Music week

June 2021
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NAPSTER
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CEO Anthony Matchett
on a streaming revolution
WIZKID
Celebrating 10 years
of the global superstar
LIV
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MUSIC
SPEC
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SHIRLE
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JAC
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SAVORETTI
DELLESSA
JAMES
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DIGITAL EDITION

Welcome to
Music Week...
Xmarked the spot
April was a toughmonthformusicfans.FromAnitaLanetoDigital Underground’s ShockG, we
lost someincredible, influential talents.Indeed,inaquick succession of dayssomeof theheroesof
myyouthpassedaway:BlackRob–whoseBadBoyRecords2000debutLife Storydeservesmuch
moreattention–andJim Steinman,themusicalmastermindbehindthefirstcassette single I ever
bought:MeatLoaf’s I’d Do AnythingForLove(ButI Won’tDo That).AndthentherewasDMX…
One of myfondestmemoriesasateenagerwasbeinginNewYork’sVirginMegastore in
TimesSquareandbuyingDMX’s It’s DarkAndHell Is Hot shortlyafterit cameout,andthethrillof
hearinghimsingle-handedly alterthetrajectoryof anentiregenrewithonerecord.Therehasbeena
greatdealof reflectionuponhislegacyrecently,including oneaspectof hiscareerthathadperhaps
oftenbeenoverlookedin hislifetime.DMX wasastaunchadvocateforartists’rights. Tothatend,
there’soneentryinhiscataloguethatI’vebeendwelling onalot thispastmonth.
Aswellasbeingasong,2007’sTheIndustrywasapoemwrittenfortheDef PoetryJam seriesin
whichDMX – whohadnavigatedyearsof labelrejectionto goon to sellmillionsof records,including
twoUS No.1albums in thespaceof 12months– tookthemusicbusiness to task.Neveramanto
mincehiswords,someof hischoicelinesincluded:‘They loaning you money to make analbum, you
pay’em backthe money, theystill own the album!’and,‘Twenty-six cents amotherfucking record?
Weneed amotherfucking union!’. Thesewereamongthemorerestrainedones.
Themusicbusiness hascomealongwaysinceDMX pennedthis. I firmlybelievetherearemany
reasonsto behopefulrightnow,andonlots of fronts– fromthemoreprogressivedealsbeingoffered
to alot of artists, to theinvaluable andinspiringworkbeingdonebythismonth’scoverstarsin the
BlackMusic Coalitionwiththeirfivecalls to action.Butlistening to DMX’s words14yearson, their
prescienceis bothremarkableanddeflating inhowclosely theyechowhatso manymodern
musiciansarestill saying.
It’s asadfactthatartistsdon’t alwaysgetthesustainedlove,respectorattentiontheydeservein
theirlifetime–lestweforget,Jim SteinmandeliveredanalbumasdefiningasBatOut Of Hell and
yetwassomehowneverinductedintotheRock& RollOf Hall Of Fame. Fortunately,it’s notjustthe
music of departedartiststhatendures,it’salso whattheystoodfor.‘I’m not anindustry artist,’DMX
insisted.‘I’m anartistin the industry.’ It wouldbeamistaketo assumehewasonlyguidingfuture
generationsof musicianswiththatline. There’sastarkmessageforthemusicbusiness init, too.
George Garner,HeadOf Content
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04 | Music Week musicweek.com
FRONT SECTION
13DIGITALDISCOURSE
DeviateDigitalCEO SammyAndrews
on theever-evolvingcomplexityof
modernmarketingcampaigns
14TWEETSOF
THEMONTH
15RISINGSTAR/THE
BIGQUESTION
Meet YouTube Music’s Sheniece
Charway, plus hitmaker Jin Jin
has her say on the songwriting
credits debate
16ONTHERADAR
Girl InRed’s pathto becoming
anunstoppablepop force
06 THEBIGSTORY
RecordStoreDaycoordinatorMegan
Pageandexecs on thevinylcelebration
08 MBALIVE
AgentMarkBennett’s ambitionsforUK
rapstarKSI toheadline festivals
18PLA
YLIST/
TASTEMAKERS
19MAKINGW
A
VES/
SYNCSTORY
20 KEYRELEASES
Alook at all of themassivealbums
comingyourwaysoon
09 FORTHERECORD/
TAKEABOW
11SPOTLIGHT
Vevo’sClaudiaDeWolff talks
connectedTV, emergingartistsandthe
videoplatform’snewLondonstudio
12STARTMEUP/
IN POD WETRUST
21INCOMING/
CAMP
AIGNTRAIL
JehnnyBethon hernewcollaboration
withBobbyGillespie, plus Atlantic
RecordsUK co-president Ed Howard
on TwentyOnePilots’ hugereturn
22 HOTSHOTS
FEATURES
24THEBLACK
MUSICCOALITION
SherylNwosu, AfryeaHenry-Fontaine,
KomaliScott-Jones andChar Grantof
theBMC’s executivecommitteeexplain
whymusic mustdo morefor its Black
community.Plus: The BMC’s
independent division,Black LivesIn
Music, PRS Foundation& thestories
of eightBMC members
16
PHOTOS:
Kuka
K,
Thomas
Green,
Amazon
Music,
Jonathon
Kise

musicweek.com Music Week | 05
36 NAPSTERGROUP
CEO AnthonyMatchett onthebig
plansbehindMelodyVR’s$70m
acquisitionof thestreaminggiant
48 LIVEMUSIC
The sector unites for newalliance
LIVE, featuring Kilimanjaro Live’s
Stuart Galbraith, Live Nation’s Phil
BowderyandCEO GregParmley
70 TAGMIX
A specialreporton theevolution
of thepro-audioworld
REGULARS
54MENTORME
TourmanagerLondonThe Plug
giveshertopcareeradvice
42WIZKID
Celebrating10yearsof greatness
withtheAfrobeats superstar 64 CENTRESTAGE
Music VenueTrust CEO Mark
Davydon whyactsneedto spend
less time on socialmediaand
moretime playing onstage
76 HITMAKERS
DJ Riton opens upabout his
reworkingof a’90sdancesmashby
Nightcrawlersonfeel-good hitFriday
56 JACKSA
VORETTI
Newlabel. Newalbum. New
plan for worlddomination...
79 CHARTS
An in-depthlookat this month’s
biggest moversandshakers
60 DELLESSAJAMES
Dellessa Jamesunveils her
masterplan for Amazon Music
96ARCHIVE
Welook back at themusic
business of yesteryear
66 EASYLIFE
Island’s breakout group prepareto
unleash theirdebut album
98AFTERSHOW
Garbagelegend ShirleyManson on
theirnewalbum, themodernmusic
industry andterminators...
36 42
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66
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ecordStoreDaycoordinatorMeganPagehastoldMusicWeekthat
the 2021editionwillbe“really big”forretail.
ThevinylcelebrationtakesplaceacrosstwoSaturdayrelease
R‘drops’ onJune12andJuly 17.While the firstdatewillstill besubject
tosocialdistancingmeasuresunderthegovernment’scurrent roadmapforthe
easingofCovidrestrictions,Pageisupbeataboutnextmonth’sRSD.
“We’vegotmoreconfidencenow,”shesaid.“We sawhowtherecordshops
tookpartlastyear.There wererestrictions inplaceandtheystillmanagedto
getthousandsofpeoplethrough thedoorsinasafeandresponsibleway.So
thishaseveryopportunitytobeanotherreallybigyearforrecordstores.”
Around250shopswilltakepart,whichPagesaidisatthe “topend”of
participation ratessince RSD launchedin2008.
RSD hasrecruitedNoel Gallagherasofficialambassadorfortheevent.
“Wearesuper-excited thatNoelGallagheristhisyear’sambassador,” said
Page.“It’s alwaysa game-changerforRecordStore Daywhenyouhavesucha
massive artist come on board whowants to throw their support behind indie
recordstores.
“Noel Gallagher’sHighFlyingBirdsareoneof themostperfect
ambassadors.He hasconsistentlybeenoneof thebiggest-selling RecordStore
Dayartistsoverthelast10yearsandreallyunderstandstheethosandspirit
behindtheevent.”
“RecordshopswerereallyimportantwhenI wasgrowingup,” saidNoel
Gallagher. “It’s somethingthat’sinmyDNA. I think if
wecankeeprecordshopsopenforaslongaspossible,
weoweittothe youngpeopleof thiscountry. For this
year’sRecordStoreDayI’ll begettinginvolved.I’vegot
something uniquecomingout.Hopefullythefanswill
likeitandthey’llkeeptheflameburningforyourlocal
recordshop.”
“I thinkthisyear’srelease slate isthebest we’ve
hadinareallylongtimefromboththemajorsandthe
indies,”addedPage.“We’vegotreleasesfromthelikes
of Fontaines DC, Wolf Alice, LadyGaga,Little Mix
andBabyQueen–they’reexcitingartistswithmassive
fanbasesthataregoingtobeabigdrawfortheevent.
Wearereallyimpressedwiththetitlesthatthelabels
havecome upwith.”
Commercial execsatthe majorlabelsexpressedtheir
commitment tothe retailevent.
“The success of RecordStoreDaycontinuesto grow
witheachyear,somehowmanagingtosurpassthe
previousyearintermsof engagingfanbasesacrossthe
UK,” saidDavidHawkes,MD of Universal Music UK’s
Commercial Division.“There’ssomethingspecialabout
visitingyourlocalrecordstore,and I thinkwith all
that’shappenedoverthepastyearwe’refully expecting
thisyear’soffering tobearesoundingsuccess.”
Universal’s line-up includes titlesfromAmy
Winehouse, The RollingStones,EltonJohn,Queen,U2,
The PoliceandnewartistsFinnAskew,BabyQueenandEasyLife(seep66).
“UniversalMusicUK isalwaysproudtosupportRecordStoreDayand
thisyearwehaveacombinedtotalof109titlesacrossthetwodates,”added
Hawkes.“This ismorethanwe’veeverhadbeforeandwithout doubtthemost
eclecticmixofreleaseswe’vetakentomarketforaRSD.”
Forthethirdandfinalvinyldropof 2020onOctober24,LP unitsales
registereda27.4%year-on-yearincrease.The industrywillbehopingtheevent
deliversasignificant impactagainin2021.
“It willbeagreatboost–bothintermsof thesalesspikeandthemedia
coveragethatit willgenerate,”saidCharles Wood,SonyMusicUK’s VP of
marketplanning& media.“Last year,forobviousreasons,itwasputbackand
spreadoverthreeweekssoitmayhavegotalittlebitlostamongeverything
elsethatwasgoingon.This yearweareinamuchstrongerposition.”
Woodsaidthemajorhadits“strongestline-upof RecordStoreDayproduct
ever”, including AC/DC, Prince, The Clash andLittle Mix.
WarnerMusic’s line-upincludes EdSheeran, TwentyOne Pilots,Gorillaz,
TheDoors,RamonesandArethaFranklin.
“The establishment of RSD aspartof themusicindustrycalendarhasbeen
fundamentaltovinyl’srenaissance,” saidDerekAllen, SVP,commercial at
WarnerMusic.“RSD is,andwillalwaysbe,apriorityforWarnerMusic.Our
labelsandartistsalikearepassionateabouttheeventandareasdeterminedas
evertoshowtheirsupportfortheindependentsector.”
According toOfficial ChartsCompanydata,vinylsales
increasedby16.1%year-on-yearinQ1tohit1,080,653units.
Following thereopeningof retaillastmonth,ERA
revealedthatvinylLP salesincreasedsharplyby92.3%
year-on-yearforchart week15.
Although lockdownshaveforcedretailto moveonline
inthe pastyear,the marketmayhavereceivedalong-term
boost withincreasedsalesof turntables.
“[Lockdown]hasgivenpeoplearealopportunityto
reconnectwiththingsthattheylove,andvinylhasplayeda
bigpartinthat,”saidPage.
“The biggerinstalled baseof turntableswilladdfuel to
thegrowthofthevinylmarket,”addedCharles Wood.
Despite the popularity of the format, supply remains an
issue. “The most significant constraint on the growth rate
is manufacturing capacity – weare nowworking on longer
leadtimes,” saidWood.
Although Pageacknowledgedthechallenges forthe
sector,shesaidthere’snosignof the market peaking.
“I’vebeenaskedthisconsistently forthe last 10years,”
shesaid.“But I don’tseeanyreasonwhyit wouldslow
down–itshowsnosignof abating.”
Pageadded:“The mostimportantthingRecordStore
Dayhasdone,andcontinuesto do,isto remindcustomers
whytheylovetheirlocalrecordshop.It willmakethem
realisewhatthey’vebeenmissing outonforsolong–
that’sthebiggestthingwecandoforthevinylmarket.”
Your
essential
primer
for the
month
ahead
THE BIG STORY
— BYANDREPAINE —
Dropgoal:RecordStoreDay ‘muchstronger’
for2021asindieretailadaptstopandemic
WithNoelGallagheronboardasthevinylcelebration’sambassador,RSD’s
MeganPageandlabelexecstalksales,turntablesandthisyear’s“eclecticmix”
R
ecordresults:MeganPage
“It’s the best release
slate we’ve had in a
really long time”
Megan Page,
Record StoreDay

