Jay-Z, Beyonce, U2, Lady Gaga Rank on Billboard Power 100 List

You may not know Irving Azoff by face, or even by name, but rest assured that the chairman of Live Nation ­-- the world's largest promoter, ticketing company and artist management group -- is the most powerful person in the music industry. Azoff topped the first-ever Billboard Power 100 list, a ranking of where power and influence resides in the music business and the industries that intersect with it. While most of the executives on the list are behind-the-scenes power players like Azoff, there are 11 names that even casual music fans will instantly recognize.

The power couple of Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and Beyonce Knowles is ranked collectively at No. 13 on the list. As artists, both have enjoyed remarkable successes: He holds the record for the most No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, topping that chart with 12 albums and selling 28 million units in the U.S. along the way, according to Nielsen SoundScan, while she has racked up sales of more than 29 million units from sales of her solo albums and as part of Destiny's Child.

But the Billboard Power 100 list is about more than album and ticket sales; the artists featured are all actively involved in making impactful business decisions for their careers. In the case of Beyonce, she has recently been behind multi-million-dollar branding deals with L'Oreal, Coty and Target, and her clothing line House of Dereon continues to boast an international presence. Meanwhile, Jay-Z is one of the most celebrated artists to make the jump from the stage to the boardroom. He served as CEO of Def Jam Records and, in 2008, brokered a deal with Live Nation (said to be worth $150 million) to create Roc Nation, a management, music and entertainment company with a roster that includes Rihanna, J. Cole, Willow Smith and Ester Dean. His interests outside of music (Rocawear, Translation Advertising and stakes in 40/40 Club and the New Jersey Nets) have also grabbed headlines and helped to feed his bottom line.

Moving from hip-hop to rock, U2 and their manager Paul McGuinness rank at No. 27 on the list. According to Billboard Boxscore, U2's 360° tour grossed $736,421,586, earning it a place in the record books as the most successful concert tour in history. It's a feat not likely to be matched anytime soon.

Singer/songwriters Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald and Martin Karl "Max Martin" Sandberg are ranked at nos. 30 and 83 respectively. Both have written and produced seemingly more hits than anybody else in the last seven years. Their credits separately and together include chart-toppers recorded by Katy Perry, P!nk, Adam Lambert, Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Taio Cruz, Ke$ha, Backstreet Boys and Miley Cyrus.

Since 2000, Bon Jovi -- the biggest self-managed music act in the world -- has sold 13 million tickets and grossed nearly $1 billion at the box office (according to Billboard Boxscore). Not only does frontman Jon Bon Jovi, who ranks at no. 50, take the helm onstage, he runs the business of the band behind the scenes as well. Those who work with the New Jersey native tout his drive and business instincts nearly as often as his songs and vocal chops.

"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest comes in at No. 64, largely for his syndicated, daily Clear Channel radio show "On Air," heard in more than 150 markets, his eight-plus-year run as host of "American Top 40" and his production company at NBC Universal. Potentially most significant to Seacrest's power is his new alliance with well-known businessman Mark Cuban, Creative Artists Agency and AEG to reshape HDNet into a new pop network (slated to called AXS TV) that will cater to pop-culture and entertainment enthusiasts.

Lorne Michaels (no. 66) reigns as the executive producer of "Saturday Night Live" and "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." Lately, "SNL" has played a role in the recent successes of artists like Nicki Minaj, the Black Keys and Arcade Fire, and millions tuned in for the show's Christmas episode with Michael Bublé. Meanwhile, "Fallon" has given star-turns to up-and-coming acts like Odd Future and Bon Iver, and the show has devoted entire weeks to celebrating the music of iconic bands such as Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, becoming the musical juggernaut of late-night TV.

Coming in at no. 78, Taylor Swift, who owns her own management company, has become a branding powerhouse as well as a chart-topping singer and songwriter. Her deals include a retail partnership with Target, a multimillion-dollar ad campaign and tour sponsorship with CoverGirl, a fragrance with Elizabeth Arden and a relationship with Sony Electronics. She has also designed her own clothing line for Walmart, appeared in ads for the National Hockey League and co-created her own doll, to boot.

