Interesting post on MuchMusic.com on the 12 Most Powerful Musicians of Today. The list is cool because it isn't just based on album sales but also on things like merchandising, tours, and charity work. And, in my opinion at least, it's pretty accurate.

That said, if you were to take a few more variables into account -- particularly since the word "powerful" could mean a lot of things -- you might want to add a few more names to that list. For example:

• If you include the ability to make industry-changing strategic moves, you'd include Trent Reznor.
• If you think about who controls the most sought after copyrighted material in the world these days, you'd include Paul McCartney.
• If you think of musicians as influencers, then you'd consider adding people like Elton John and Sting.
• And if you think of musicians as enablers, then people like Peter Gabriel would also warrant a mention.

But that's not the point of this post. The point is to get you to read the post on MuchMusic.com, which you should now do.