Table of contents for No. 1400 in Music Week

The Tortured Editorial Department Say what you want about 2024, but one thing it wasn’t was dull. There was rarely a day where Music Week’s site wasn’t haemorrhaging with developing stories of unexpected restructures, broken chart records and high-profile disputes. As the dust settles, for this issue we’ve assembled over 120 leading figures from across the music business to dissect some of the big moments, from key songs and albums to debates about ticketing, superfans, A&R, AI, DE&I and assorted licensing (and rap) beefs. So, what can we learn from this mass influx of insight? First, if 2024 was defined by anything it’s that constant change is now our new normal. The year ends with many companies boasting new leadership. Labels have been merged, the terms of deals are rapidly…

TEAM Coldplay Moon Music Chart position: No.1 Label: Parlophone Managers: Phil Harvey/Arlene Moon/Mandi Frost Management team: Chris Salmon/Sam Seager/Ray Rock/Lauren Rauch President: Joe Kentish (Warner Records Parlophone Label Group) MD: Jen Ivory (Parlophone) Marketing: Josh Jennings/Anu Ogunseye-Babajide/Anya Du Sauzay (Parlophone) A&R Admin: Joseph Barnes/Sophie Ray (Parlophone) Content & Community Marketing: Sebastian Simone/Ruby Ktori/Michael Portlock/Rebecca Rees (Parlophone) Promotions: Jane Arthy/Grace O’Neill (Warner), Kate Hiscox (KLH PR), Jason Bailey (Cut To The Jase), Tina Skinner (Skinner21), Murray Chalmers/Sarah Henderson/George Cochran (Murray Chalmers PR) Int’l Marketing: Victor Aroldoss/Ali Grigor/Alycia Lewis (Warner Music UK) E-Commerce: Tom Bennett/Paul Cole/Anita Adams (Merchtraffic) Live Agent: Josh Javor (WME) Promoter: Simon Moran/Carl Wormald (SJM)…

Georgie Goldsmith Head of music, Ditto MGMT @georgiegoldsmith You joined Ditto MGMT in 2020 and are now head of music. What has your music industry journey been like over the last five years? “I feel very fortunate to be able to say that I’ve loved every step of my journey in management so far. Matt Dodds [head of Ditto MGMT] hired me back in 2020 as a day-to-day manager when we had a roster of four artists, which we’ve grown together over the last few years – we now have a roster of 20, across music as well as the digital and broadcast divisions. I always wanted to be a music manager, I just never knew how to get there, but once I did, I knew I was in the…

History could have taken quite a different turn had Ringo Starr pursued his teenage dream. As a 19-year-old, the future Beatle tried to emigrate to Houston, Texas, in honour of his hero, the American country blues singer Lightnin’ Hopkins, who resided in the city. “That didn’t work, but things went good anyway,” laughs the Liverpudlian, serving up a late contender for understatement of the year. So indelible has been Starr’s mark on popular culture alongside John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, that Martin Scorsese is still making documentaries about them 60 years later. Still, that hasn’t stopped the man born Richard Starkey from returning to his first love through the years - extending to the present day with his new country music album Look Up, out via Decca/UMG Nashville…

Being named BRITs Rising Star and BBC Introducing Artist Of The Year is a really good feeling, it puts the cherry on top of a long journey here. It’s been really nice to feel reassured, but also motivated, that I’m continuing in the right direction. If anything, it’s also just so nice to be acknowledged at a national level. “But it came with a lot of hard work. From the outside, it could look like my journey has been an overnight thing, but the reality of it is that I was playing pubs and open mics at 13 in Luton, then was in an indie band making bad music [laughs], then I went to university and started doing what I’m doing now. didn’t happen straight away. “I also came up…

“Black women are often framed in terms of the hardships they’ve been through — I want to show that Black women can be joyful and free” Rachel Chinouriri “Do not be afraid of a new-style deal… It suited the establishment for artist management deals to have been stuck for 40 years at the same rate. Without being funny, which business on this planet do you know that stuck with the same remuneration scheme for 40 years? Not many” Kwame Kwaten, MMF/Cre8ing Vision/Ferocious Talent “I think it’s a huge flashing warning light to us that we’re still not getting mental health right, even for artists who have bigger teams. Mental health doesn’t discriminate in terms of your career progression. It can strike at any time” Grace Meadows, Music Minds Matter “I…

2024 REVIEW SPECIAL FIVE NEGATIVES FROM 2024 1 It shouldn’t have to take this long While serious threats to grassroots music venues, artists and promoters race towards us, the industry response has been too sluggish too often. Notable exceptions exist – thank you to Ticketmaster, ASM Global, Warner and the O2 Arena particularly - but the CMS Select Committee report laid out a timeline for action for a ticket levy which expired in September and many companies have still done nothing. No amount of effort from MPs, committees, government or organisations seemed to be able to get a lot of the top end of the live music industry to appreciate how grave the crisis was and what the growing expectations were that they had a responsibility to do something about it.…

