What do music companies in different industries with revenue ranging from $3.9 billion to $23.1 billion have in common? Their CEOs are paid comparably.

On Tuesday (Aug. 19), Billboard published a recap of the top 20 music executives’ earnings in 2024. Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Spotify, SiriusXM, iHeartMedia, Live Nation, MSG Entertainment and Sphere Entertainment Co. are all represented. Each company’s CEO is on the list except for Spotify’s Daniel Ek, who doesn’t earn an annual salary or bonus (he made ends meet by selling approximately $375 million in stock last year).

In 2024, the compensation given to most music company CEOs was nearly even when taking into account the amount of their company’s earnings. As a percentage of the company’s adjusted earnings before inter

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