.”
Trinity Colón
VP MUSIC PROGRAMMING
SiriusXM
As part of SiriusXM’s Xtra
Channels programming expansion,
Colón, 51, created the Chillhop
channel, an extension of her focus
on “a newer generation of relaxing
music” — hip-hop and jazz [fusion],
new age, standards and more. “We’re
always looking for ways to create
something that appeals to more than
just the standard pop, rock and hip-
hop audience.”
MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE “Cultivating
sustainable artist careers in an era of
streaming singles. The way music is
going right now with streaming, it’s
just setting up one-hit wonders.”
Darren Davis
PRESIDENT
IHeartMedia Networks Group/
iHeartRadio
With the promotional clout of its
more than 850 broadcast stations,
iHeartMedia earlier this year overtook
NPR as top podcast publisher
worldwide, according to Podtrac,
though Davis, 46, acknowledges
that the two media companies now
“jump back and forth” in the top spot.
For June, Podtrac says iHeart’s 252
podcasts drew a U.S. unique monthly
audience of 19 million and 130 million
global downloads and streams.
MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE “We can all
use more courage, regardless of what
part of our life we’re talking about.”
Ismail Elshareef
SENIOR VP FAN EXPERIENCE
Ticketmaster
Elshareef, 44, led the launch of the
Ticketmaster Smart Queue, the
company’s latest scalper-fighting
technology, which acts as a “virtual
line” that has blocked more than
11 billion bots from nabbing tickets
to events. The new technology has
helped Ticketmaster increase revenue
20%, he says, while the interactive
seat-map feature has led fans to opt
for higher-tier tickets, says Elshareef.
PRIDE TODAY IS “Advocating for the
community — the larger community of
Americans in America — and for each
other and for what is right.”
Alleman
Caragliano
Carson
Chen
Colón
Davis
Elshareef
METHODOLOGY
Executives who publicly
self-identify as LGBTQ
were chosen by editors
based on factors
including, but not limited
to, nominations by
peers, colleagues and
superiors at selected
music companies. In
addition to nominations,
editors weigh impact
on consumer behavior
as measured by metrics
such as chart, sales and
streaming performance;
social media
impressions; career
trajectory; and overall
impact in the music
industry, using data
available as of June 6.
1923
Ma Rainey makes
her first recordings.
The pioneering blues musician created
much of the musical template that is
associated with the genre, and her
lyrics — on songs like 1928’s “Prove
It on Me Blues” — frankly addressed
same-sex attraction and her sometimes
androgynous appearance long before
such topics were commonly discussed.
—TIM SOMMER
QUEER MUSIC MILESTONES
*DECLINED TO PROVIDE AGE
Bragg-Miles
Azalea (left)
and Mateo
on Jimmy
Kimmel Live!
in April.
COLLABORATE WITH DRAG QUEENS
ARTISTS LIKE TAYLOR SWIFT AND IGGY AZALEA ARE
CASTING DRAG STARS IN VIDEOS AND PERFORMANCES
1. Work with queens year-round. While Pride month is a great
time to bring visibility to the LGBTQ community, it’s also extremely
busy for drag artists. “Drag queens are wanting to move to the
forefront,” says Silky Nutmeg Ganache, who performed alongside
Iggy Azalea at one of the rapper’s recent tour stops. “But believe me,
we are available beyond the month of June.” Instead, ask to work
with queens on projects that make sense for all involved. “Keep
it real and genuine,” says the Spice Girls’ Melanie C, who is on a
solo world tour performing with drag queens from Sink the Pink, a
London-based queer nightlife collective. “Don’t jump on the [drag]
bandwagon, because people will see through that.”
2. Provide necessary accommodations — including payment.
Like any artists, queens need time and space to prep hair, makeup
and costumes before a shoot begins. “Take into consideration
having proper places to get ready,” says Vanessa Vanjie Mateo,
who has also appeared with Azalea in multiple music videos and
performances. And while exposure is great, it doesn’t replace
proper compensation. “I’m not going to do something that’s not
financially beneficial or not [going to] further my brand,” says
Trinity the Tuck, who appeared in Taylor Swift’s “You Need to
Calm Down” video. “[Swift’s] staff took really good care of us.”
3. Treat queens as partners, not props. Trixie Mattel, who had a
comedic bit part in Azalea’s “Started” video, says she won’t take
a job in which she isn’t used for her full abilities. “If I get invited
to do something and it’s like, ‘You will be one of 12 drag queens
in a scene that’s two seconds,’ I don’t go,” she says. “I am not the
potted plant being rolled out for the video.” That also means being
willing to return the favor down the line. “If there ever comes a
time where I have a cause,” says Ganache, “you best believe that
I’m going to call back on you for your help.” —STEPHEN DAW
HOW TO