“Record shops
were really
important when I
was growing up –
they’re in my DNA”
Noel Gallagher
PHOTO:
Matt
Crockett
Highfidelity: Noel Gallagher is the UK
ambassador for RecordStoreDay 202
1

SpecialKSI:UKrapstarlinesup
‘spectacular’gigsfornewalbum
AheadofthereleaseofKSI’s secondLP inJuly,MBA LivemanagingdirectorMark Bennettopensupaboutglobaltouringambitionsandarenashows
“KSI wantedto
beanarena-level
artistforalbum
numbertwo”
Mark Bennett
MBA Live
Play on: KSI performing and (below)at SSE Arena, Wembleyfor the announcementof his 2022date
KSI’s live agent MarkBennett hastoldMusicWeek
that heexpectstheUK rapstarto beheadlining
festivalsin thenext fewyears.
Followingtheannouncementof hissecondalbum
AllOverThePlace(BMG/RBC),releasedon July 16,
KSI hasconfirmedhisbiggestshowto dateat SSE
Arena,Wembleyon February25,2022.
“He’sanarena-levelartist,if not greater, and his
ambitionscontinueto grow,” saidBennett, MD of
MBA Live. “Hewantedto bearenalevelforalbum
two,andwe’rethere.
“I’ve heardwhathisambitionsare,andI believe
he’sgoingto deliveronehellof ashow. He’sgoingto
goallout –youcansensehisexcitement.”
Bennett andKSI (realnameOlajide“JJ” Olatunji)
areworkingwithpromotersSJM andMetropolison
theWembleydate. It willfollowarunof sold-out
showsrescheduledforthis autumn,including O2
ForumKentishTown(October13).
KSI wasthebiggest UK breakthroughactof2020
withhisdebutalbumDissimulation,whichhas
salesof93,686.Forthe follow-up,theYouTuberhas
recruitedtransatlanticrapand poptalent including
Future,21Savage,BugzyMalone,Jay1andDenofor
newtracksalongsidehits withAnne-Marie,Craig
David,YungbludandPolo G.
The formerMusicWeekcoverstar’srunof Top5
singlesincludesDon’t PlaywithAnne-Marie& Digital
FarmAnimals(No.2,409,226sales),ReallyLovewith
CraigDavid& Digital FarmAnimals(No.3,384,941)
andPatiencefeatYungblud& PoloG (No.3,150,252).
Bennett, whoalsorepresentsPoloG, Digital Farm
Animalsand The PaperKites, said:“Veryearlyon,
westartedto realisethat [KSI] is somebodythatcan
transcendagenre,whetherhesits onadancerecord
withNathanDaweorapop recordwithAnne-Marie,
oradrillrecordorraprecord.He’sgoingto bringa
verybigshowthatwill continuethatnarrative,he’s
not just segmentedinto aparticulargenre.”
Bennett saidheexpectsgueststarsto beafeature
ofthe liveshows. “Weareplanningonbringing some
sessionmusiciansthat willcoverthebulkofthe
songsthatcan’tbereplicated,andwherepossible
we’llbringguestsoutindifferentmarketssoevery
show’sgot somethingthatfeelsspecialto that unique
audience,” hetoldMusicWeek.
KSI will perform at Reading & Leeds Festival,
Trsnmt and Parklife. With various collaborators
playingReading& Leeds, Bennett expects KSI to
makeanimpactbeyondhismainstageslot.
“You canlookthroughthe line-upandseethat he’s
onthe mainstage;onthesecondstageis Yungblud,
onthedancestageis NathanDaweandonthe 1Xtra
stagetherearepeoplehe’scollaboratedwith,”said
Bennett. “So it mightbeaverycool, uniquePR
momentwithKSI allovertheplaceatReading&
Leeds. If wecancreateascenariowherehe’splayed
everystage,it’sacoolthing forpeopleto shoutabout
andit reaffirmsourrelationshipwiththat festival.”
Bennett hasalsospoken abouthislong-term
plansto elevateKSI to topthebillatfestivals.
“We’ve[lookedat]howwealignhiscareer
overthenextfewyearssothatwecanactually
haveconversations aboutheadlining festivals,”
hesaid.“I believewe’regoingto starthavingthe
conversationsaroundalbumthree.Witheach
metricthat we’relookingat rightnow,it suggests
thatthoseconversationsarenot misplaced.”
Globaltouringis alsoonKSI’s agenda.
“Welookverycloselyatthe dataandSpotify
figures,” saidBennett. “We’vebeenhaving
discussionsinthe US foroverayear,we’vebeen
havingdiscussionswithAustraliaand Asiafora
significant amountoftimeandmainlandEurope.”
KSI wasamongMBA Live’sfirst clients two
yearsago.
“Ticket sales
weren’twherethey
neededto be,” said
Bennett, whothen
workedto buildKSI’s
livebusiness.
“A largepart of
that hasbeendown
to himbeingtaken
seriouslyasanartist
overthelast 18
months,”headded.
“The musicthat’s
beenput togetherthroughhimandhismanager
Mams[Taylor]hasraisedthe bar.”
MusicWeekrevealedearlierthis yearthat
KSI andhismanagementat ProperLoudhave
launchedhisownlabel,The Online Takeover.
MarkBennett works closelywithProperLoud
andhelpscoordinateTV appearances,including
theperformancewithYungbludandPolo G on
TheLateLateShowWithJamesCorden.
“That waspulledtogetherin averyshortperiod
of time,withartistsin differentpartsof theworld
anddifferent teams,” saidBennett.
WhileKSI initiallyfaceddoubters,Bennett said
hehasnowprovedhimselfasanartist.
“Hehasgot this naturalability, whichhascome
from13yearsof uploadingYouTubevideos and
beingcharismaticin front of thecamera,”hesaid.
“We’rebuildingoutourteamwithachoreographer
andproduction managers. Hisplansforwhat’s
goingto comeareprettyspectacular.”
KSI announced his Wembley gig at the venue on
ITV’s Good MorningBritain. In March, he appeared
onChannel4’sTheGreatCelebrityBakeOff.
“He’s now a household name,” said Bennett.
“For a certain generation, he is already a legend.
Forus,it’sjust aboutwidening thataudience.”
KSI’s teamarecurrentlyworkingwiththe Mata
agencyonbrandpartnershipdeals.
“Wefieldalot ofinquiries,” saidBennett. “But
it’sallabouthisintegrityandwhatmatcheswith
himand hisvalues.”
PHOTO:
Joseph
Okpako
BY ANDRE PAINE
frontline
LIVE

TAKEA BOW
TEAM The Snuts
Management:AdamHarris/Callum
Read(TouchdownMGMT)
Marketing: Jack Melhuish/Ben
Skerritt (Parlophone)
National Press: Ant Giannaccini/
BarbaraCharone(MBC PR)
OnlinePress:AshleyMatthews(MBCPR)
Regional Press: Stasi Roe(MBC PR)
NationalRadio:DaveRajan(Parlophone)
Regional Radio: JulieBarnes
(RadioactivePromotions)
TV: BeckyWilliams/Natalie
Nichols(Parlophone)
Digital:AnyaDuSauzay/Thomas
Jones/Charlie Martin/Kiyanda
Duncan(Parlophone)
International:
SophieScholz(Parlophone)
Streaming:SamPalm/Beth
Cherry(Parlophone)
Booking Agent:
Geoff Meall(ParadigmTalentAgency)
WL
Peak Chart Position: No.
1
Label: Parlophone
THEBIGEXIT
AnnieMacistoleaveBBC Radio1.Thestationhas
announceddetailsofashake-upthatwillseeClara
AmfotakeovertheFutureSounds show, whichis
hometo Hottest RecordIn TheWorld.Rickie,Melvin
&CharliewillhostAmfo’sLiveLounge,whileDanny
HowardistakingoverfromAnnieMaconRadio
1’sDanceParty.HeadofRadio1AledHaydnJones
describedMac,whosefinalshowisonJuly30,as“a
legend”.He added:“Shehasbeenahugelyimportant
partofthestationforthepast17years.”
THEBIGSHOW
DriifthasappointedSashaDuncanasheadof
production.Leadingoncreativedevelopment,
productionandbroadcast,Duncanisalreadyplaying
akeyroleinDriift’sMay22globallivestreamevent
forLiveAtWorthyFarm,homeoftheGlastonbury
Festival.ABAFTA-nominatedproducer,Duncan
hasmorethan20years’experiencein musicTV
andproduction,mostnotablyattheBBC whereshe
managedlargeproductionteamsatGlastonbury
Festival,ReadingFestivalandtheMercuryPrize.
THEBIGMOVE
Spotify hasconfirmedpricerisesin12markets.The
UK increasewillbe£2for Family(£16.99),and£1for
Duo (£13.99)andStudent (£5.99)plans.During Q1,
premiumsubscribersgrew21%year-on-yearto 158
million. Totalmonthlyactiveusersgrew24%year-
on-yearto 356m.Spotify CEO andco-founder
DanielEkhasalsospokenaboutthelaunchofCar
Thing,thenewsmartdeviceforthe car.Following
its US rollout, hesaid:“It seemslikewe’vereally
struckachordwithwhat consumerswant.”
THEBIG SALE
Hasbrohasenteredinto adefinitiveagreementto
selleOne Music for $385million. eOne Music will
beacquiredbyentitiescontrolledbyBlackstone,
whichalsoownsSESAC. eOne Music willoperateas
aseparatebusinessunit headedbyits currentglobal
president,ChrisTaylor.“I’m excitedtocontinueto
leadandgrowthisexceptionalbusiness,”saidTaylor.
“Wewantthecreativecommunityto knowthatwe
arefocusedonmakingsurethatthisonlybenefits
themandthe workwe do together.”
THEBIGDEAL
Downtownhassolditsportfolioof145,000ownedandco-published
musiccopyrightstoaConcordaffiliate.Thecopyrightsincluded
inthetransactionweredevelopedoracquiredbyDowntownover
thepast14yearsandbringConcord’s ownedandcontrolledmusic
assetstoover600,000works.
ThedealincludesworksrecordedbyAdele,ArethaFranklin,
Beyoncé,DavidBowie,Jay-Z,LadyGaga,MadonnaandThe1975.
“Theincrediblecatalogueof songsisanexcellentcomplementto
thetimelessandvaluable copyrightsuponwhich Concord has built
asuccessfulbusiness,”saidConcord’s chiefpublishingexecutiveJim
Selby(pictured,right).“Our globalpublishingteamishonouredto
nowrepresentthesesongwritersandtheirworkstotheworld.”
Downtown’sdecisionto divestits ownedcopyrightportfolio
followsastrategicreview.Asaresult,thecompanyhasdecidedto
focusexclusivelyonthefast-growingmusicservicessector.
“Ourstrategicreviewconfirmedaclearopportunityinthe market
foratrulyneutralproviderto meetthechangingneedsof creators
andtheirpartners,”saidfounderandCEO Justin Kalifowitz
(pictured,left).DowntownMusicServiceswillbeledbyMikeSmith,
whojoinedlastyearasglobalpresidentofmusicpublishing.
frontline
Go Snuts:
The Snuts
PHOTO:
Holly
Tutor

f it wasn’t already key to all good campaigns, last year
digital marketing became the essential component
to releasing records.
Nothing demonstrated this more than in the entries for Music
Week’s Digital Marketing Masters competition, run in partnership
with Facebook. Each one revealed the significance of these
campaigns as the pandemic made digital marketing the best
– and sometimes only – way to reach audiences.
Quick-thinking and innovation that will reshape marketing
forever were on show right across the board, while our
triumphant campaign is one that set new standards. We are
delighted to announce that Kylie Minogue’s album Disco,
released by BMG, is the 2021 Digital Marketing Masters winner.
“We’re thrilled, the digital campaign for Disco was a huge
collaborative effort not only within BMG, but with some amazing
partners,” declared Sam Hill, senior director, global digital
marketing BMG. “Needless to say, we wouldn’t be able to achieve
anything without the dedication, ingenuity and flexibility of Kylie
herself and her management.”
Assessing this year’s entries, Facebook’s Jane Kinnaird, one
of our judges, said BMG stood out in a very impressive field.
“The Kylie entry was slick and considered,” she said.
“Talk about following best practice! Every facet was striking,
engaging and it offered fan interaction never experienced before.”
Using the latest technology, Minogue's 15th
studio album was
recorded almost entirely under lockdown conditions, so, naturally,
she embraced a truly forward-thinking marketing campaign.
“It was great to really lean into the digital space for Disco”, Kylie
declared. “We’ve had some memorable online moments and I’m
delighted that the campaign has been recognised.”
Highlights included a holographic AR filter for Instagram,
November’s Infinite Disco livestream concert and a Disco
listening party which Kylie hosted with The Charlatans’ Tim
Burgess, who has been celebrating key records on social media.
“Launching a global campaign for such an iconic artist in a
pandemic brought with it some challenges but a number of
opportunities too,” said Gemma Reilly-Hammond, VP marketing
BMG UK. “We went in with our eyes open and focused from the
outset on how to bring Disco to life in the digital arena. With full
artist engagement and some great partnerships, the team were
able to deliver a number of groundbreaking digital activations.”
Entries for the 2021 Digital Marketing Masters were judged
by Jane Kinnard, entertainment lead, creative shop, Facebook,
Nick Callaghan, head of industry, entertainment, Facebook
and Stuart Williams, Music Week’smanaging director.
Above: KylieMinogue’s
Disco campaign haswon
theDigital Marketing
Masterscompetition, 2021

