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28 Articles

Welcome to Music Week…

Business as unusual… Honestly, who can remember the last time we had anything like a normal year? That a US congressional hearing on UFOs – one in which a former US intelligence officer testified under oath that “non-human biologics” have been recovered from crash sites – registered as just another headline in 2023 speaks volumes. Somehow, the music business was every bit as strange. Especially if you collected NFTs. We end the year on a cliffhanger. A lot of change took place, with much of it yet to fully resolve itself. Music Week's annual survey of the industry (see p34) offers a fascinating insight into what is occupying people's minds right now. Consensus is hard to find at the best of times in the music world, but two things stick out…

Welcome to Music Week…

Game on: BPI boss calls on government to double down on ‘world-leading British music’

Your essential primer for the month ahead New BPI CEO Dr Jo Twist has given her first interview since taking on the role to set out the priorities and opportunities for the UK music industry. Twist, who was speaking exclusively to Music Week, brings experience as former CEO of Ukie, the trade body for games and interactive entertainment – a key sector for music collaboration. “I was just really excited by the challenge that the music industry has, and the appetite that the BPI had for maybe thinking outside the box with its global members,” said Twist, who spent a decade at Ukie and was awarded an OBE for services to the creative industries. “Music is so ubiquitous and such a part of being human,” she added. “So for me…

Game on: BPI boss calls on government to double down on ‘world-leading British music’

SPOTLIGHT SHINING A LIGHT ON MUSIC'S BIGGEST NAMES

frontline “Labels should come on board, building a fanbase in venues is still very important” SYBIL BELL, INDEPENDENT VENUE WEEK IVW 2024's Manchester launch was your first outside London – why was that important? “I live and work in London, but I've recognised for some time how important it is to get out of London. It's also really important to get out of the city centre, so it's no good just going to Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, we need to be getting to every nook and cranny of this country. That was one of the reasons for setting up Independent Venue Week.” How is it growing in terms of venues? “We had more than 300 venues last year, and more than 1,000 gigs. It's been lovely to see the year-on-year…

SPOTLIGHT SHINING A LIGHT ON MUSIC'S BIGGEST NAMES

TWEETS OF THE YEAR

@lilyallen If coriander tastes like soap to you, you did something bad in a past life. (Lily Allen, artist) Thursday, February 9 @__abisola Dreaming about work is so low vibrational. ( Abisola Oke, August Agency) Sunday, August 20 @JonRichard I will never get over the fact that there was a point in time when people were trying to convince me to part with my money to buy cartoon JPEG monkeys in the name of ‘innovation’. (Jonathan Richard, Sony Music UK) Friday, November 3 @dniellechelosky 76,792 unread emails in my inbox and none of them are job offers… going into music journalism was definitely a great idea (Danielle Chelosky, journalist) Monday, June 26 @MariahCarey The words legendary, iconic, diva, and superstar are often overused and yet Tina Turner embodies them all…

TWEETS OF THE YEAR

ON THE RADAR frontline No Guidnce honed their craft by performing in car parks. At first, that might seem surprising, given that the quartet are committed to the silk and honey of smooth R&B, exhibiting a level of grown-up polish not seen in a boy band since the 1990s era of Boyz II Men and All-4-One. But Kaci Brookz, Zeekay, Ebubé and Josh Lomat are willing to put aside any notions of slickness or glamour to find the right acoustics. “We were trying to sing in an office building and it wasn't really working,” says Ebubé. “So [we thought], ‘Where has good acoustics? Where sounds resonant?’ And we ended up in the closest car park to where we were at the time. We've visited loads of others around the world now,…

