Universal Music International boss Lucian Grainge is the most influential person in London. I blame him for my train being so slow this morning - surely he could be doing something useful with all that influence.
I should qualify this story by saying Grainge has been identified as the most influential 'music person' in London in the latest 'London's Most Influential People' lists from the Evening Standard. In the overall top 50 most influential people Simon Cowell comes higher than Grainge, but he doesn't top the music list because his influence comes more from his TV work than all the dreadful pop nonsense he inflicts upon us via his Syco record company.
After Grainge, the other most powerful music people according the Standard are: Royal Opera House Music Director Antonio Pappano, 19 Entertainment CEO Simon Fuller, Coldplay and BBC Radio 3 Controller and BBC Proms boss Roger Wright.
Other artists considered to have some kind of influence on the capital are Amy Winehouse, Radiohead's Thom Yorke, Dizzee Rascal, Madonna, Mark Ronson, Damon Albarn, Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney, while other industry types lower down the list are MySpace UK MD Travis Katz and Live Nation UK President Paul Latham.