“Connected TV
is a hugearea
of growth for
thebusiness”
CLAUDIA DE WOLFF,
VEVO
MusicvideonetworkVevoisbuilding its global audience– nowhitting 26billion views
amonth.Here, UK andinternational execClaudiaDeWolfftalksTV opportunities,
Dscvr’s supportforemerging artists andthe platform’s newLondon studiofacility…
ClaudiaDeWolff,VP
,creativecontent&programming,Vevo
HowisconnectedTV drivingVevo’s growth?
“Withmore people athome, music videosare
the perfect livingroomcontent. Wesawa24%
increasein[weekly] viewership fromJanuaryto
March 2020.Bythe endof last year, CTV wasup
to33%of total UK views. Weseealot of shared
viewingexperiences, it’sahuge areaof growth
forthe business. The mainfocus for usrecently
hasbeenSamsung TV Plus –westartedalinear
VevoPopchannelinFebruary, which we’re
programming inLondon. WealsohaveVOD
partnerships including Sky,AmazonandRoku.”
So isVevodiversifyingbeyondYouTube?
“YouTubeisareally importantpartnertousand
theyoffersuchvolume[in views],butit doesn’t
meanthatwecan’tofferexperienceselsewhere
onotherappsthat ouruserscanenjoyin
differentways. Differentdemographics canthen
come andfindthe Vevocontent. YouTubeisa
hugesuperstore whenit comesto videocontent,
buttherearealsoplaceswhereyoucanhave
more of aspecialisedexperience.”
Howhaveyouhelpedfans connectwith
artistsinthepast year?
“From anoriginalcontentperspective,livehas
beensomethingthat we’vealwaysfocused on.
Wewanttocreateopportunitiesforartistsof
everylevel, through differentstages of their
career. Weput alot of effortintothinkingabout
howwecancapture that material, especially
when people haven’thadaccessto[concerts].
We’vecreatedalot of one-shotperformance
content,sofanscanfeelthatconnection.”
Whataresomeoftherecentartisthighlights?
“There’saTurkishrappercalled Ezhel whowe
shot, andthosepieceshaveabsolutelyflown–
he’sonatleast30millionviews.Wedidsome
great stuff with Yungblud when wereopened
the Londonstudio. He’sanamazing artistto
workwithandit’s beengreatto startusingthe
space,experimentingwithit andbringingtalent
in so they canreally appreciate its size and
scale.Wealsodidalongerformpiecewherehe
discussed music videoswith us. Wetookhim
intoacinemaandshowedhimfiveof hisbiggest
videos. Because he’s such an expressive artist,
it wasreallyinterestingfor him to speakto his
fanbase about the creative process behind the
music videos.”
WillthenewLondonstudio boostcontent?
“We’rereallyexcited,it’s agreatspaceandwe’ve
putalot of time andeffortintoit. Wegot it all
signedoff andthenthe pandemichit. Wewere
lucky that construction wasoneof the first
things thatwasallowed toreturn. Weopened
the doors inSeptember, then hadtoshut atthe
beginningof thisyearandwe’vejustreopened.
Wewantaworld-class productionfacilitywhere
wecanworkwithartists.Wecanalsouseitas
aspace togivebacktothe communityaround
HackneyWick. We’vesetupapaidrunners’
scheme, where studentsandgraduatesfrom
ELAM [EastLondonArts & Music]canget
experience onset.”
Howimportant isVevo’s Dscvrplatformfor
emergingartists?
“In those firstfew monthsof the pandemic,
wetriedtoworkout what ourniche could be.
Wefelt emerging artistswerelosingalot of the
opportunitiesthat theywould havehad. So we
wantedtomakesure wecould service them,
andthat’s somethingwedecidedtodowith our
Dscvrbrand.Weworkedwith artistsandtheir
teamsintheirhomes overZoom, directing them
andsometimessendingupkits. Wespentdays
workingwith them ontreatments, captured
themwithintheirownhomeenvironmentsand
then uploaded thosetothe Dscvrchannel. We
haveareallyengagedaudiencetherewhoare
lookingfor newmusic.”
WhatrolewillVevoplayintheyearsahead?
“There’s alwaysgoingbeaplacefor music
video,it’ssomethingthat really has stoodthe
testof time. It allowsadifferentareaof creative
expressionfor the artistandadifferentway
for fanstoconnectto the artiststhat theylove.
Vevois a place that canreally celebratethat
partof anartist’scraft,andalsomonetiseit to a
degreesothat it canstill beaprofitable pieceof
anartist’scampaign.”
frontline

Hostedby:HarryPinero andHenrie
Contact:finn@wearegrape.com
WheredoesSpotify’s Who WeBeTalksfitintothe
widermusic podcastworld?
HarryPinero:“WhoWeBeTalksgivesarawandauthentic
viewonbothmusic andlife.It’suniquebecauseitisn’t
theconventional promointerview,wegiveourguestsan
opportunity tobeunfilteredandtalkabouttheirviewsonthe
thingsthataffect everyone daytoday.”
Itwas originallyconceivedas aneditorialextension
of the Spotify playlist. Is that how you still see it?
Henrie:“WhoWeBeTalksisstillanextensionoftheplaylist,
asthey both continue to be apillar of Black culture and
Blackmusic.HarryandIarejustliketheaudience
thatwe’retryingtoreachandIthinkwe’ve
helpedbringtheaudience’sopinion through
ourownsocial engagement –weknow
whatpeoplearesayingaboutarecord,
anartist,amoment.We’rebothreally
activeonline andsowetryandbringthe
conversations thatourpeerscareaboutto
thestudio.We’reexcitedtoseehowitwill
growandthrivefurther.”
To what extentdo youthinkof your
podcastas a discovery tool?
Pinero:“Themainthingattheheartoftheshowis
authenticity.It’simportanttousthat
wegettothehumanbehindtheartist
tomakethemrelatabletoourlisteners
becausetheworlddoesn’tneedanother
interviewwithstockquestions and
answers.We’vehaditbeforewhere
we’vesaidnotobignames because
they’renotgoingto openup,andlikewise
we’veinvited people earlier intheir
careersbecauseweknowtheyhavealot
tobringtotheconversation.Ireallyliked
ourend-of-yearepisodewithNoSignal,
theBlack-ownedradiostation which
formed inthemidstofthepandemic.
Their growthhasalreadybeen
crazy,buttheystillhavea
longwaytoclimbandthe
energytheybrought
withthemisexactly
whatwe’relooking forontheshow.”
Whathavebeensome of your
favouritemomentsso far and why?
Henrie: “Oneof thefirstepisodeswe
didwaswithJulieAdenuga. She’sso
intelligent andhasatalentformanagingto say
everything we’reall thinkinginveryfewwords.
I’vealwaysthoughtshewasagreatbroadcaster.We
recently hadDiggaDinthestudiowithusandIlovedthat
episodebecauseyoudon’talwaysknowwhatyou’regoingto
getwithanartist,but hehadsuchahugepersonalityandthe
audienceresponsewasincredible.”
Finally, who is on your bucket list for the podcast?
Henrie:“ItwillalwaysbeBadGalRhiRhi(Rihanna),butalso
MeganTheeStallion,CardiBandCityGirls.”
Pinero:“IwouldalsolovetointerviewYoungThug,he’sone
ofthemostinfluential artistsofourgeneration.It’salonglist
though…IanWright,JamieFoxxandRihanna.”
PHOTO:
Ashley
Verse
Timingiseverythingforstart-ups.
TakePaperchain:the paymentplatform,which
providesfasteraccessto streamingrevenuesformusic
creators,camealongjust astheloss of touringwas
beginningto hurtindependentartists.
“Welaunchedtheserviceproperin June 2020and
paidout$2,000inthe first month,” saysDanielDewar,
theNewYork-basedCEO & founder.
“In April 2021, we passed $800,000 paid
out to date. We’ve definitely been in the
rightplaceat therighttime.”
Paperchain’smissionto support
creatorswasrecognisedatthe Music
WeekTechSummit, whereit wasoneof
theStart-UpInitiativechampions.
“It wasgreat,wewereableto
connect withpeopleandin somecases
reconnectwithpeopleI haven’tseenfor
along time,” saysDewar,whobelieves
theeventwill“not onlyexpandourpipelinebut our
networkofsupportersaswell”.
The companyis buildingupits client baseof
independentartistsandlabelswhoconnecttheirdata
feedsfromstreamingplatforms–includingSpotify,
Apple andYouTube–to receiverevenuelong before
it’stypicallypaidout. It meansrights-holderscan
accesstheirforthcomingrevenuealmostimmediately
atacost of 1%permonth.
“Weinitiallyspent alot oftimeon adeeplearning
modelthatwouldallowus to lookat historical
streamingdata andpaymentsdatato accurately
predict what apayoutratewouldbein agiven earnings
cycle,”explainsDewar.“Wethenusethatto valuedaily
streamsandmakethepayment to
thecreatoreveryday.
“That modelforpricingthedata
is thehardestpartand whythis type
ofproduct hasn’t beenavailable
before.We’repricingthe valueof
streamsbeforeeventheDSPs do.”
Withself-releasingon therise,
digitalroyaltypaymentsareripe
fortransformation.
“Themusicindustryisdata-rich
andunderservedbyexistingfinancial
productsandservices,”adds Dewar.
AndDewaris alreadyplanningPaperchain’snext
innovationforthe streamingeconomy.
“It is logicalforus to lookatvideoandother
content creatorsonYouTube,andstartto add
integrationswithTwitchandTikTokandexpandthe
typesofmonetisationmodelswecansupport,” hesays.
NAME: PAPERCHAIN
TECH: PAYMENT PLATFORM
THIS MONTH:WHO WEBETALKS
“Paperchain has
been in the
right place at
the right time”
DANIEL DEWAR,
PAPERCHAIN
Guesswho:HenrieandHarryPinero
Paperchainreaction:
DanielDewar
“Itisn’tthe
conventional
promointerview!”
HARRY PINERO
frontline

