The Power 50 Returns: Where It Went and Why It's Back

Power 50: Two words I have wrestled with now for four years. It was August 2021 when I made the decision to take custodianship of what I had always said was Australia’s greatest music media outlet, The Music. Immediately, the first question I got from most people was, “When is the Power 50 coming back?”We had this little thing called COVID that had hit and thrown the timeline off a little, but the annual list was overdue.

There were a few early spanners in the works…. namely, I had never run a media outlet before, and it’s probably not a surprise that the learning curve was steep, particularly coming out of COVID when the first priority needed to be rebuilding a business that was on its knees. The reason The Music is and was so special is its hybrid model: focusing on giving the public the music news they need, but also on giving them a window into the amazing, often crazy world of the industry.

It was my own window in via street press. No matter whether you worked in the industry or not, that paper you grabbed from the record store made you feel like you were part of it and fostered the aspiration that one day, you could be in there as part of the action. The Music took those elements and worked out how to keep the heart of its history, but bring it online.

But back to the story— four years ago, it looked like a very easy template. I took over a business that had a successful print magazine, and its crown jewel was the annual Power 50. The first order of business was to rule out a return to print. That one was easy. Everyone said they couldn’t wait to see the magazine back, but the numbers didn’t add up. Printing costs were skyrocketing (and still are), and the traditional places where street press was picked up were changing. The money we could have spent on paper and ink, we spent on tech and journalists, creating what is now the most-read local music site by Australian readers (ehem… quarter of a million Australian readers in August and another seven million on socials, but who’s counting?).

The choice to rest the Power 50, however, was a bit more gut feel. It made financial sense to return it. But to be frank, the idea of ranking people from one to fifty every year gave me the ick. It felt like a celebration of a horse race that wasn’t driving culture forward. I know it's something the previous owners grappled with, too, and in its last iteration, there were only numbers announced for the top ten. I’ve never had more respect for the journey and effort those before me went through in order to compile the list while remaining culturally relevant.

So, as I sat in the publisher’s chair for the first time, I decided to take my time. I watched and talked with people rather than immediately bringing it back. Over the months, while I was negotiating the purchase of the publication, we first saw the news of Michael Gudinski’s passing, the Power 50’s most decorated chart-topper. Then, as we finalised the handover, we saw the resignation of Denis Handlin, the list’s second most awarded recipient. I talked to many industry people. Most told me we should bring it back. It was an institution.

Some, however, shared my ick feeling. We had a music industry culture that wasn’t always what it should have been, and there were so many things that needed root and branch change. To me, in that climate, bringing back the Power 50 seemed tone deaf. There were important things to do, such as the Raising Their Voices report, which set the scene for some home truths to be told and a new music industry culture to begin the process of emerging. The concept of power needed to change, and inserting the Power 50 into that conversation would have been at best unhelpful.

Following on from that, we saw the post-COVID issues in live music and the onset of the worst climate for domestic artists on our charts in history. Once again, each year we revisited the idea of the Power 50, but I promised myself we wouldn’t do it while it felt like it could do more harm than good from existing.

So, what changed? The industry still has its challenges, so why is the Power 50 making a return? The catalyst is quite personal. We did our annual “should we bring it back?” back and forth a couple of months ago, and while I was on the fence, after doing a business case, I erred on the side of letting it go again.

Then I headed to Canada to see the Canadian Country Music Awards and was blown away by their culture of celebrating the industry. Their awards included nods for ‘Best Booking Agent’, ‘Best DSP’ and ‘Best Label Marketing Campaign', with many awards celebrating the wide breadth of people that come together to make the music industry tick.

Artists were excited for people in their teams to be awarded. Of course, the usual “public” awards still dominated, but industry was celebrated in a way that made me think about how we view ourselves. The time has come to be proud of the business we are building here in Australia. To celebrate the people behind the scenes making our artists thrive could be more important than ever as our industry emerges from yet another chrysalis. What I saw in Canada was that who won was almost less important than the fact that the nominees were recognised in the first place.

Let’s face it, the last few years have been pretty trying for our industry, but we’re seeing new life. Australian music is exporting well. Green shoots and real efforts to turn around domestic recorded consumption are happening. New companies are showing the old dogs some new tricks. And we have, in the Power 50, a chance to lead the celebration of the industry leaders who are stepping up to make the kind of positive change the industry so dearly needed.

What I saw in Canada was an industry proud of itself. Proud of its music. Proud of its artists. Proud of the great work it does to give them careers. I believe that it’s time for The Music’s Power 50 to make a return to fan the flames of a new pride in our Australian music industry. One that celebrates those with power who choose to use it wisely, ethically and for the good of local culture.

The stories of angry CEOs pulling their ad budgets because they went down in the list no longer concern me. The abuse from people who think they should have been in there (despite not nominating) seems like a relic from the last decade, but I’m sure it will still come. There will be those who criticise the return of the list, and that is their right. But our industry has new companies and old doing innovative things that weren’t even thought of back when the Power 50 was last awarded in 2019, and we think that deserves celebrating.

Will we screw something up by a massive omission? Will everyone roll their eyes because it’s not THEIR version of what they think the industry is? Will it annoy some people? Yes to all of those. Would it be easier for us to shut up and not bring it back? You betcha. But I am now convinced that the good that this list can do to celebrate our industry and engender pride in its new generation leadership is worth it.

And as you would expect, there are big changes. The 2025 Power 50 celebrates Australian music. If you brought a massive band over for a stadium tour and made millions, that’s awesome, but it’s not what the Power 50 is about moving forward. If you’re a label head who happens to luck out because your US head office signed a great artist from LA and hands you market share, then that’s great for you. But once again, it’s not what we’ll be celebrating in the Power 50.

The criteria have been updated to focus on Australian music. Australian artists. Australian consumers. If the initiatives you have spearheaded this year result in more money in Australian artists’ pockets, more Australian artists in people’s earholes and positive industrial change for the betterment of local music, then The Power 50 is for you.

We hope that the “new” Power 50 gives us an opportunity to spotlight some great Australian music initiatives from both larger and smaller companies. Some small companies can punch well above their financial weight to create cultural change. Some multinational companies can use their might to invest both money and policy into creating opportunities for Australian music. It’s not about who you are or how large your wallet, it’s about what success you have and positive change you make to the local ecosystem.

We will also be doing away with the numbers. I’m sorry for those who liked to see if they went up or down five places, but that’s part of the ick I couldn’t get past. We will celebrate fifty great leaders and the initiatives they have driven in 2025. There’s so much great stuff going on that I hope we’re blown away by the successes we didn’t even know existed. I’m sure there’ll be great things we discover that, with or without Power 50 inclusion, we can shine a light on through editorial.

It’s why I love what we do here at The Music. It hasn’t been easy, and it doesn’t seem to get easier with time, but since I began this journey, it has been about telling the stories of Australian music and with the return of the Power 50, we can continue the tradition of chronicling our industry. In a format we hope you agree is fit for 2025.

To nominate for the 2025 Power 50, all the details are here.