Likewise, Lady Gaga (no. 84) has more going for her than music sales. Gaga, who is actively involved in her career decisions, seems to revolutionize everything she touches. Specifically, as her 18.4 million Twitter followers can attest, the Mother Monster has turned the idea of social marketing on its head; without her Little Monsters, there would be no Beliebers for Justin Bieber or Barbs for Nicki Minaj. Gaga's influence with fans has been entirely transformed through her branding deals. When Virgin Mobile sponsored her tour, for example, she worked the company into the show itself by way of a nightly phone call to a fan in the audience. Gaga also serves as the creative director for the Polaroid Grey Label and made a headline-grabbing presentation for the line at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show.

Rounding out the list, Simon Cowell comes in at No. 100. With "American Idol" behind him, Cowell's "X Factor" flexed its muscles in 2011, launching five finalists from the British show's seventh season as potential global artists and landing the show on the air in the United States. Cowell's involvement in televised music competitions makes them ratings successes, and his combination of taste, honesty and snark makes people in the desirable 18-34 demo tune in week after week.

2012 Koenigsegg Agera R

Country of Origin: Sweden Engine: 1,115hp, 5.0-liter V8 0-60mph: 2.9 seconds Price: $1.7 million ($1.5 million for the base Agera, plus $211,000 at current exchange rates for the R package. An additional $270,000 will get you the carbon-fiber version)

Ten years after introducing Maybach, Daimler announced it would shutter the super-luxury brand by 2013.

It wasn’t a surprise. Maybach never fully established an identity that could compete with Rolls-Royce and Bentley. And the brand lost money each year in its existance, according to Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche.

In Pictures: The Most Expensive Cars Of 2012

That hasn’t kept the $1.4 million Maybach Landaulet down, at least in some circles. Madonna and Jay-Z are known lovers of the line. And along with the famously outré $2.6 million Bugatti Veyron Supersport 16.4 and the $1.7 million Koenigsegg Agera R, the Landaulet made this year’s list of the most expensive cars on the market today.

That hasn’t kept the $1.4 million Maybach Landaulet down, at least in some circles. Madonna and Jay-Z are known lovers of the line. And along with the famously outré $2.6 million Bugatti Veyron Supersport 16.4 and the $1.7 million Koenigsegg Agera R, the Landaulet made this year’s list of the most expensive cars on the market today.

Andrew Bogut

Australian Andrew Bogut has been ruled out of the Milwaukee Bucks' lineup indefinitely after fracturing his ankle.

Bogut confirmed the injury on Twitter today and thanked fans for their support.

"Thanks for all the support fans,(and hate from some) I will get back from this. Injury was beyond my control.First step, walking again," he tweeted.

Bucks general manager John Hammond said Bogut was injured in Wednesday night's win at Houston when his left foot landed awkwardly on a Rockets player’s foot after attempting to block a shot in the first period.

"Andrew returned to Milwaukee this morning to be evaluated by Bucks orthopaedic physician, and to undergo a MRI exam on his left ankle," Hammond said on the team's website.

"The results of the MRI identified a left ankle fracture, which will keep Bogut out indefinitely."

John Tyler

John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States (1841–1845). A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected vice president (1840). He was the first to succeed to the office of president following the death of a predecessor. Tyler's opposition to nationalism and emphatic support of states' rights endeared him to his fellow Virginians but alienated him from most of the political allies that brought him to power in Washington. His presidency was crippled by opposition from both parties, and at the end of his life he would join the South in secession from the United States.

Tyler was born to an aristocratic Virginia family of English descent and he came to national prominence at a time of political upheaval. By the 1820s the nation's only political party, the Democratic-Republicans, began to split into factions, none of which shared Tyler's strict constructionist ideals. His opposition to Democratic leaders Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren led him to be elected Vice President on the Whig ticket. Upon the death of President William Henry Harrison on April 4, 1841, only a month after his inauguration, a short Constitutional crisis arose over the succession process. Tyler immediately moved into the White House, took the oath of office, and assumed full presidential powers, a precedent that would govern future successions and eventually be codified in the Twenty-fifth Amendment.