PHOTOS:
Paul
Harries/
SOPA
Images,Getty
I
t’s fairtosayI’vebeenworkingindigital
forawhile.I wasremindedjusthowlong
recentlywhileclearingoutanoldcupboard
andI foundatatteredoldstep-by-stepguide
tousingMyspaceI hadproducedforaclient.
Onthewhole,theworldisthankfully
unrecognisablefromthosedays,butit
increasinglystrikesmethatsomepartsofour
businesshavenot quitecaughtupinthewayyou
wouldhaveexpected.This is ludicrousto meon
so manylevels,butalsoquitetoxic if peopleare
overburdenedandundervaluedwithwork,
eitherin-houseorasconsultants,becausethe
widerbusinessdoesn’tunderstandjusthow
muchgraftis requiredin asuccessfuldigital
marketingcampaign.
Withtheunstoppableriseoflabelservices,
independent releasesandstackedfrontlinelabel
teams,manymanagers,distributorsandlabels
areturningto agencieslikemineto helpthem
withtheirreleases.
We’dhadtwoUK No.1recordsalreadyby
Marchthisyear(TomGrennanandYouMeAt
Six) andweforeseemorebeforethisquarteris
out.Weworkacrossfrontline,touring,festivals,
branding, D2C, majorlabels,independent labels,
e-commerce,managementcompanies,breaking
artistsandcatalogue(plus,gaming, hospitality,
booksandmore)andofferarangeof servicesto
meetourclient’sobjectives.
Thereisn’t amagicbuttonyoucanpressto
makeamarketingcampaignsuccessful.There
aremultipleskills,strategiesandrolesinvolved
in runningapropercampaign.Whenyouhirea
radioorTV plugger,orPRperson,mostpeople
haveaveryclearideaofwhatthatentailsand
theworkinvolvedandtheyseemcomfortable
withwhatthatservicewillcostthem.I am
increasinglyawarethatmanypeopleinmusic
donot reallyhaveacluewhatdigital marketing
involves–andbelievemewhenI sayitisinvolved...
Somelabelsandmanagementcompanies
getit andareanabsolutejoyto workwith,
butsadlyinmanyfirmsthereareafewpoor
“marketing”or“digital” folkssatinacorner
beingpiledwiththeworkof10people onthe
wageof one,usingabudgetbefittingofthe
Myspaceera.
Thosesamecompaniesandindividuals baulk
atagencypricingwhenpresentedwithanactual
list of individualservicesbrokendown,so here,
in the nameoftryingto makelife a little nicer
foreveryonewhilemakingcampaignsmore
successfulat the sametime,I wantto explain
justafewofthemanyjobsandareasof expertise
thatcomeunderthe“digitalmarketing”umbrella.
Owingtothenatureofthemodernmusic
business, campaignswillallneedtoachieve
differentgoalsatdifferenttimesfordifferent
stakeholders. It mightbemerch,might be
streams,it couldequallybetouring, brand
partnershipsorD2C. Whateverthetarget,each
requiresits ownbespokestrategytoachievethe
desiredresults.
Takesocialmediacampaigns, forinstance.To
manythatmight soundlikeaneasygig. Wrong.
Doneproperlyyouaretalkingabout
expertstrategists,stakeholder
management,graphicdesign,
contentcreationandrepurposing,
UGC monitoringandutilisation,
allofwhichneeds:videoeditors,
stylists,copywriters,community
managers, dataanalysts, audience
developersandcustomerservices,
plus akeen, andoftenslightly
bizarre,understandingofmemes.
Thenthereise-commerce
integration,pixelimplementation,
contentcollectiondays,relationship
buildingwiththemajorplatformsand
more...Talkingofplatforms,TikTok,
Facebook,Instagram,Twitter,YouTube,
VK, Snapchat,Triller,Reddit,Discourseand
thelikeeachrequireacompletelydifferent
DeviateDigital CEO Sammy
Andrews guides you through the
ever-changing tech world...
DIGITALMARKETING
frontline
“The business
doesn’t
understandthe
workadigital
campaignneeds”
SAMMYANDREWS
DEVIATE DIGITAL
approach,differentassets, formats,copyand
timings.Approachingmultiplemarkets?Youwill
beaftersomelocallanguageandstrategy,too.
Thenwehavepaidspend. Werunmillion
poundbudgetsgloballyforlabels,promoters,
distributorsandmanagementcompanies,butwe
alsohandlecampaignsforsmallerprojects,that
meansprovidingstrategy,audienceidentification
anddevelopment,dataanalysis,splittesting,
mediaplanning andbuyingandmuchmore
acrossmorethan10-20platforms,sometimes
withupto10differentformatsperservice.Again,
eachneedsdifferentstrategies,contentandcopy.
Whenyoubreakthisinto formats,platforms
andterritories,wemight haveover70ads
runningforoneartistatanyonetime.If D2C
is involved,we’llalsosetupproductcatalogues
acrossmultipleplatformsandadvertiseagainst
those. Wehaveatechstackto reportinreal-time
andateamthatunderstandshowtoreadthis
datatoprovideyouwithactionableinsights.
Increasingly,wearehiredbyforward-thinking
clientsfor“alwayson” campaigns.Insteadof
waitinguntil arelease,weheatthingsupwith
audiencesandalgorithmsniceandearly.Done
right,paidspendis farmorethantheExcelsheet
manyofyouaredelivered.
Fallingsomewherebetweenpaidandsocial,
wehaveinfluencermanagement andcampaigns.
And, ofcourse,manypeoplewantandneeda
streamingstrategy. Thisincludessocialandpaid,
butthereis alsosales,playlistpitching,partner
relationships,editorialopportunities,streaming
initiativesandmore.
Thenwehaveassetcreation,thiscouldbe
video(in20differentformats),websites,front
andback-enddevelopment,filters,AR, apps,
posters,datadrives,interactivedigitalinitiatives...
Younameit, wecanbuildit.
E-commerceis ahugepartof allthistoo,
whichneedstobeset upcorrectlytobeutilised
properlyduringacampaign,whilecustomer
relationshipmanagementisalsonowahugepart
ofthedigitallandscape.
Ontopofallofthisyouhavethedigital
marketingspecialists whowill
utilisealloftheseserviceswhile
strategisingtomeetgoals.
Andtheaboveisonlya
fractionofit all.I haven’t
evengotontoanalyticsand
datainsightsyet...
So, thenexttimeyouare
lookingfordigitalservices
ordigitalmarketing,do
spareathoughtforthe
volumeofworkthese
specialists areputtinginto
yourcampaigns.
Themoreyouunderstand
abouthowallthisworksand
thelevelof skillinvolved,not
onlywillyoutrulyappreciate
theeffortbeingappliedon
yourbehalf,butthebetteryour
campaignswillbe.

@JohnRMulvey Isthere
some way Ican collect all
the emails about NFTs I
receive and make them into
an NFT? (JohnMulvey,
Mojo)Tuesday,April2
7
@JulieAdenuga If
someone gave me the
money, Iswear, I’d have
the sickest festival in the
UK! (JulieAdenuga,
presenter) Tuesday, April 2
7
@anniemacmanus It’stime
to tellyou,mylisteners, that
after17years, mylastshowon
@BBCR1willtakeplaceon30
July2021.(AnnieMac,BBC
Radio1
)Tuesday,April 20
@donnaymclancyIlovemyjob
butifIcouldnevergothroughthe
painofschedulinganinterview
againinmylifeI’dprobably have
fewergreyhairs.(D
o
n
n
a
y
Clancy
,Th
eNoiseCartel)Th
u
rsd
a
y
,April2
2
@FaronMcKenzie
Just becauseyourdreamhas
beendelayed doesn’t mean
it’sbeendenied. (Faron
McKenzie,BBCRadio
1
X
tra)Sunday, April 2
5
@jojoldn Ifyou’regonna
support astart-upbrand that
haspotential forhighcultural
capital,let itbeblackowned.
(JojoSonubi,NoSignal
Radio)W
ednesday, April 2
8
@wordsbykristin Iswear
myentirejobinthemusic
businessisjustsending
“assets” to people and
askingother people fortheir
“assets”soIcancreatemore“assets”(Kristin
Robinson,journalist)Thursday, April 1
5
@bearcavingamy Ilikeasking
inpitcheswhatpeople areup
to at the weekend becauseit’s
beenso long sinceyou’ve been
ableto make anyplans, andit
makes mehappyto read what’sgoingon!(Amy
Azarinejad, PrescriptionPR)Friday,April2
3
@TwinB
RIP the legend DMX
(AlecBoateng,0207Def
Jam)Friday,April 9
@tiffanycalver Iinherited my
loveforDMX frommymother.
Mykidswillinherit itfromme.
Mayhislegacy liveon, andon, and
on.Rest inpeaceto oneof the
greatest giftsHipHop hasever received. (Tiffany
Calver, BBCRadio1
X
tra)Friday,April 9
@Whitb_xxLolpplkeepasking
meifmynextjobisat0207Def
Jam.Theanswerisno,wehave
enoughofmyfamilythere.The
truthis,I’vedecidedtobreakdance
outsidetheSouthBankCentre.(W
hitneyB
o
a
te
n
g
,
Metropolis/
LiveNation)Th
u
rsd
a
y
,April2
2
@HenrieVIIIDojaCatdidn’tdo
13versionsof SaySofornotone
of themto appear onaWireless
stage (HenrieKwushue,
Spotify)Tuesday
,April2
7
@JamesArthur23
I’m going to drink 47
beers tonight
(JamesArthur,artist)
Saturday,April 24
@ShauniCaballeroIwasoutside
twonightsinarowfreezingmyass
offjusttosocialise.I’mnotdoingthat
again!I’mgoingbackintolockdown.
Iseeyoulotwhenitwarmsup
(Sha
uniCaballero
,TheGo2
Agency)Saturda
y
,April2
4
@RayBLK_
HowdoImakemy
timelinebememes
ONLY?(R
ayBlk,
artist)Friday
,
April1
6
frontline

ShenieceCharway
Artist relations manager,YouTube
@Sheniececharway
How did you land your roleat YouTube?
“IjoinedinMarch 2019asthe music partnerships coordinator
andbecameafull-time artist relations managerinJuly2020,right
in the midst of the pandemic. Ilove myrole, I’mgrateful that I’ve
beenableto come into myown with it andinvest in artists and
projects I’mpassionateabout.”
Canyou sum uphow YouTubecan helpboost Black
music in theUK?
“YouTube has animportant role to playin propelling the Black
British creative economy forward. InJune 2020,weset up the
#YouTubeBlack Voices Fund,a$100million global commitment
to growBlack creators andartists on the platform, which
supported the MOBOs, among other UK projects. We havealso
establishedthe Legacy Series,ayear-long calendarof events that
celebrates Blackculture andraisesawarenessaround Blackissues
through music andart.The longevity of these initiatives is really
important. We wantto go beyond celebrating Black excellence
for one month ayear.We have justlaunchedSayNo More,our
newflagshipplaylist for British Blackmusic,bringingtogetherthe
biggestartistsandthenextgeneration of household namesacross
UK rap,grime,drill, R&BandAfropop.YouTube has always been
the home of Black music andexpression,andweare proud to
contribute to theexportof someof theUK’s besttalent.”
Tell us abouttheworkyou’vedonein this areasince
you joined…
“InFebruarylast year,IhelpedcurateYouTubeMusic’sfirst
Excellence Brunch, right before the world went into lockdown,
which washosted byTumaBasaandLyor Cohen.InDecember,
IorganisedthefirstLegacySeriesevent,FashionX Music,
aproject thatunited thebestof BlackBritish fashionandmusic,
featuringWalé Adeyemi,TianaMajor9,PaSalieuandmore.
Ialso curateYouTubeBlacktalks,such asGeorge ThePoet’s
Black Lives Still Matter show for Black History Month anda
gal-dempanel about Black women inmusic.I’malso an
ambassador for PRSFoundation’s vitalPower Upcampaign,
which YouTubeMusic is apartner of.”
How far has the industry’s fightagainstracism
come in the past year?
“We’ve still gotalong wayto go,butit’s really
inspiring to seethe industry so galvanised. It’s
no longer enough to beaperformative ally.
Meaningfulinstitutional changehasto come
from education andaction,andinitiatives like
the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund, Power Up
andthe Black Music Coalition arepavingthe
wayfor sure.Wheretheylead,others
will follow.”
Where would you like to bein 10
years’ time?
“I’dlike to beatYouTube, continuing
to championBlackvoices andcreating
excitingmoments on andoff the platform.
Iwould also love to beinaposition
where I’mableto hire candidatesfrom
under-represented backgrounds.”
SHENIECE’S RECOMMENDED TRACK:
Little Simz – Introvert
Inassociation with
ARE YOU A RISING STAR? Under 30? Making aname for yourself? EmailBen Homewoodat ben.homewood@futurenet.comto appearhere...
Janée‘JinJin’Bennett, songwriter/founder,
Jinsing:“Asasongwriter, earlieron inmycareer
I frequentlyhadto succumbto thedemandsof
artistsrequestingashareof publishingroyalties,
althoughtheyhadmadeno contribution
whatsoevertothecompositionof thesong.With
the shortcomings already involved in the streaming
process, songwriters are definitely not receiving fair
financial rewards. Furthermore, some artists, when
interviewed,areoftenvagueintheirrecollection
of howsongsarecreatedandcantakecredit for
someoneelse’shardwork.Personally,thismakes
me feelundervalued.However,I amfortunateto
workwith somegreat teamsandartistswhoare
alsoamazingsongwritersandhaveno problemin
creditingfairlyandsplittingroyaltiesfairly.
While I havedevelopedpositiverelationships
withthe majorityof artistswhoI haveworkedwith,
I accept that decisionsrelatingto creditsmay
stillneedto bemadeon anindividual basis.This,
of course,is dependentupontrustaswellas
reasonablenegotiation.”
THIS MONTH: Is it fair when artists are
credited for songs they didn’t write?
Sheniece
Charway:
“It’sreally
inspiring
toseethe
industryso
galvanised”
Write of way: Jin Jin
Meet the industry’s brightest new talents…
frontline

