How Much of the Recorded Music Market Will the Grainges Control?

If your last name is Grainge, you probably oversee a large chunk of the U.S. music business.

Following Elliot Grainge ’s promotion to CEO of Atlantic Music Group effective Oct. 1, the Grainge family— Elliot and his father, Lucian Grainge , chairman/CEO of Universal Music Group (UMG) — will control roughly 37.6% of the U.

S. recorded music market, according to Billboard ’s analysis of data from Luminate. The younger Grainge, whose record label 10K Projects was acquired by UMG competitor Warner Music Group in 2023, will lead a record label group with about 7.

9% of the U.S. market’s equivalent album units (EAUs).

That includes Atlantic Records, which had a 5.3% share through Aug. 1, along with the remaining labels that comprise Atlantic Music Group — 300 Elektra Entertainment (which includes the labels 300, Elektra, Fueled By Ramen, Roadrunner, Low Country Sound, DTA and Public Consumption) and 10K Projects — with an estimated 2.

6% share. Led by Republic Records’ 10.5% share and Interscope/Geffen/A&M’s 10.

0% share, UMG-owned record labels have a 29.8% share of the U.S.

market’s EAUs. Other labels under UMG’s umbrella are Island Records, currently basking in a string of hits by Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan , and Universal Music Group Nashville, a collection of labels that are home to Chris Stapleton , Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood , among others. UMG also distributes labels it does not own, although for these purposes, Billboard is comparing market s.