The Urban Magnate™
Culture Profile
Industry 01
Music + Audio
Published market data and company figures, with the source and reporting basis shown alongside each value.
Top Earners
Black-owned companies · Music + Audio
17companies · ranked by published financial value
| Company | Operations | Ticker | Amount · fiscal YTD | Black ownership | Tie |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Files its own numbers Black-owned and Black-founded companies standing on their own figures. Private ones file nothing public. | |||||
Music-led television and digital network; the founder sold his stake to an employee-led group in 2023 | Cable network Digital video Podcasts Live events REVOLT company site | private not listed | $100M 2022 · reported, not filed Digiday | not disclosed No ownership percentage published Not disclosed | Black-owned |
Founded by Cathy Hughes; the largest Black-owned broadcaster, listed in its own right | Urban radio broadcasting Reach Media syndication TV One Cleo TV iOne Digital Urban One segment reporting | UONE — | not filed | not disclosed Listed company; the Hughes family holds super-voting Class B and C shares and control, but no single Black-ownership percentage is filed Urban One proxy statement | Black-owned |
Founded and owned by Ghazi Shami; independent label and distributor | Recorded music Distribution Publishing EMPIRE company site | private not listed | private — not filed | 100% Wholly owned by its founder; no outside label group holds equity Billboard reporting on EMPIRE's independence | Black-owned |
Reports through a parent Brands inside a listed group. The amount is the parent's filing — parents do not break these brands out. | |||||
Co-founded by Dr. Dre; acquired by Apple in 2014 | Headphones (Studio, Solo) Fit Pro earbuds Beats Pill speakers Artist collaborations Beats product line-up | AAPL — | not filed | not disclosed Black-founded, then acquired in full — Apple owns the brand outright Apple acquisition announcement, 2014 | Black-founded |
Relaunched by Jay-Z with artist owners; majority held by Block | HiFi subscription HiFi Plus subscription TIDAL plans; Block has said it is scaling back its investment | XYZ — | not filed | not disclosed Artist shareholders hold a minority; Block holds the majority Block acquisition announcement | Black-founded |
Co-founded by Russell Simmons; label of Universal Music Group | Def Jam US 0207 Def Jam (UK) Def Jam Africa UMG label structure | UMG.AS — | not filed | not disclosed Black-founded label, wholly owned by Universal Music Group UMG label structure | Black-founded |
Founded by Jay-Z; long-running joint venture with Live Nation | Artist management Roc Nation Records Touring venture Roc Nation Sports Roc Nation divisions; Billboard on the Live Nation deal | LYV — | not filed | not disclosed Joint venture with Live Nation; split not published Billboard reporting on the Live Nation deal | Partnership |
Founded by Berry Gordy, 1959 Universal Music Group · consolidated into Recorded Music | — | UMG.AS — | not filed | not disclosed No ownership percentage published Not disclosed | Black-founded |
Dr. Dre's label, through Interscope Universal Music Group · consolidated into Recorded Music | — | UMG.AS — | not filed | not disclosed No ownership percentage published Not disclosed | Black-owned |
Birdman and Slim Williams, via Republic Universal Music Group · consolidated into Recorded Music | — | UMG.AS — | not filed | not disclosed No ownership percentage published Not disclosed | Black-owned |
Lil Wayne's imprint, via Republic Universal Music Group · consolidated into Recorded Music | — | UMG.AS — | not filed | not disclosed No ownership percentage published Not disclosed | Black-owned |
Jay-Z, Dame Dash, Kareem Burke Universal Music Group · consolidated into Recorded Music | — | UMG.AS — | not filed | not disclosed No ownership percentage published Not disclosed | Black-founded |
L.A. Reid and Babyface Sony Group (Sony Music) · consolidated into Music | — | SONY — | not filed | not disclosed No ownership percentage published Not disclosed | Black-founded |
Long-running Black A&R and artist roster Sony Group (Sony Music) · consolidated into Music | — | SONY — | not filed | not disclosed No ownership percentage published Not disclosed | Partnership |
Core hip-hop and R&B label group Warner Music Group · consolidated into Recorded Music | — | WMG — | not filed | not disclosed No ownership percentage published Not disclosed | Partnership |
Kevin Liles co-founded, now Atlantic group Warner Music Group · consolidated into Recorded Music | — | WMG — | not filed | not disclosed No ownership percentage published Not disclosed | Partnership |
Pierre 'Pee' Thomas and Kevin 'Coach K' Lee HYBE (HYBE America) · consolidated into Label | — | 352820.KS — | not filed | not disclosed No ownership percentage published Not disclosed | Black-founded |
Figures are limited to public filings, live market data and revenue published by a named source. A Black ownership percentage is shown only where a company, a filing or a certifying body has published one; everything else reads "not disclosed" rather than being estimated. Private companies file nothing public, so they carry no amount. Prices and filings are read live from a public market feed. Listed companies link out to their market reference page; every other name opens a details window. Every figure here is in US dollars; a company trading or filing in another currency is converted at the live exchange rate and marked with an asterisk.