hisis Oslo calling,”announcesMarieUlven, picking up
thephoneto MusicWeekinbetweenrunningerrandsand
escapingparking tickets.
T She jokesabout allthat sounding rathermundane
(“This is the good life right here!”), but this singer-songwriterreally
islivingherdream.NorwegianbreakoutstarUlven– whogoesby
Girl In Red–hasjust releasedherdebutrecord,If I CouldMakeIt
Go Quietand, at22yearsold, shealreadyhasthe worldwatching.
So, howdidthis youngartistfromthesmalltownofHorten
becomethe mostexciting newactinpop?Her beginningswere
humble,shegrewupplayingandwritingmusicinherbedroom,
putting onshowswithfriendsandrecordingat thelocalstudio.
“I startedputting mymusicoutonSpotify andthat didn’t go
anywhere,luckily,becauseit’s reallybad!” shelaughs.“I’ve been
talkingshit aboutmyold music, but it’sreallyimportantthat it
exists becauseI wouldn’tbewhereI amrightnowwithoutit.”
AftershebeganreleasingunderthemonikerGirlIn Red–which
derivesfromatext sheonce sent to someoneshefancied– in 2017,
Ulvenwasdiscoveredwhenafan repostedherSoundCloudtrackI
WannaBeYourGirlfriendonYouTube.Theworldsoon tooknote.
Thesonghasnowsold 120,890copiesintheUK, accordingto the
OfficialChartsCompany, andhasamassedahuge21million views
fromthe originalfan upload,andafurther18mon themusicvideo.
But that doesn’t evenscratchthesurfaceofameteoricrisethat has
seenUlvenrackupajaw-droppingonebillionglobalstreams,over
5.5million socialmediafollowersandsupportfromBBC Radio1,
AmazonMusic, NME andmanymore.
Whileaviralhitmighthavesent Ulvenonapathto pop
domination, hercandidwriting andhypnoticmelodiesarethe true
secretsto hersuccess.
“I amveryhonestin mylyrics,I reallywear
myhearton mysleeve,and I thinkpeoplewant
to hearthosekindsofthings,”shesays.“I’m
sharingmyexperienceasaperson, andpeople
relateto that stuff. And I think I havesome
hookytunes!They’requitecatchy,easyto sing
alongto andthey’rereallygreatatshows.”
Vulnerability is something Ulvenadmires
in the music of TaylorSwift, and the singer
hastranslatedherownto her9.2million
monthlySpotify listeners.Whenit cameto
writing herdebutalbum,she didn’t holdback.
If I CouldMakeIt Go Quietis anexplosive
record.Ulventransitionsfrompianoballads
andinstrumentals,to electro-popandalt-rock
anthems,singingaboutherexperiencesof
toxicrelationships,mentalhealth,loveand
sexuality. It’s analbumthat is raw, unfiltered
andimportant,aimedatayoungaudiencethat
is figuringthings out alongsideher.
“Nowthat I’m 22,I still don’t knowwhat
thefuckis goingonin mylife,”shesays.“It’s
importantto keepsharingthe experienceof
just not knowing what’s happeningand being
confused, becauseI reallydon’tfuck withtheimageofbeing25and
havingit allfiguredout.”
Writinganddemoingthe songsathomein Oslo, Ulvenusedthe
quiettime shegainedfromthepandemicpostponing hertourlast
yearto makespaceto create.She then recordedinBergen,eight
hoursaway,listening backto the trackswitheachdrivethroughthe
picturesqueScandinavianMountains.
Forthefirst time,Ulvenbroughtinaproducer,workingwith
compatriotMatiasTellezto takehersongstothenextlevel.
“I don’twanttobeanisland, I wanttobounceideasoffsomeone,”
shesays.“It just felt reallypowerful,beingableto openupto
someonelikethatcreativelyandmakemusic.It wasreallyfun.”
But onetrackinparticularneeded“a newset ofears”,andsoon
enoughtherecord’sintoxicating, euphoricleadsingleSerotonin was
in thehandsofnone otherthaneight-timeGrammyAward-winning
producer,Finneas.
“Wesent thesongto Finneasandheabsolutelylovedtherap
part, he was like, ‘This song is reallydope,’” Ulven recalls.“He
wassuper-nice, wejust didafewZoomcalls. It wasaveryremote
experience,but I’m ahugefan ofFinneasandhisproductions.It was
so coolto havesomeoneI lookupto likethat beapartofit.”
Thecollaborationis one thatsomemayhaveanticipated,as
Ulven’sriseis oftenlikenedto that ofFinneas’sister,Billie Eilish.
ButUlvenis keen to standon herown.
“It’s cool, she’ssuchagreatartist,”saysthesinger.“I don’t mind
beingmentionedinthe samecontextasher,but I don’t wantto be
comparedto anyone,I just wantto beGirlIn Red, just me.”
Takingholdof herowncreativityanduniquenessis something
that Ulvenholdsdear,andtheteamat AWAL–whohavepreviously
propelledLauv’sintimatepopto dizzy heights– is fully supportive
of herindependence.
“WorkingwithAWAL hasbeengreat,” she
beams. “I went to their offices and hung out,
and I was like, ‘OK, these people have a good
vibe,I want to workwithyou.’”
The partnershipcamein late2018thanks
to hermanagerBenBlackburnof TwentyTen
Management.He arrangedto meetAWALA&R
Will Hunt, whopromptlyofferedadeal.
“I’m so luckyto haveamanagerlikeBen, he
reallycaresaboutthemusicandmeasaperson
and mywellbeing,” Ulvensays. “Therearealot
of weirdmanagersout there, so I don’t takethat
forgranted.”
Withheralbumnowoutintheworld,Ulvenis
wonderingwhereexactlyit mighttakeher.
“I hope it opens somedoors,” she ponders,
gazingintothe future.“And I obviouslyreally
wantpeopleto likeit andbringit intotheirlives,
that’s the idealthing. Mymusichasdone afull
360,I’ve evolvedso much, it just soundsso much
biggernow.It soundslikeit [belongs] inMadison
SquareGarden, youknow?It’s insane.”
SARAH THOMAS
GIRLIN RED
ON THE RADAR
ESSENTIAL INFO
RELEASES:IfICouldMakeItGoQuiet
LABEL:AWAL
MANAGEMENT: Ben Blackburn
WHAT THE
TEAM SAY:
Charlotte Birch,
headof marketing,
AWAL:“Marieis
aforce of nature andweall pull
togetherto keep up. The album
release is truly just the start.”
Will Hunt,senior
A&Rdirector,
AWAL:“This project
really movedthrough
the gears this year.
Mariehas madeadaringand
dynamic record, andwe’ve been
ableto doubleher dailystreams.”
Girl In Red beganmakingmusicathomeasateen,andnowshe’smakingpophitswith
Finneasandgoingviralaroundtheworld.MusicWeekmeetsthestreamingsuperstar...

frontline
Redalert: Girl In Red
PHOTO:
Jonathan
Kise
“It’s important
to keep sharing
my experiences
of being
confused in life”
Girl In Red
Redalert: Girl In Red

LITTLE SIMZ
Introvert(Age101Music)
A crescendo of militarydrums, brassanda
choir of voices forms an epic introduction
toIntrovert,theleadsingleonLittleSimz’s
upcomingnewrecord.Byturnsvenomousand
vulnerable,andrichincrisprappingandlush
melody,itwillsurelycrowntheNorthLondoner
asoneofthefinestMCsofhergeneration.
ContactKeongWoo
keong.woo@goodmachinepr.com
JAMES
AllTheColoursOfY
ou
(VirginMusic Label&Artists Services)
Whenit
comesto
melodic
guitar pop,
Jamesdon’t
messabout
–asthetitle-trackto their16th
(yes, 16th!) album proves. The
recordisdueonJune4.
Contact JackDelaney
jack@number23.co
ALLISON PONTHIER
Cowboy
(Polydor)
Fansof
TaylorSwift
andLanaDel
Reybeon
highalert for
thedreamy
countrysoundofAllison
Ponthier. This is the liltinglead
trackfromanEPofthesame
namefromPolydor’slatestfind.
Contact SusieEmber
susie.ember@umusic.com
JohnKennedy,
DJ/presenter/
producer,X-Posure,
RadioX
TOMSPEIGHT–SOAKUP
Fate brought me to the music
of TomSpeight. Ifirst heard
about himinaconversation
with someoneinthe crowdat
Bushstockfestival. Itwassuch an
enthusiastic recommendation that
Ihad to check himout. Iliked what
Iheard, played himon my show
and asked himto come on and sing
somesongs. Shortly afterwards we
were both invited to the wedding
of our mutual friend, Jon Tolleyof
Banquet Records. Our paths were
destined to be intertwined!
Tomand his music have a
timeless quality.It’salmost beyond
genre and is ultimately about the
song and its ability to connect.
While he may have grownup an
Oasis fan, he doesn’t tryto make
that style of music. Instead, he
draws on the greats, from The
Beatlesto Billie Eilish.
Tomwrites songs that
communicateemotions,with a
simplicitythat works whensung
with anacoustic guitar or with a
band. Everything’s Waiting For
You offered hope and optimism
at the start of the year and Soak
Up is another heart-warming song.
Amongthe noise and mayhemof
muchof what Iplay on the radio,
it’sgood to be ableto contrastthat
with the sanctuaryof TomSpeight.
TASTE
MAKERS
The industry’s favourite
new sounds
HearTHE PLAYLIST atspotify.com/user/musicweek
.
YOLA
DiamondStuddedShoes
(EasyEyeSound)
Yolaworked
incrediblyhard
toget where
sheis,andthis
isthesound
ofafinesoul
singerrevellinginthehypearound
hername.Thisiselectric, andso
tooistheforthcomingStandFor
Myself album,dueJuly30.
Contact DavePalmer
dave.palmer@dawbell.com
BURNA BOY
Kilometre
(Atlantic)
Weknow
bynow
thatBurna
Boymakes
recordsthat
soundlike
they’reonfire.Hot ontheheels
ofTwiceAsTall,thisdub-tinged
newsingleistwominutesand30
seconds ofessential energy.
Contact EbiSampson
ebi.sampson@august.agency
EMMA-JEAN THACKRAY
SaySomething
(Movementt)
Jazzcomposer
andproducer
Emma-Jean
Thackrayoffers
atantalising
tasteofhernew
albumYellowwithSaySomething,
aformidableconstructionsuitable
for raversandchin-strokers alike.
Contact SineadMills
sinead@practisemusic.co.uk
Xrated:JohnKennedy
Simzcity:LittleSimz
frontline
BILLIE EILISH
Y
ourPow
er
(Polydor)
Thebiggest
comeback
of2021ison.
BillieEilish
releases
the16-track
HappierThanEverinJuly,and
this acoustic-led first tasteis silky
soft, asignthat her pop sound is
shiftingfromenigmatic toepic.
Contact RuthDrake
ruth@toastpress.com

proficientSohoMusicto delivercampaigns forTomGrennan,Joy Crookes
andnow,EveryoneYou Know.”
Kanepredicts awhirlwindyearforthedanceduo –comprisingbrothers
RhysandHarveyKirkby-Cox – tellingMusicWeekthey’re,“set for world
domination, andbeing beamedinto houses aroundtheUK canonlyhelp”.
Daniel Payneand Tom Kitsonof Soho MusicGroup saythe band met
theirrequirementof,“anupcomingactwhosemusicreflectsboththe past
andthefuture”.
“It waskeythatthemusicsoundedlike somethingyou’dhearinarecord
storewhilebrowsingandasktheshopownerabout,”theyexplain.
Reflectingontheirlatestsync, whichfollowsads forAdidas andothers,
EveryoneYou Knowrevealthatthey’vealwayshadbigplans forHigher.
“Tohavea brandasbigasO2 askto useone ofyourtunesis mental,”they
say.“We’veperformedHigheralot andit alwaysgoes downatreat.”
No problems:
Tyson
Know it all:
EveryoneYouKnow
O2’s latest campaign willstrike a chordwith manyin the music industry, as
the mobilegiant details its offeringfor smallbusiness ownerswiththe story
ofalocalrecordshopgettinganewleaseoflife.CreatedbyagencyVCCP, the
filmshowsthereopening ofastorethat hadbeenforcedto close,set to the
rousingbeatsofHigherbyRCA actEveryoneYou Know,whoreleaseanewEP
this month.The 12”version of Highercanbeseenin the ad.
LewisKane,syncmanageratSony MusicUK, is chuffedwith thespot,
whichpremieredon ITV and Channel4.
“O2 hasgained areputation forpushing breakthroughartists,andthis spot
does not breakwith that tradition,” he says.“Music appearsto bebuilt into
O2’s DNA andtheSony syncteamhasworkedcloselywiththe profoundly
O2/EVERYONE YOU KNOW Spot: O2 Business – Record
Store – The Flexible Network
Title: Higher
Artist: EveryoneYouKnow
Composers: HarveyKirkby,
RhysKirkby-Cox,BenCullum
Master: RCAUK
Publishers: KMRMusic
RoyaltiesII
Directors:Richard Skinner
&Richard Hunter
Agency:VCCP
Music Supervision:
SohoMusic Group
Production Company:
MPC Creative
Sound: 750/Jeff Smith
Air Date: 23/04/21
WANT TO GET YOUR SYNC STORY IN MUSIC WEEK?
EmailBen Homewood at ben.homewood@futurenet.com for details.
“Everyone You Know areset
for worlddomination, andthis
adcanonly help”
Lewis Kane,
Sony Music UK
frontline
Tyson
Anew
,futuristictakeonR&
B
…
KEY TRACK:Tuesday
LABEL: LMP Recordings
MANAGEMENT:LMP (Hannah TW/Nellie
Owusu/Marina Garvey Birch)
TWITTER:@tysonmcvey
What’s the story of your recent debut
EP, PiscesProblems?
“Iwrote all the songs with Oscar Scheller. We
became friends at primary school because
we have the same birthday and we’re very
similar. The name is from asong on the
project that is just about how useless we feel
in life sometimes. Whether it’s aPisces thing
or we’re just sensitive weirdos, Idon’t know,
but we have being Pisces in common so we
went with that. Ihope it shows alittle bit
about me and my world.”
Inthe Tuesdayvideo, you fly around
London on afluffypink dragon. Where
did that idea comefrom?
“Visuals can give your music awhole new
life. The idea was all [director] Akinola Davies
Jr! The only thing Isaid was that Ididn’t
want apretty performance video about love.
Iwanted it to take the song somewhere else,
and that’s exactly what he did.”
Tellus about yourlabel,LMP...
“Ico-founded Ladies Music Pub with Hannah
TW in 2015.We were both frustrated with
the industry. Hannah got lots of women
together and it has just grown since. It’s a
community and support network, people
share advice and find jobs.Nellie and Marina
joined us in 2019and we have grown even
more. We then put mymusic out through
the label and they manage me as LMP.”
Howdoyouwanttoimpacttheindustry?
“The music industry is so dusty and outdated
sometimes, but there’s so much potential for
autonomy and power for people who have
been marginalised. Ihope LMP can help with
this. And,if not, hopefully we can offer asafe
and fair space for people to release music,
because it truly is Babylon out there.”
PHOTO:
Frank
Lebon
PHOTO:
Theo
Cottle
BY BEN HOMEWOOD

