Behind every star-packed lineup and muddy campground is a powerful live-music impresario. Check out 5 of the most important festival promoters in the business.

Paul Tollett, 47
President/CEO, Goldenvoice
Though its future hung in the balance in its early years, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., parlayed its one-of-a-kind setting and Tollett’s ambitious talent booking to become the premier festival in North America, grossing $78.3 million in 2014, according to Billboard Boxscore. Meanwhile, Goldenvoice’s Stagecoach may be the most important country festival west of the Mississippi.

From left: Charles Attal, 47; Charlie Walker, 43; Charlie Jones, 45
Partners, C3 Presents
By creating the Austin City Limits Music Festival and resurrecting Lollapalooza, the three Charlies built their Austin-based company C3 Presents into the top independent promoter in the United States. The payoff? Live Nation, the world’s largest promoter, acquired 51 percent of C3 in 2014 for a reported $125 million, making LN the dominant player in the American festival business.

Brian O’Connell, 49
President, Live Nation Country
Country is the fastest-growing genre for festivals, and O’Connell is the most aggressive player in the sector. On a mission to create 10 country festivals in 10 years, O’Connell is ahead of the pace: Watershed in George, Wash.; Faster Horses in Brooklyn, Mich.; and Rt. 91 Harvest in Las Vegas are already established, and three new festivals launch this year.

Robert Sillerman, 70
Chairman/CEO, SFX Entertainment
Best-known as the man who led the massive promoter roll-up into what is now Live Nation, Sillerman has become a force in the EDM business with his follow-up, SFX Entertainment. The company now controls more than 77 branded festivals and events, including Tomorrowland, Electric Zoo, Decibel and React Presents, which, combined, sold more than 4 million tickets in 2014.