DECEMBER 15 Children Of Bodom A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom Spinefarm Eels Eels So Good: Essential Eels Vol.2 (2007-2020) E Works/[PIAS] The Black Crowes The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion Universal JANUARY 5 Ghetts On Purpose, With Purpose Warner Bill Ryder-Jones Lechyd Da Domino Casey How To Disappear Hassle Exit Eden Femmes Fatales Napalm Kali Uchis Orquídeas Geffen Magnum Here Comes The Rain Steamhammer Marika Hackman Big Sigh Chrysalis The Vaccines Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations Super Easy JANUARY 19 Conchúr White Swirling Violets Bella Union Green Day Saviors Reprise Neck Deep Neck Deep Hopeless Sleater-Kinney Little Rope Loma Vista Slift Ilion Sub Pop Spiritualized Amazing Grace: 20th Anniversary Fat Possum/BMG The Reytons Ballad Of A Bystander The Reytons Zhu Grace Astralwerks JANUARY 26 Alkaline Trio Blood, Hair, And…

“If you want to support queer artists, then you need to do it all year round” L Devine Moving back home from London to Newcastle seems to have been a huge creative impetus for your debut album, Digital Heartifacts. How come? “I fell in love with Newcastle again. I'm 26 now, but this still feels like a coming-of-age album. When I went home I was going through a lot of changes in my career. I'd left my label and my management, but I needed to be reminded why I started doing this in the first place. There's no better place to do that than home. When I first moved to London, I needed the big city to be exactly who I was. As a queer person, moving to London from a…

Music partnerships manager, TikTok @the_skepps You started at TikTok in 2019 when there were only 150 employees in the London office. What has it been like watching the development and growth the platform has undergone in recent years? And what role have you played within that? “The growth of TikTok has been incredible, but it's really been about helping artists and their teams get the most out of the platform. I joined as an intern and worked my way up to music coordinator and now music partnerships manager. At the start, I helped build the foundations of the music team across the UK, the Nordic [regions] and France, and as I've progressed, I've been able to launch some great campaigns, like #CoversForLovers during Valentine's with artists like Raye and Ellie…

TWO BECOME NO.1

“The Music Week Awards win meant a lot because neither of us had won it before – that we got it in our first 18 months together felt pretty special” REBECCA ALLEN “The Music Week Awards win meant a lot because neither of us had won it before – that we got it in our first 18 months together felt pretty special” REBECCA ALLEN “The Music Week Awards win meant a lot because neither of us had won it before – that we got it in our first 18 months together felt pretty special” REBECCA ALLEN Long before the two joined forces as the co-presidents of EMI in 2022, Becky Allen says she always had her eye on Jo Charrington. This dates back to when she was president of Decca, while Charrington led…

TWO BECOME NO.1

JODY GERSON Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Publishing Group Taylor Swift has had another phenomenal year. How has she done it? “For Taylor, I think it's a perfect science with two key elements. First, Taylor is fully in control of her art: from vision to execution, from studio to stage, and from songs to screens. Not to mention she has unparalleled ambition and drive… that goes without saying. Second, Taylor has the most unbelievably devoted fanbase of all ages around the world, many of whom have been along for the ride for her whole career. She is very passionate about her fans and that connection goes both ways. And so, in whatever she does – whether writing new hits, releasing vault records or re-recording her original songs – Taylor's fans…

2023 IM MEMORIAM

MC Alkaline Vicki Anderson Clarence Avant Burt Bacharach Robbie Bachman Tim Bachman Ian Bairnson Jeff Beck Harry Belafonte Tony Bennett Jane Birkin Dianne Bonney Gangsta Boo George ‘Funky’ Brown Pete Brown Angelo Bruschini Dennis Budimir Nigel Burlinson Bobby Caldwell Young Capone DJ Casper Paul Cattermole Van Conner Ivan Conti Lord Creator David Crosby Sam Cutler John Davis Malcolm Dunbar Faye Fantarrow Bob Feldman Clive Fisher Gerald Fried Brian Freshwater Rick Froberg John Giblin John Gosling Irish Grinstead David Harmsworth Steve Harwell Wee Willie Harris Rudolph Isley Ray ‘August 08’ Jacobs David ‘Trugoy’ Jolicoeur Jon Kennedy The 45 King Terry Kirkman Rob Laakso Bill Lee Coco Lee Rita Lee Linda Lewis Gordon Lightfoot Young Lo Steve Mackey Magoo John Marshall Bernie Marsden Jerry Masters Tony McPhee Randy Meisner Francis Monkman Hiroshi…

