MAJOR MAESTRO: Most Influential Artists/Bands of 2015

Attention!!!

It was just last year that I started compiling this list as I saw the distinction between success that artists/bands achieved during throughout the year and the influence wielded by them over the mainstream music fandom. These influential artists achieve chart success with no relevance to the quality of the music. From awesome talent such as Rihanna and Ed Sheeran the influence ranges to the dramatic and controversial Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus. Last year witnessed the teen pop stars emerging from their shells as adult artists/bands with Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Shawn Mendes and One Direction all releasing more mature content. Their influence only grew more after the release of their albums which unsurprisingly reached the top on global charts.

However, it is the reigning Princess of Pop Taylor Swift that retains the crown from last year as the most influential artist/band of 2015. Her power and influence in the music industry was put to the test when she went toe-to-toe against Apple Inc and their newest streaming service Apple Music with its free trial month period. Her stance on the issue made Apple Inc. change its policy regarding payment to artists during the free three month trial. However, her rule is surely over as Justin Bieber clearly made waves and garnered influence in leaps and bounds at the tail-end of 2015. We will see some changes in 2016, but for now these are the 20 most influential artists/bands of 2015.

One Direction and Selena Gomez each slides down one slot to No.3 and No.4 respectively on account of Bieber's ascent. Those that did not make the list this year include Pitbull, Miley Cyrus, Eminem, Iggy Azalea, 5 Seconds of Summer, OneRepublic, Pharrell Williams, Cheryl Cole, Jennifer Lopez, Imagine Dragons and Ellie Goulding. Ariana Grande, Beyonce and Nicki Minaj all three take a dip in the rankings while Ed Sheeran rises and Demi Lovato and Sam Smith remain on the same position.