Ed Christman, executive editor-finance, has been covering the music business for Billboard for over three decades, mainly analyzing the financial and commerce aspects of the industry, including private equity’s acquisition of music assets. He also focuses on the economics of music publishing and record labels, especially with regards to royalty payments.
Before joining Billboard, he began his journalism career at Pensions & Investment Age magazine, where he covered private equity firms; index funds and real estate investments; and then was a senior editor at Shopping Centers Today, covering real estate finance and retail. Christman graduated from Baruch College where he majored in journalism with a business specialization and a minor in music.
Prior to his journalism career, he worked at three independent record stores on Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens; and at music wholesaler Win Records. His main hobbies are reading and music. He has been to thousands of concerts including seeing his favorite band Led Zeppelin twelve times, but adds The Jam is the best live band he has ever seen. Overall, he has a diverse taste in music but especially enjoys hard rock, punk rock, power pop, pure pop and garage rock, or, in other words, all loud, hard and fast but melodic rock music. And soul music—the more obscure, the better.