Is the UK economy set for a Taylor Swift boost in 2024? Globally, The Eras tour is set to earn more than $1 billion in ticket sales when it reaches Europe next year, putting Swift ahead of current record holder Elton John for his mammoth Farewell Yellow Brick Road trek. But that's just the start of the Swift effect… Amid all of her achievements, the superstar's run of shows in 2024, including eight dates at Wembley Stadium – the most at the venue for an international act on a single tour – could also deliver some much-needed economic stimulus. In the US alone, there were estimates that the tour generated $4.6 billion in consumer spending. The American Federal Reserve's economic analysis even noted the huge surge in hotel bookings when…

RAYE The Orchard MD Ian Dutt on how going it alone yielded a million-selling hit for the UK's premier pop breakout… A lot has been written about Raye over the last year, but one of the things that hasn't been written about is her work ethic. It was quite phenomenal to watch. There was no task or ask that was ever too small for her. Whether it was signing records while sat in my office, or approving test pressings, Raye was involved in every single aspect. She put her heart and soul into the campaign. “In terms of strategy, it was all about showcasing the breadth and the strength of the album, My 21st Century Blues. Hard Out Here and Black Mascara were both amazing pieces of music and we…

QUOTES OF THE YEAR

“I like making people feel uncomfortable, that's where the yummy stuff comes in!” Pink “Tina Turner overcame more adversity than most… She gave us hope, inspiration and strength by turning negatives into positives” Kanya King, MOBO “I spoke to Redman the other day and told him that the reason I'm still here is because of signing him. He said, ‘I know, bro!'” Lyor Cohen, YouTube/Google “Someone told me, ‘Breaking a new artist is like building a plane in mid-air’, I love that analogy” Sam Eldridge, UROK “I asked Jay-Z to record a radio ident for my show. He just laughed and walked off, in the most charming way!” Zane Lowe, Apple Music “It's not even about executives being women, if the men just aren't weird then we'll all be fine!” Olivia Dean “I don't give a…

QUOTES OF THE YEAR

More words of wisdom from the music business in 2023… “The fundamental problem is that not enough women are being signed and nurtured through the system” Annie Mac “As far as I'm concerned nothing is off the table in terms of ripping up the rulebook” Austin Daboh, Atlantic “I want to go to the BRITs – meet my favourite celebs, have a chinwag and then leave. That's the goal!” Venbee “Sixty-six million people come to Roblox every day – they spend almost two-and-a-half hours with us!” Karibi Dagogo-Jack, Roblox “If songwriters aren't even being credited, that tells you there's a problem” Graham Davies, The Ivors Academy “I couldn't say that there's a formula for TikTok, the kids are in charge…” Rachel Chinouriri “I only charged Notorious B.I.G. $5,000 for Unbelievable on Ready To Die, but I…

“I once put my date off by eating corn on the cob like an absolute psychopath” Mae Stephens “Parklife is the UK's biggest metropolitan festival, but it sounds arrogant to advertise that” Sacha Lord, Parklife & Warehouse Project “As a Geordie and a woman of colour, there are so many reasons why I want to push representation” Vick Hope, BBC Radio 1 “Live music needs to have a look at itself and think outside of arena shows and festival headliners” Olly Bengough, Koko “Young artists need better aftercare from labels” Kenny Allstar, BBC Radio 1/1 Xtra “Cold Heart? It came about after Elton John had dinner with Toni Collette in Sydney…” Nick Littlemore, PNAU “I got interested in the idea of managing a dead artist as if he or she was still alive” Cally Callomon, Bryter Music…

IT'S A BARBIE WORLD

T his summer, the world turned pink. The Barbie film and Atlantic's accompanying soundtrack, Barbie The Album, were a moment of magenta joy in an otherwise bleak landscape of global instability. The film grossed $1.44 billion, making it the most successful of 2023 and the 14th highest grossing film of all time. In the UK, the soundtrack (155,030 sales, according to Official Charts Company data) spawned six Top 40 singles – notably including No.1s for Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa – and was the first ever soundtrack album to have four simultaneous Top 10 hits. It also helped make chart history in August, when female solo artists took all of the Top 6 slots in the chart for the first time. Directed by Greta Gerwig, Barbie was a potent mix…

