Girl power: 10 leading ladies of the music industry

No, the Spice Girls are not on this list.

It may be to cliché or to reminiscent of the Spice Girls phrase to utter the words “girl power” in a sentence, so I will try and refrain from doing so. There is no denying the “power” that these 10 women posses. We are lucky as women to have had past generations fight for our right to be on an even playing field with men. Little did we know that future generations would surpass being even and instead strive for the top!

Kazuhiro Nogi

Lady Gaga greets fans at the Narita Airport in Japan.

1. Lady Gaga - Forbes Magazine highlights this woman as one of the top earning females of 2012, bringing in just over $52 million dollars. Her brand is as much about music as it is about fashion.

2. Beyonce - The primary sponsor for this year’s Super Bowl halftime show was Pepsi. Beyonce scored a pretty sweet endorsement deal with them since she was the performer. She considers herself to be one of the most powerful women in the industry.

3. Cathy Hughes - This woman is a role model for not only women in general, but for young mothers and African American women. She became a mother at 16 and instead of letting that deter her from her dreams, it made her follow them. She worked hard to achieve her goals which led her to run a top grossing company, Radio One.

4. Julie Greenwald - One of the most coveted roles in a record company is being the person who runs it. This woman does just that: She is the COO/chairman of Atlantic Records, one of the most recognized labels in the business.

5. Ethiopia Habtemariam - Holds two VP spots for two highly regarded music companies, Universal Music Publishing and Motown Records.

6. Madonna - According to Forbes Magazine, after 30 years in the business, the “material girl” still has something to sing about including her current side projects, endorsement deals, and the royalties she continues to rake in from her many years working in this industry.

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

2011 -- Madonna attends the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2011.

7. Britney Spears - If you thought you had seen the last of Britney Spears when she shaved her head and went slightly off the reservation for a while, think again! She is back and “Stronger” than ever.

8. Taylor Swift - Hard to believe that this girl began writing songs at such a young age. A lot has happened since her debut as a country music artist, the No. 1 thing being that she no longer confined to one particular genre, which enables her to sell quite a few records.

9. Tena Clark - This woman is one of the most sought after writers/producers in the industry. Not only has she worked with some pretty cool people, she is also top dog at her company, DMI Music and Media Solutions.

10. Frances Preston - Frances may no longer be with us but she was definitely one powerful force in the music industry. Her credits include: being the first female executive in country music, president/CEO of BMI, and she founded the Nashville sector of BMI.