• Beartooth Below
Red Bull
• Brainstory Ripe Big Crown
• Buckcherry Hellbound
Earache
•Dan Bettridge Good People Bad
Habits - EPChannel Analog
• Eve 6 Grim Value - EPVelocity
• Gorgon City
Olympia EMI
•Hiatus Kaiyote Mood
Valiant Brainfeeder
• Hiss Golden Messenger
Quietly Blowing It Merge
•Jennifer Nettles Always Like
New Concord
• John Grant Boy From Michigan
Bella Union
•The Mountain Goats Dark In
Here Merge
•The Roots Do You Want
More?!!!??! Geffen
• Tom Odell Monsters Sony
• UB40 Bigga Baggariddim SRG
JULY02
• Emma-Jean Thackray
Yellow Movementt
• Laura Mvula Pink Noise Atlantic
• Lawson Cmd Z
Cooking Vinyl
•The Go! Team Get Up Sequences
Part One Memphis Industries
JULY04
• Lana Del Rey
Blue Banisters Polydor
JUNE25 JULY1
6
• Fryars God Melodies Fiction
• Ida Mae Click Click Domino
Thirty Tigers
•Inhaler It Won’t Always Be Like
This Polydor
• KSI All Over The Place BMG
JULY23
•Joshua Radin The Ghost And The
Wall Nettwerk
• Lissie Watch Over Me Cooking Vinyl
• Molly BurchRomantic Images
Captured Tracks
JULY30
• Billie Eilish Happier Than Ever
Polydor
• Prince Welcome 2 America NPG
•The WanderingHearts The
Wandering Hearts Cooking Vinyl
Yola Stand For Myself Concord
Will Young Crying On The Bathroom
Floor Cooking Vinyl
MAY21
• Ayron Jones Child Of The State
Big Machine
• Billie Marten Flora Fauna Fiction
•Blake Shelton Body
Language Warner
• Chai Wink Sub Pop
•Counting Crows Butter Miracle
Suite One - EPBMG
• Dayglow Harmony House
Very Nice/AWAL
• Gary Numan Intruder BMG
•Gruff Rhys Seeking New Gods
Rough Trade
• Jon Allen Meanwhile Monologue
• Lambchop Showtunes City Slang
• Lindemann Live In Moscow
Vertigo/Universal
• Lord Huron Long Lost Republic
•Monster Magnet A Better
Dystopia Napalm
•Newfamiliar Textures -
EPParlophone
• Olivia Rodrigo Sour Polydor
•Patrick Paige II If I Fail, Are We Still
Cool? Fat Possum
• Penfriend Exotic Monsters
My Big Sister
•Sara Bareilles Amidst The Chaos:
Live From The Hollywood
Bowl Sony
•Sinead Harnett Ready Is
Always Too Late Thairish
•Twenty One Pilots Scaled
And Icy Fueled By Ramen
• Waterparks Greatest Hits
300 Ent
MAY28
•Never Not Nothing Art Ritual 001 -
EPMusic For Nations
•Allday Drinking With My Smoking
Friends Allday
•Bachelor Jay Som & Palehound
Doomin’ Sun Lucky Number
•Blackberry Smoke You Hear
Georgia Legged/Thirty Tigers
• Del Amitri Fatal Mistakes
Cooking Vinyl
• Elgin Weightless/Still Pixie Pace
• Gizelle Smith Revealing Jalapeno
• KDLang Makeover Nonesuch
•KansasPoint Of Know Return Live
& Beyond InsideOut
•MobyRepriseDeutsche
Grammophon
• Sedibus &The Orb The Heavens
Cooking Vinyl
• Texas Hi BMG
• The Datsuns Eye To Eye Hellsquad
JUNE04
•Black Veil Brides The Phantom
Tomorrow Sumerian
•Crowded House Dreamers Are
Waiting EMI
• Greentea Peng Man Made EMI
• James All The Colours Of You
Nothing But Love
• Ludovico Einaudi
Cinema Decca
• Night Beats Outlaw R&B
Cooking Vinyl
• Rise Against Nowhere Generation
Loma Vista/Concord
• SamWills Breathe eOne
•Squarepusher Feed Me Weird
Things Warp
•The Avalanches Since I Left You
(20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
XL Recordings
JUNE1
1
• AFI Bodies Ex Noctem Nacimur
• Danny Elfman Big Mess Anti-
•Garbage No Gods No
Masters BMG
•Griff One Foot In Front Of The
Other Warner
•Joe Bonamassa Now Serving:
Royal Tea Live From The Ryman
J&R Adventures
• K.Flay Inside Voices - EPBMG
• KissOff The Soundboard: Tokyo
2001 Universal
•Kyle Falconer No Love Song For
Laura Honey Pie
•Marina Ancient Dreams In A
Modern Land Atlantic
• Ryan Adams Big Colors PaxAm
• Wolf Alice Blue Weekend Dirty Hit
JUNE1
8
• Benjamin Francis Leftwich
To Carry A Whale
Dirty Hit
• Colin Macleod Hold Fast
So/Silva Screen
•Dead Slow Hoot A Kinder
Kind - EPPhilophobia
• Deap Vally American
Cockroach - EP
Cooking Vinyl
• Fear Factory Aggression
Continuum Nuclear Blast
•The Lounge Society
Silk For The Starving - EP
Speedy Wunderground
The essential albums
heading your way...
musicweek.
20 | Music Week
com
BILLIE EILISH
Happier Than Ever is out July 30 via Polydor
Yola
Stand For Myself is out July 30 via Concord
PHOTO:
Joseph
Ross
Smith
Please email any key releases information
to isabelle.nesmon@futurenet.com
A more extensive release schedule is
available in the new music section on
musicweek.com

You’ve known Bobby for a fewyears, but whendid you realise your voices
worked so well together?
“I performedwiththe Screamatafestivalin Bristol.That workedoutreallywell, so
BobbyandAndrew[Innes, PrimalScream] askedmeandJohnny[Hostile, Beth’s
partnerandmusical collaborator] to writewiththem. Theycameto Paris,butthere
wasnopreconceptionof whatwewould do.The decisiontogofurtherwasdownto
the perfectmeldingof ourvoices.I startedharmonisingandit mademefeelreally
good.Whenyouharmonisewithsomeone,orevensingtogether,like atafootball
match, it issuch apowerful thing because it makesus connect.”
Did your co-writing follow a similarly natural pattern?
“We’reverycompatible becauseweworkverydifferently. I alwaysstartwithlyrics
thathaveameaning,it’s hardformeto singif I don’tknowwhatI’m saying.Bobby
wouldcomebehindthe micwithout words,butwithamelodyfull of conviction.So
afterthe initialsessionsinPariswithelectronicbackingmusic,Bobbywentbackto
London,pickeduphisacousticguitarandstartedwritingwordsaroundmylyrics. He
camebackandsaid,‘Actually,I wantto doareallyharmonic, melodicrecord.’ When
youseeartistswhoaretrulyinspiredbysomething it’s like beingin love– suddenly
everythingiseasy.I felt inspiredbythat, sotherewasaconstantbackandforthaswe
wrotethesongs.”
Utopian Ashes charts a relationship on the rocks. Did you createa backstory for
thecouple in the songs?
“I definitelygotasensethatBobbywantedto tryto talkaboutpeoplewhowere
married– orwhohadsomethingto lose– butwherethingsdidn’tfeelasstrongas
theyusedto. I haveadifferentlife fromBobby’s,andI don’tthinkevenBobbywas
basingall the songson hislife, buttheyarerootedin experienceforsure. I could
reallyrelateto the senseof commitment.Beingin a17-yearrelationshipwithJohnny,
goingthroughafewthings,I didn’tfeellike I wasplayingacharacter. Thereisareal
upliftingsideto the record.It’s optimisticandhopeful.The albumiswrittenatthe
beginningof the conversationthatisgoingto savethe relationship. Whenyoustart
talking iswhenyoustartsolving, butyouhavetosaythings thataredifficultto hear.”
Will you perform the record live?
“Touring would begreat–atleastdoingafewreallygoodshows.SingingwithBobby
isalwaysapleasure,soI’d beveryhappyto harmoniseon stagewiththatincredible
rockstar.”
Fresh from her own solo record, Savages singer
Jehnny Beth has made UtopianAshes with Primal
Scream’s Bobby Gillespie. Here, she discusses the
things that drive the duo’s new partnership...
Atlantic co-presidentEdHoward spills the beanson
Twenty One Pilots’epic plans for Scaled And Icy...
Ashestoashes: JehnnyBeth
&BobbyGillespierelease
UtopianAshesonJuly2via
ThirdMan
“There’snoonequitelikeTwentyOnePilots andthebeginning
of theScaledAndIcyerahasalreadybrokennewground.The
depth,detail,andcare takenover everyaspect of it is truly
remarkableandisencapsulatedintheexcellentfirstrelease,Shy
Away.Thevideo,thecreative scopeandtheworldmeticulously
created around the albumare asambitious asanythingthe
bandhavedone before. Pre-orders are aheadof wherethey
wereatthisstageonthelastalbum,Trench,thevideoforShy
AwaytrendedatNo.1onYouTube,andthemusic stillto come
isuptherewiththebestoftheircareer.Theband’sdrivetoset
themselvesapartwilltrulybeinevidenceonreleaseday,with
whatpromisesto beanoutstandinglivestreamexperience.Their
liveshowhasestablishedthemasamust-seeactandplayeda
keypart in their success in the UK,takingthem from the Barfly
to headliningReading& Leeds.Although wecan’t wait to have
thembackinmarket,thelivestreampromisestobeunmissable.”
WORDS:
Paul
Stokes
“The albumis about
savingarelationship,
youhave tosay
thingsthatare
difficult tohear”
JEHNNY BETH

frontline
1
1.Rest in peace A special floral tribute wasstationedoutside the DMX memorial
service at the BarclaysCenter, New York.Family, friends, artists and fans attended the
eventto rememberthe legendaryrapper, whopassedawayonApril 9.(Photo:Arturo
Holmes/Getty).2.Inspiration nation Apprentice Nation launched its spring season
of Inspirational Career TrainingSessions withalivestreamed concert hostedbyYinka
Bokinni.Theeventfeaturedperformancesfromahost of top artists,whoalsoshared
theircareer stories,motivationaltipsandnetworkingadvice, including(a) Ghetts(b)
RayBlk,pictured herewithBokinni.3.Sign of the times WarnerChappellMusic UK
recently signed anexclusivesongwriting agreement with EwanMainwood. Pictured
here are (L-R):EwanMainwood, Darren Young(head of legal and businessaffairs,
WarnerChappellMusic UK),AmberDavis(head of A&R,WarnerChappellMusic UK),
George Baker (A&R manager,Warner ChappellMusic UK) and Andy Wells(Grumpy
Old Management).4. California streaming RocktitansWeezer recentlyplayed
asuperb livestream gig of their latest albumOK Humanat the Walt DisneyConcert
Hall in LA. The group werejoinedonstageby the Los AngelesPhilharmonic and the
Youth Orchestra Los Angeles. Pictured here are (L-R)BrianBell and RiversCuomo.
(Photo: Farah Sosa, LA Philharmonic). 5.The gospel according to Carrie Carrie
Underwood’srecentlivestream,My Savior:LiveFromTheRyman,raised over$112,000
for Save The Children. The country icon is pictured here alongside gospel superstar
CeCeWinans,whoperformed GreatIsThyFaithfulness withUnderwoodonthe night.
6. Iron man IronMaidenlegend Bruce Dickinson announcedhe is joining the ninth
annual Heavy Metal Truants fundraising adventureto raise funds for disadvantaged
children.Thecharitycycleride,whichtraditionallystartsinLondon andfinishesatthe
hallowed heavymetal grounds of Doningtonand Download Festival, will be avirtual
event.Lastyear’svirtualcharityride raised over£200,000,takingthe amountdonated
byHMTto charitiesto dateto over£888,000.(Photo:AlexanderMilas).