IT'S A BARBIE WORLD

STATE OF THE ARTIFICIAL

N o matter where you stand on the debate, there's simply no denying 2023 was the year that artificial intelligence went well and truly mainstream. Grimes urged artists to embrace it, while the technology assisted in the creation of The Beatles’ final song Now And Then. On the other hand? Sting likened it to CGI in movies and Nick Cave branded it a “grotesque mockery of what it is to be human”. Somehow, between ChatGPT also making headlines, David Guetta featuring a replica of Eminem's voice on an unreleased track, and the artist credited as Ghostwriter having his AI Drake and The Weeknd deepfake collaboration pulled from streaming by Universal, that was all just for starters. Hell, no wonder Collins Dictionary chose “AI” as its word of the year. As…

STATE OF THE ARTIFICIAL

I am so thankful for the women who have spoken up The year Westminster tackled misogyny in music

I still think the music industry has a huge problem with misogyny, 100%,” begins Nadia Khan, speaking at the end of a year during which the subject has been front and centre, perhaps more than ever before. Khan founded Women In CTRL – a non-profit organisation aiming to advance gender equality for artists and industry professionals – in 2017, as the #MeToo hashtag swept the globe. Discussion around tales of sexual harassment and abuse grew to encompass wider issues, such as equal pay, childcare and discrimination. In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, Women In CTRL produced the Seat At The Table report, which showed that only 34% of the board seats of 12 UK music industry bodies surveyed were held by women, and only 3% by Black women.…

I am so thankful for the women who have spoken up The year Westminster tackled misogyny in music

MILEY CYRUS FLOWERS Miley Cyrus made history with the million-selling Flowers, as it became the first solo song by a female act to spend its first 10 weeks at No.1. Here, co-producer Kid Harpoon – who spent 10 weeks at the top as part of Harry Styles’ As It Was last year – reveals how a piano ballad became the top-selling single of 2023… I had always wanted to work with Miley because I just love her. Then we met and I was like, ‘Now I want to more than ever, because she's one of my favourite people in the world.’ At first I thought, ‘Well, you're never gonna beat Wrecking Ball…’ I mean, my son falls asleep to that song, he loves Miley! But now it's like, ‘Oh… We've…

THE TOP DIGITAL TRENDS OF 2023

“While not a novel technology, AI has truly permeated the mass market this year, captivating the world with its capabilities” SAMMY ANDREWS 1 UTILISING DIGITAL FOR GOOD If 2022 was a big step back into shows, the live business is truly a game of two halves this year. In 2023, we saw a return to rude health for live events in some parts of the market and now it seems the entire world is deciding to tour in 2024. In the grassroots live music sector, the year was very scary and in some places catastrophic. Slammed by rates, the cost of living and changes in consumer behaviour, we've lost so many of our beloved grassroots venues. However, this year saw a swathe of companies and artists incorporate digital donations to Music Venue…

THE TOP DIGITAL TRENDS OF 2023

FIVE NEGATIVES FROM 2023. 1. VENUE CLOSURES There is no sugar-coating it, this year has been the worst year ever for venue closures and losing live music spaces. The MVT team was besieged by venues in severe financial trouble throughout 2023, and too many of those were lost. This is market failure. In the best year ever for live music ticket receipts, the UK has allowed more of its grassroots music venues to be permanently lost than in any other 12-month period. We, the public, our political representatives and the music community won't tolerate it. 2. ENERGY CRISIS At the beginning of this year, we alerted the government that the energy crisis was disproportionately impacting cultural spaces. The market for providing energy for such premises simply did not exist. When there…

CURATED BY GIR'S CARLA MARIE WILLIAMS A Women In Music Awards Roll Of Honour inductee, Whitney Boateng acts as a booking agent at WME to represent stars such as Stormzy, British-Nigerian artist JayO, producer Juls and many more. Boateng began her music career as an intern at Renowned Group, where she worked with the likes of George The Poet, Wretch 32 and Jacob Banks, before pivoting to live promotions to join Coda, now Paradigm. She then moved to Metropolis Music and Live Nation, which saw her work on a roster of international acts like Megan Thee Stallion, Tion Wayne and Headie One, before joining the team at WME. Here, she shares her top tips… 1. Socialise and network! “Make sure you're enjoying what you're doing and meeting people. I've had…