Once he became president he stood against his party's platform and vetoed several of their proposals. As a result, most of his cabinet resigned, and the Whigs, dubbing him His Accidency, expelled him from the party. While he faced a stalemate on domestic policy, he still made several foreign policy achievements, signing the Webster–Ashburton Treaty with Britain and the Treaty of Wanghia with China. Tyler dedicated his last two years in office to his landmark accomplishment, the 1845 annexation of the Republic of Texas. With little hope that he would be elected in 1844, he created a third party to move public opinion in favor of annexation, which led to the 1844 presidential election of expansionist Democrat James K. Polk over Tyler opponents Henry Clay and Van Buren.

Tyler essentially retired from electoral politics until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. He sided with the Confederate government, and won election to the Confederate House of Representatives shortly before his death. As a result of his opposition to the Union, his death was the only one in presidential history not to be officially mourned in Washington. Although some have praised Tyler's political resolve, his presidency is generally held in low esteem by historians; today he is considered an obscure president, with little presence in the American cultural memory.

Ada Lovelace

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852), born Augusta Ada Byron, was an English writer chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the analytical engine. Her notes on the engine include what is recognised as the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine; thanks to this, she is sometimes considered the "World's First Computer Programmer".

She was the only legitimate child of the poet Lord Byron (with Anne Isabella Milbanke). She had no relationship with her father, who died when she was nine. As a young adult, she took an interest in mathematics, and in particular Babbage's work on the analytical engine. Between 1842 and 1843, she translated an article by Italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea on the engine, which she supplemented with a set of notes of her own. These notes contain what is considered the first computer program—that is, an algorithm encoded for processing by a machine. Though Babbage's engine has never been built, Lovelace's notes are important in the early history of computers. She also foresaw the capability of computers to go beyond mere calculating or number-crunching while others, including Babbage himself, focused only on these capabilities.

Jan Brewer

Janice Kay "Jan" Brewer (born September 26, 1944) is the 22nd and current Governor of the U.S. state of Arizona and a member of the Republican Party. She is the fourth woman, and third consecutive woman, to hold the office. Brewer previously served as Secretary of State of Arizona, from January 2003 until then-Governor Janet Napolitano resigned after being selected as Secretary of Homeland Security in January 2009. Brewer became Governor of Arizona as part of the line of succession, as determined by the Arizona constitution.

Born in California, Brewer attended Glendale Community College where she received a radiological technologist certificate, but never earned a degree. She has served as a State Senator and State Representative for Arizona, from 1983 to 1996. Brewer also served as Chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, before running for Arizona Secretary of State in 2002.

Brewer came into the national spotlight when, on April 23, 2010, she signed the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act. The act makes it a state misdemeanor crime for an alien to be in Arizona without carrying registration documents required by federal law, authorizes state and local law enforcement of federal immigration laws, and cracks down on those sheltering, hiring and transporting illegal aliens. Brewer sought a full term as Governor of Arizona in the 2010 Arizona gubernatorial election, and was elected on November 3, 2010, winning with 55% of the vote over Democrat Terry Goddard's 42%.

Rihana's "Thug Life" Tattoo

Well Rihanna is no stranger to gettin inked, and she's just revealed her latest tattoo! She debuted her latest ink via Twitter, the words "thug life" tattooed on her knuckles in a really light pink color. She tweeted, All these bitches screaming that 2pac back" with the hashtag thuglife. Tupac famously had the same phrase tattooed on his stomach. Another photo of Rihanna also surfaced, showing her getting another tattoo on her back as she drank a beer. Apparently she's gotten a lot of backlash over the ink, because Rihanna has been tweeting people back all day, like this one Err'body has an opinion, but Yall know what Yall can do with them!!! Tell us what you think of Rihanna's new tat by commenting below. And make sure to subscribe to ClevverMusic for more music news! See ya soon.