Billboard Power Players List to Return to U.K. & Ireland For 2026

Billboard U.K.’s Power Players list is set to return for 2026, celebrating the most powerful industry leaders across the U.K. and Ireland. 

An extension of Billboard’s flagship Power 100 list and Power 100 event, the list will celebrate the executives driving change at the forefront of the region’s music scene across labels and distributors, management, publishing, streaming companies, the live business and rights associations.

Nominations for the Billboard U.K.’s Power Players list open on Jan. 19, with a deadline of Feb. 3, 11:59 p.m. GMT. Nominees may be submitted via the link below.

The inaugural Billboard U.K. Power Players list launched in 2025, with honorees attending an accompanying Global Power Players event that took place in London (June 4). The invite-only event took place at Shoreditch House, where huge names including Sir Elton John and his husband and manager David Furnish, EMPIRE founder and CEO Ghazi Shami and Afrobeats superstar Tems were also recognised with special awards.

Set to be published in May 2026, the Power Players list will be nominated by executives’ peers and companies, and selected in full by the Billboard U.K. team. Interested parties can fill in the nominations form here.

“British and Irish music continues to set the pace globally, not just creatively but commercially,” said Mo Ghoneim, president of Billboard U.K. “The return of the Power Players list in 2026 is about recognising the executives who are driving that momentum forward. From global chart success to sold-out arenas and boundary-pushing festivals, this region remains one of the most influential music markets in the world, and we’re proud to spotlight the leaders shaping its future.”

The news follows a huge year for British and Irish acts on the world stage. In December, the BPI announced that in 2025 the U.K. recorded music market had grown by 5%, while Hozier, Ed Sheeran, Lola Young, Myles Smith and Olivia Dean are among the names who made an impact on the Billboard Hot 100. 

This year, meanwhile, is already stacked with major cultural moments. Dean is set to perform six nights at London’s O2 Arena in the spring, while the likes of Lily Allen and RAYE will also embark on huge arena tours across the U.K. and Europe in the coming months. In February, The BRIT Awards leave London for the first time, while Reading & Leeds Festival will return in August with all headlining acts at the event being exclusively British and Irish names.

For any queries regarding Billboard U.K.’s Power Players list, please contact [email protected].