01 BEST IN CASSÖ CASSÖ, RAYE & D-BLOCK EUROPE Prada (Ministry Of Sound) SALES: 142,811 In its 16th week in the chart as Music Week went to press, Cassö's debut hit Prada has cemented its status as one of the mainstays of the second half of 2023. Now 21, the emerging producer cooked up the idea for Prada earlier this year, turning D-Block Europe's Top 20 hit Ferrari Horses (which has racked up 786,892 sales since its release in 2020) into a trance banger that also features Raye. Prada marks the second highest-charting of 23 hits by Raye, and the highest of 47 by D-Block Europe. It added 142,811 sales to its tally in November, boosting its total to 458,540 units. Prada hit a peak of No.2, narrowly missing out on…

01 LEAP YEAR TAYLOR SWIFT 1989 (Taylor's Version) (EMI) SALES: 239,671 Taylor Swift dominates our monthly rankings with nine entries, including the soaraway No.1 with 1989 (Taylor's Version). The fourth instalment of Swift's remakes series had the biggest weekly sale of 2023 to date when it debuted at the summit in November. The weekly total of 184,965 was the most for an album in seven days since Swift's Midnights in October 2022. 1989 (Taylor's Version) spent its first three weeks at No.1 and last month accumulated sales of 239,671, including 155,284 physical copies, 4,894 downloads and 79,493 sales-equivalent streams. As well as a No.8 finish for Midnights (22,459 sales) in November, there was a boost for Swift's catalogue including Folklore (No.12, 20,903), Lover (No.14, 20,257) and Reputation (No.18, 18,354). 03 GAMES PLAN…

TikTok Trending 2023

TOP UK TRACKS BY UK ARTISTS IN 2023 The UK sounds used most in creations by the UK TikTok community this year 1 Dave and Central Cee Sprinter Video Creations: 661,200 British rap heavyweights Dave and Central Cee took over For You Pages and the global stage this year with their chart-topping single Sprinter. The record-breaking song has flown the flag for UK rap in a year where we celebrated 50 years of hip-hop. After getting a preview on Dave and Central Cee's #NewMusic posts, it was named TikTok's Song Of The Summer and has taken the crown for this year's most popular song. Sprinter has been championed by the TikTok community with creators showing appreciation for the rappers and their lyrics, whilst stars like Kylie Jenner and Shakira have created…

TikTok Trending 2023

THE Music Week ARCHIVE

5 years ago… TOP STORY BY GEORGE! The biggest-selling UK act of 2018? It was none other than Mr George Ezra, courtesy of his blockbuster album Staying At Tamara's and huge hit Shotgun. To celebrate, Music Week joined our Artist Of The Year, alongside manager Ryan Lofthouse, Columbia president Ferdy Unger-Hamilton and Sony Music UK & Ireland chairman and CEO Jason Iley to reflect on an incredible campaign. Ever the gentleman, Ezra wasn't one to let the Artist Of The Year crowning get to his head. “It's very flattering,” the star said. “But without belittling it, I think I have to take it with a pinch of salt.” Also in the issue, was our Breakthrough Artist Of The Year Anne-Marie, fresh from her debut Speak Your Mind becoming the highest-selling…

THE Music Week ARCHIVE

With three double-platinum albums to her name already, Paloma Faith is gearing up to return in 2024. Here, she looks back on her career, from an explosive audition with Epic, to winning a fan in Amy Winehouse and texting Pharrell Williams at the Met Gala… During my first major label audition… “I swore at [then Epic president] Nick Raphael. I probably wouldn't do it now. I think that life chips away at you, and eventually you just don't have that confidence. I really admire that person and I feel like I've lost her a bit. I'd come from East London, state school, and felt a bit cocky about that. I was a bit streetwise. I didn't feel that I needed to kiss arse in the way that I do now…

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