A B
2
4
SEND YOUR PICS TO:George Garner
george.garner@futurenet.com
5
3
6

One for all: The Black
Music Coalition executive
committee(L-R) Char Grant,
Komali Scott-
Jones, Afryea
Henry-Fontaine and Sheryl
Nwosu,photographedfor
Music Week

A year ago, with the world reeling from the murder of George Floyd, the music industry pressed
pause for 24hours for Blackout Tuesday. What followed wasthe promise of action against
inequalityand racism throughout thebusiness, and the membersof the Black Music Coalition have
beenleading thecharge. MusicWeekmeets Char Grant, Afryea Henry-Fontaine, Sheryl Nwosu and
Komali Scott-Jones to tellthestoryof theBMC’s first 12months, findout whathashappenedso far
and hearwhytheywon’t stop fightingfor change…
WORDS: NATTY KASAMBALA
PHOTOS: KUKA K

his monthmarksayearsincethe
murder of George Floyd, anunarmed
46-year-oldmanwhodiedaftera
policeofficer knelt onhis neck for
overnine minutes inanarrestmade
Toverasuspected counterfeit$20note.
“Personally,I wassotraumatised…It justbroke
me,” admits AfryeaHenry-Fontaine,director of
marketingatMotownRecordsandco-founder
of theBlack Music Coalition, which formed in
thewakeof Floyd’smurder, asBlackLivesMatter
protests sweptaroundtheworld.
TheformerEMI executiverememberswaking
upintearsandimmediatelyemailingherhead
of HR andthenlabelpresident, askingwhattheir
plansweretohelp. Elsewhere, Char Grant, who
wasworkinginA&RatBMG atthetime,was
feelingsimilarlydistraught.
“I wasonacall ontheMondaymorningwith
myteamatthetime,” saysGrant, whojoined0207
DefJaminDecember.“Theyweretalkingabouta
PiersMorganinterviewandafewotherthingsandI
actuallyfelt sick,I wassoupset.I couldn’tevenput
mycameraon, I feltsounsupported. I didn’teven
wanttobevisible.”
The Black Music Coalition wasfounded by
Henry-FontaineandGrant, togetherwithKomali
Scott-Jones, A&R manageratParlophone, and
barristerSheryl Nwosu, who has been aclose
friendof Grant’sfor25years.Asalawyerworking
outsidethemusic industry,Nwosuwasdraftedin
initially toprovideassistance,andquickly becamea
permanentfixture.
TheBMC isdedicatedto eradicatingracial
injustice andestablishing equalityforBlackmusic
execs,artists andtheir communities.Beyond
theexeccommittee isasprawling network of
Black music executives fromall areas,including
Atlantic’sAustinDaboh,0207Def Jam’s Alecand
AlexBoateng, Columbia’s TaponeswaMavunga,
Metropolis’ WhitneyBoatengandmanymore.The
collective wasestablished to actinthebestinterests
of itsnetworkandholdindustryleadersto account
inmakingmeaningful andeffectivechanges.
“The barisverylowintermsof howBlackpeople
aretreated aroundthe world,”Nwosu begins, as
wesit downtoalongZoom session withall four
membersof theexeccommittee.“We knowthaton
amicro scale, weknowthatonamacroscale.”
Over thelastfewdecades, therehavebeenmany
heartbreakingcaseslikeGeorgeFloyd’s:thoseof
strangerswhobecomemorewell-knownindeath
thantheywereinlife.Namesthatturn intosymbols
of injustice andviolenceandrightful rage,names
thatweholdontotightandtry(butoftenfail)to
preservetheirhumanity,amidstothers’attemptsto
eraseit entirely.
Floyd’sdeathwasgut-wrenching andcruel, and
theworldrespondedwithprotests andhashtags,
heateddiscourse andtrauma, hopelessnessand
anew-foundsenseof urgency.Butforwhatever
reason,therewassomething thattippedthescale
thatlittlebitfurther. Perhapsitwasourposition
inthethroes of apandemic, maybeitwasthe
killings of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery that
preceded it, or it could be that it wasjust the straw
thatbrokethecamel’sback.
heharshrealityof
Black people
Teverywhere
whofeeladeep
connectionto
caseslike George
Floyd’sisthat
theyareleftto
nursetheir
rawnerve
endingsalone.
“That spectacle,
asit was,affectedBlack
peopleinaspecific way,”
saysNwosu. “It waslike,
we’veonlygoteachother,
youknow?”
That realisation ledtothe
communing of anumberof Black
execs,whohadmet virtually justa
few
Leadingthe way:
AfryeaHenry-Fontaine (left) and
Char Grant;and (far right)the
Music Weekcover on June 8,2020
“Iwas so traumatised
after George Floyd, it
just broke me”
AFR
YEAHENRY
-FONT
AINE
Buthowexactlydowegetfromthereto
dissectingthenuancesofracismandprejudice
within theUK music industry?Perhapsthe
hand-madesignsattheBlackLivesMatterprotests
inLondonsummedit upbestbystatingsimply,
‘The UK isnotinnocent’.
This, then,wasthemomentforthemusic
industrytospeakup.
“We’veseenthese stories playoutinourown
lives,inourworkplacesandtouspersonally
asvictimsof thesystem, right?” saysKomali
Scott-Jones. “Andthenitgets toapointwhere
thesevideosaresharedandconstantlyon
replayinourminds. We’re all inlockdown,
aglobal pandemic, none of ushavelived
like thisbefore–inside forhoweverlong.
There’s thisaddedpressuretoo, you’re
workingharderthanever,Zoomcalls until
whatevero’clock atnight...”
Scott-Jonescontinues, thememorystill
fresh inhermind.
“You seethat[Floyd]video,”she says.
“Andyouknowhowit goes, peoplewill
pretenditdidn’thappenorsayitwas OK
thatitdid.But therearealotof firsts
happeningright now,andthat
isn’t goingtorunanymore.Wecannot
alloweveryonetodoan, ‘Isn’titsad’ at
thecoffee machine andmoveon.Nah,
we’renotatthatcoffee machine,we’reat
home.Andwecanandwilltalkaboutit... It
exacerbatedtheissue of ushavingtoendure
thispainthat’sinflicted onusthatourwhite
counterparts don’thaveto. Theydon’teven
understandwhatwegothrough ona
day-to-daybasisasBlack people–as
Black women.”

weekearlierontheseparateissue
of connectingmoreinlockdown.
AWhatsAppgroupwasformed,
andafewfromthechatdecided
todosomething bigger. Blackout
Tuesdayhadbeenannounced by
US movementThe ShowMust
BePaused–organisedbyAtlantic
RecordsexecsJamilaThomasand
BriannaAgyemang–andfeltlikean
appropriateopportunity.
“All of ushaddecidedwewere
taking partwhetherworkwason
boardornot,” Henry-Fontaine
explains.“And, asweknow,so
manycompanies cameonboard
andsupportedtheir Black staff
bytaking theday.We met thatdayandI think
itwasathree-hourZoom. Wedidn’thavean
agendaperse, itwasmorecome andjustbe.”
That meeting sparkedarevivingbond
betweenacommunity thathadpreviously
existedinsmaller socialgroups.
“I don’tthinkpeoplewerepurposely
separate before,butthere was definitely
thisbigrealisationof, ‘No-onefeelstheway
[we] feelaboutthis,’” Nwosu recalls.
Henry-Fontainesaysthattheirfirst
actionpointwasanopenletter:“Wehadto
come together andutiliseourimpact and
theeffectwecan haveinourbuildings and
beyond,tocall forchange.”
Blackout Tuesdayandthe outpouring of
Black squaresacrosssocialmediagranted
theBMC afoothold onanotherwisesteep
andslipperyrock face.
“Those squaresweredefinitelyan
expressionof something,butthebigquestion
waswhat?”Nwosu says.
“Anditmadeusrealise, if weallowpeople
tojustpost themandgobacktowork,
we’repartof theissue,” Grant chimes in.
“We couldn’t dothat. Wehadtofind away
tocommunicatethat.”
On June 9, the BMC sent itsopenletterto
chairmen, presidentsandCEOs acrossthe
industry, predominantlyatthemajorlabels,
publishers, promotersandDSPs.
“Andthenitjust becamethistrainthat
I don’tthinkhaseverhadbrakes,” laughs
Henry-Fontaine.“The BMC became
thiscentral voice thatBlack executives
knowwill speakintheir interest.”
The openletterlaidoutanextensive
caseforthepervasivenessof racism
andhowit permeateseveryaspect of
ourlives includingworkandwhyitis
nolonger–andneverhasbeen–OK
forthemusic industrytoturn ablind
eye,especiallywhileprofitingfrom
Black culture. It drewoutalist of
calls to actionaddressingfiveareas:
unconsciousbiastraining,career
development, internal taskforces,
financialinvestment andashift from
theterm‘urban’ to‘Blackmusic’.
“Sometimes, people hear the word
‘system’ and feel like it’s this intangible manifestation,
but whatweknow,asawhole, isthatthe system
thatwe’retalkingaboutisthewaywe’retreated
individually,”Nwosusays.“So thewordisnotintangible
tous. It’s notabstract.”
The BMC’s firstagendapointswerestepping
stones tohelp redresssystemic imbalances. The
responseto theopenletterwashearteninginboth
sentimentandsheerbreadth.Sony,Warnerand
Universaleachcommitted fundsto anti-racism
initiativesonaninternationalscale.
“FromamajorlabelperspectiveI thinktheintention
isthereandit’sstrongandit’sbeingbacked,”says
Henry-Fontaine.
Unconsciousbiascoursesquickly slotted intodiaries
andsocialjusticetaskforcescametothefore,fromSony
Music’sHUE (Help Unite Everyone)ledbyrecentMusic
WeekRising Star BreMcDermott-King, toUMG’s Task
ForceFor MeaningfulChange, whichrevealedits UK
manifestolastmonth.Diversityappointmentshavealso
beenmadein the form of NatashaMannatUniversal
UK andCharlotteEdgeworthatSonyMusic UK, which
alsoworkedwithconsultant SereenaAbbassi.Warner’s
headof diversity& inclusion, NinaBhagwat,was
appointedinMarch 2019.In April, Sonyannounced the
latestbeneficiariesforits SocialJustice Fund, including
Small GreenShoots andPirate Studios.
On the subject of the word‘urban’ –whichthe
industryhaslargelymovedawayfrom–Henry-Fontaine
acknowledgesthecontroversyaroundthetermfroma
globalperspective. RepublicRecordswasoneofthefirst
to banit, butsomequestionedthedecision,arguingthat
infactit allowedformoreaccuratedistinctionsbetween
differentareasof music thatencompassedmultiple
genres.Urbaninthatcontextdemarcatedentire
labeldepartmentsandradionetworks, evenif itstill
hadanenemyinTyler,TheCreator,whoslammed
theGrammys’ urbancategory(which theevent
subsequentlydropped).
“To seesomanycompaniesandpublicationsnow
championing [Blackculture] bynotusing theterm
‘urban’,andusing theterm‘Blackmusic’ orreferring
to thegenrespecificallyhas been areally positive
step,”saysHenry-Fontaine.“Ultimately,thisisabout
eradicatingbarriersthatpreventexecutivesandartists
fromreachingtheirfull potential,andthattermcaused
alot of barriershereintheUK.”
Throughout the last12months, theBMC has
beenmeeting withleaders,stakeholdersandother
keyplayerstosteeroncourses ofaction,aswellas
“
Alack of Black
executive
development
contributes
to the lack
of artist
development”
CHAR GRANT

Getting to know team BMC…
COMMITTE
E
MEETING
advocatingforthosewhostill feltuncomfortable
broachingcertainsubjectswithinlessdiverse
workspaces.Aseparatecommitteenowexists
toaddressthe specific needsof theindependent
sector,headedupbyGood EnergyPR’sJess
Kangalee(seep32).Theteamalsoproduceda
resourcepackforinterested parties, withthehelp
of internYasmine Dankwah.
“We realisedthattherewereloadsof waysthat
wecould helpthecompanieswe’reholdingtotask
engagewiththeright peopleandorganisations
thatcan addvalue,” Grant explains.“It’s not
one-size-fits-all, butit’sanincredibleresource
thatcompanies paytoaccess, whichhelpsfund
ourexistence.”
BeyondBlack music execs,thereisalso the
matter of Black artists within theindustry.
“Our Black artists arefacingdifferentissues
totheir whitecounterparts,”acknowledges
Scott-Jones. “[Black]genresarehighly inflated
withyoungartists,typically fromworking-class
backgrounds, beingofferedlargeadvances
off thebackof thesuccess of atrack inashort
timeperiod.Not allof themhavetimeto be
connectedwithasolidteam,frommanagement
tolegal, meaningtheycould beacceptingless
favourabledeals.”
ABMG reviewreleasedinDecember
illuminated“significant differences”inroyalty
ratesgivento Blackartistsandtheirnon-Black
contemporaries, withdiscrepancies inatleastfour
of the33labels BMG hasacquiredsince2008.
Beyondthat, evenwhenartists aresigned, the
disparitiescangetworse,duetoperceptionsofthe
limitsof certaingenres,measurementsof success
orjustadisconnectonaninterpersonallevel.
“There’s animbalance of pressureplaced on
themto be[immediately]commercially successful
comparedtotheir whitecounterparts before
they’redeemedasanactthat‘isn’tworking,’”says
Scott-Jones. “There arealso disparities inbudget
sizes aroundcampaigns. It’s ahigh-pressure
environment forartists whoaretypically also
dealingwithotherobstacleswithoutasupport
systemaroundthem. It hasanegative, sometimes
detrimental,effectontheir mental health.”
Andto takeit full circle,thoseattitudestowards
Black artists shapethecareersof Black execs,too.
“The lack of artist developmentcontributes
directly tothelack of executive development,”says
Grant. “Think aboutthecultureof bringingyoung
executivetalentinto looklikethepeople[labels]
wantto sign. Things aresignedoff numbersor
socialheat,orwhateverelsethatisn’tto dowith
artisticintegrity,themusicorthefive-yearplan.
It’sjust,‘It’sasong,it’sworking,let’sgo.’”
If thisshort-term focus persists, thecareersof
those building thecampaignscould stall, too.
“At anylabelbuilding yougointo,thetop
executive talentarethepeoplethathavedone the
journey,”Grant continues.“They’vestoodin the
gigwithtwopeople,butthey’vealsodonethe
arenatour, theyknowwhatsuccess looks like.
Weneedtocontinuedevelopingnewartists
whowewanttotakethelongjourneywith,
orsigning fromdifferentperspectives. If that
happens,peoplewillbeabletogrownaturally.”
Additionally,Scott-Jonessays,Blackexecutives
can endupconsumed bydealingwiththeextra
dutiesthatcomewithworkingwitharosterof
artistsdealingwiththeaforementionedhurdles.
“This canbeseenwithmarketingmanagers
orA&Rshavingtodealwithproblemsthatfall
outsidetheirremit,liketryingto offerhelparound
financialorlegal issues,” shesays.
Theprobleminsuchcasesistwo-fold:Black
execs areautomatically boxedintoworking
predominantlyBlack rosters, andlabels
themselves arenotequippedto supportthe
distinctstruggles of Blackartistsandthus relytoo
heavilyonthatpresumedexpertise. It’s apattern
thatcannotonlyenduplimiting thescopeand
varietyof thecareersof Black execs,but also
risksoverwhelmingthemwheninfrastructure
falls short.
“We urgethewiderindustrytotakenoteof
thisandensurethewelfareof theseartistsandthe
execs thatsupportthem,” saysScott-Jones. “Long
beforeit negativelyaffectstheirroster,staffor
bottomline.”
lackmusicandcultureareaculturalforce
intheUK. Amidst aglobal pandemic
Bandinthe wakeof unignorableviolence,
thecontributionof Black artists totheoverall
entertainment ecosystem hasbecomeundeniable.
Now, issuesof racearenolongermarginal–
becauseBlack culture ismainstream.
“We’veneverbeenniche, weknowthat, but
wehavebeenexplained away[before],”says
Henry-Fontaine.“Now, we’reeverywhere. And
youcannotignorethecommunitythatcultureis
birthed fromanylonger.”
BlackAmericanculturehaslongoccupieda
place intheUK industryandcharts. Titanssuch
asDrake,KendrickLamarandKanyeWestcould
dominate weeklychart salesatamoment’snotice.
AndthoughBritishgenressuchasgrime,jungle
andgaragealwaysthrivedintheunderground,
mainstreamnationalrecognitionwasharderto
come by,makingit easierformusic companies to
ignorethecontext thatsurroundsthe music.
Wehaverecently seenthe riseof genressuch
asdrill andrapintheUK. Dave, Stormzy, J Hus,
HeadieOne, Nines andSlowthai haveall hadNo.1
albums,while projects fromM Huncho, Fredo
andD-Block Europehaverackedupbignumbers.
Newcomersandveteransalikearemakingtheir
markonthe charts:thisyear,CentralCee and
Ghetts narrowlymissedNo.1finishesforWild
West(34,962sales,OCC) andConflict Of Interest
(15,140)respectively.
Andthough, inanidealworld,changewould
befounded oncompassion alone,if numbersare
whatit takesto makeacase,Blackcultureisas
lucrative asit’severbeen.
Scott-Jones saysthefirststirrings of this new
wavehit in2015,withthelikesof Yxng Bane,Kojo
Funds,AbracadabraandMoStackemergingfrom
within theAfroswinggenre.
“It feltreallyexcitingandfresh andwas
probablythenewestgenrethathademerged
Afryea Henry-Fontaine, marketing director,
Motown UK
Proudestcareermoment: “I’m gratefulto haveafew
proudmoments.One thatstandsoutmostis seeing
Krept& KonanatLondon’s O2 Arena.”
One thing everyoneshould know aboutthe BMC:“Our focusis
to establishequityacrosstheindustryandcelebratethe legacythat
Blackculturehasgiventomusicacrosstheworld.”
Biggest wish for the music industry: “Equity.”
Currentfavourite track:Wizkid–Essencefeat.Tems
Komali Scott-Jones, A&Rmanager,
Parlophone Records
Proudestcareermoment:“Hamzaa,myfirstsigning.
It wasahugelycompetitivedealandit wasabaptism
offire,butI wasoverthemoon.”
One thing everyoneshould know aboutthe BMC:“It’sforus,by
us:wearefuelledbypassionandagenuinedesireto makethings
betterforourcommunityandthenext generationto come.I want
to makeit mucheasierforBlackpeopleto makestridesinthis
industrythanit wasforus.”
Biggest wish for the music industry: “To holditselfaccountable
forits shortcomingsandto stepinto thefuture,improvingand
adaptingto createabetterenvironmentforartistsandexecsalike.”
Currentfavouritetrack:Hamzaa–InBetweenfeat.MiraaMay
Sheryl Nwosu, lawyer, 25 Bedford Row/
diversity, equity & inclusion consultant
Proudestcareermoment: “I wassurprisedand
honouredto benot onlynominatedbutalsobea
finalistfortheawardofBarristerOf TheYearatthe
2020InspirationalWomeninLawAwards.”
One thing everyoneshould know aboutthe BMC:“Thatweare
here!WeareopentoallBlackmusicexecsandoneofthefocusesof
yeartwoiscreatingandholdingspaceforourmembers.”
Biggest wish for the music industry: “Thatequity,respect,
inclusionandfairtreatmenteventuallybecometheabsolutenorm.”
Currentfavouritetrack:Fredo–MoneyTalksfeat.Dave
Char Grant, A&Rdirector, 0207 Def Jam
Proudestcareermoment: “Workingaspartofa
leadershipteamat0207Def Jamthatismajority
femaleandledbypeopleI considergreatfriends.”
One thing everyoneshould know aboutthe BMC:
“Weareasexcitedtobedevelopingourlegacyarmasweare
encouraged by the industry acknowledging the work necessary to
createequalityforpeoplelikeus.”
Biggest wish for the music industry: “That we no longer have to
accept less for ourselvesorourartistsbasedonraceorgender,and
thatwesupportgenerationalartistsfordecadestocome.”
Current favourite track: “I’m listeningto Debbie– whois one of
ourincrediblenewartistsat0207Def Jam.”
Yasmine Dankwah, intern, BMC
Proudest career moment so far:“I’m studying
writing forperformance andmyproudest moment
sofarwasworkingwith TamashaTheatreCompany
tobringashortextractofaplayI wrotetolife.”
One thing everyone should know about the BMC:“It’s areally
supportive,encouragingandenergisingspaceto bepartof and
loggingontotheteammeetingeveryweekhasbeenreallynice,
especiallyduring lockdown.”
Biggest wish for the music industry: “More supportforBlack
femaleartistsandproducers.Therearestillsomanytalented
womenthatarenot gettingtherecognitiontheydeserve!”
Currentfavouritetrack:Emmavie–I HopeWeNeverBreakUp

Change makers:
Sheryl Nwosu(left) and
Komali Scott-
Jones
“The power of us as
a people is that we’re
actually great at this,
we’re not just here
collecting a cheque”
K
OMALI SCOTT
-JONES
K
OMALI SCOTT
-JONES
K
OMALI SCOTT
-JONES

fromtheUK sincegrimethatwasintrinsicallyours,” shesays.“Things
weremoving,peoplegettingsigned,youfeltarealshift.”
ButScott-Jonessaysthatsurgetosignsuch artistscamewithanother
realisation: “Shit, wedon’thaveanA&Rwholookslikethat,orwhocan
gotoBroadwaterFarmEstateandspeaktoTionWayneorOFB.”
Withthatcameanewgenerationof young,talentedBlackexecutives.
Butcanthischangebeviewedaspermanent,orisitjustafad?
There’saconsensusamongtheBMC that, forthemostpart,people
thought itwouldonlylastafewyears.
“I definitelypickedupthatvibe,”saysGrant, whoremembersinher
firstsixmonthsasanA&R,afteryearsmanagingartistsatModest,being
head-hunted bytwotothreeothermajorlabelswhowerescrambling to
diversifytheirteams.“I struggled to understand,‘Whyarethesepeople
offeringmethesejobs?I amnotthere,I amnotready...’ ButI realisenow
thatitwasthemcollecting theBlackpeople,theyjustneededanyone.”
Here,we’vestruckononeofthelong-termwrongstheBMC is
seekingto right:thetokenisationof allBlackmembersof staffto service
andtranslate theBlackexperienceforall. It’sapatternthatleaves
peoplefeelingpigeonholed andisolatedtimeandagain.Inthe
dashto acquire Blacktalent asquickly aspossible,companies have
oftenfailedtoprovideanadequateframeworkaroundthesenewhires
to equipthemwiththetoolsto progress, especiallywhentheyaresome
ofthefirstpeoplewholooklikethemtooccupyaspace.
“You justgetthrownintothedeepend,” Scott-Jonessays.“Not to take
awayfromhowtalentedweare,butspeakingformyself, no-one’staught
methat.YouareoftenneededasaBlackfemalevoiceandthatcanbeabig
partofwhyyougetthejob.Thefactthatyou’reactuallygoodatitisalmost
asecondarythinginsomecases.Butthepowerofusasapeopleisthatwe
areactuallygreatatthisshit,we’renotjustherecollectingacheque.”
Accordingto themostrecentUK Music DiversityReport,BAME
communitiesmakeup42.1%of apprentices/internsand34.6%of
entry-levelrolesintheindustry,22.6%ofmid-levelpositionsand
19.9%of seniorroles. Thisdatagroupsall‘minorityethnic’
backgroundstogether,ratherthanjustBlackexecutives.
Andalthougheachfigurerepresentsanincrease,those
numbersshowthatwhileBlackpeopleareinvited
intoindustryenvironments,thereisasignificant
drop-offatthestagewhereexecsstartto gain
morecontrolandinfluence, perhapsdueto
eitherlackofcareermobilityorstaffretention.
One of theBMC’s proudestachievements
todateisaprogrammelaunched to
rectifysomeof those inequalities.It has
collaborated withPRS Foundationfor
PowerUp, aninitiativeformed toaddress
anti-Black racismintheindustryalongside
YouTube Music andBeggarsGroup.
The scheme will support40Black
musiccreatorsandprofessionals (20of
each)andassist themwiththeresources
theyneedtosucceed.
“Everyone talks aboutthe financial
sideof it,” Nwosu laughs, “but actually
thebitthatmakesme most excitedisthe
supportandtheconnectivityto othersin
theindustrywhocansupportpeople’s goals.
Becausethis iswhatwe’vebeentalking about,
right?Notjustbeingbroughtintotheindustry
onaone-dimensional tip–forthis artist,or
becauseyou’reBlack, oryouknowaboutcertain
beatsorwhatever.”
The participants of the Power Up programme will be
at crucialcareerstagesandwill gain accessto grantsof
upto£15,000,plusmentoringinfrastructure,partner
supportandmarketingassistance.
“Let’sgetpeopleinhereandlet’smakethem
all-rounders, let’s give them the support that they
needtohaveareal,successful, tangiblerideinthis
industry,” saysNwosu. “I feel like that’s exactly
whatPowerUp isgoingtobeabletodo.”
The widerinitiativealso hasplansto
workin alliance with the Black Music Coalition
to empower Black talent and mould policies to
improverepresentation andwellbeing.
“The reasonwhyI relish [the PowerUp
programme]isbecauseit’saction–becausewe’re
donewithlipservice,”Nwosu says, shaking her
headinawaythatshowsshe truly meansit. “We
wanttoseewhatyouactually put intoaction, aside
fromthe bareminimum. If yougobacktothatopen
letter,thosecalls toactionarebareminimums,that
should havebeendonebynow.”
Fantasticfour:
The Black Music
Coalition executive
committeehave
formedastrong
bond this year

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