Your essential primer for the month ahead This felt like one of the more momentous years on the UK charts, with some astonishing results from stars both new and more established. Week in, week out, the singles and albums No.1 contests were the ultimate test for artists. Beyond the headlines, though, there are deeper trends to explore… 1. TAYLOR SWIFT’S POETRY IN MOTION Setting her own trends in the music industry, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department (EMI) debuted at No.1 in April with staggering sales of 270,091 (Official Charts Company). As well as securing her biggest opening to date, Swift’s 11th studio album outsold the rest of the Top 75 LPs in its first week Swift’s album beat the opening for Adele’s 30 (261,836) in November 2021. In feet,…

“Just because it’s a smaller venue doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have high-quality sound” YOLANDA BROWN Following the launch of Soul Mama in East London, co-founder YolanDa Brown OBE DL is the artist ambassador for Independent Venue Week (IVW) 2025 (January 27 to February 2). Here, the musician, broadcaster and BPI chair shares her perspective on the grassroots sector… Why did you want to get involved in next year’s edition of Independent Venue Week? “It’s a really great opportunity to be amongst other grassroots venues that are reaching out into the community. I’ve known about it for many years, and it’s important to have that focal point on amazing grassroots venues, and also to have these gigs to show what’s on offer.” Do you think it’s quite refreshing that, as ambassador,…

I spent a lot of nights looking up at my ceiling just begging for anything out there to allow me to do music,” Gigi Perez tells Music Week. “To be honest, I was literally wanting a miracle.” That was the New Jersey-born, Florida-raised singer-songwriter’s wish just over four years ago when she found herself in some of her darkest moments. During the pandemic in 2020, Perez came to a juncture in her studies at Berklee College Of Music — “I was starting to feel quite lost and didn’t know if it was what I wanted.” Unsure of what to do next, she decided to leave. Then, in July of that year, her sister, Celene, tragically passed away. “I was deeply hopeless,” she reflects. “I was just asking for a golden…

JANUARY 10 Early James Medium Raw Concord Franz Ferdinand The Human Fear Domino Ringo Starr Look Up Decca Tremonti The End Will Show Us How Napalm JANUARY 17 David Gray Dear Life Laugh A Minute Delights If Heaven Looks A Little Like This Modern Sky Ela Minus Dia Domino Kele The Singing Winds Pt. 3, Kola/! K7 Sophie Jamieson I Still Want To Share Bella Union The Weather Station Humanhood Fat Possum Victoria Canal Slowly, It Dawns Parlophone JANUARY 24 C Duncan It’s Only A Love Song Bella Union Central Cee Can’t Rush Greatness Columbia FKA Twigs Eusexua Young SAM FENDER People Watching is out February 21 via Polydor Larkin Poe Bloom Tricki-Woo Mogwai The Bad Fire Rock Action Slowly Slowly Forgiving Spree Nettwerk Teddy Swims I’ve Tried Everything But…

CURATED BY GIR’S CARLA MARIE WILLIAMS Isa Perez has dedicated over 15 years to the creative industries, starting her career in 2009 at Soul Heaven with its Ibiza residency. There, she worked with DJs and artists such as Louie Vega, Jocelyn Brown, Barbara Tucker and Lisa Fischer. She went on to explore roles in beauty, PR and event management, before joining Sony Music in 2020 as label manager for Dream Life Records, where she was instrumental in developing artist strategies. She is also founder of the PRZ Collective, an agency focused on creative campaigns and activations. These roles led her to contribute to projects with the likes of Russ Millions, NSG, Offset, Jess Glynne and N-Dubz, before becoming label manager at The Orchard, where she oversees 44 independent labels. Here,…

Steve Albini Richard Andrew Dick Asher John Barbata Dickey Betts Frankie Beverly Fran Boyd Tony Bramwell Jo Brooks Steve Brown Bob Bryar Debra Byrd Eric Carmen Tommy Cash Mister Cee James Chance Eddie Cheeba Charlie Colin Peter Collins Gerry Conway Charles Cross Michael Cuscuna Paul Di’Anno Duane Eddy Joe Egan Abdul “Duke” Fakir Henry Fambrough Bob Fead Herbie Flowers Julio Foolio Kinky Friedman Jerry Fuller Eric Gardner Catherine Glover Steve Harley Roy Haynes Françoise Hardy Cissy Houston Brian Humphries Doug Ingle Jackmaster Tito Jackson Jimmy James Mark James Will Jennings Quincy Jones Ka Gylan Kain Jonathan Saul Kane Toby Keith DJ Clark Kent Michelle Kerr Greg Kihn Chris King Martin Kirkup Wayne Kramer Kris Kristofferson Graham Lambdon Keith LeBlanc Jaquelyne Ledent-Vilain Phil Lesh Mary Martin Brother Marquis John Mayall James McMahon Melanie…

I had lots of small moments before Kehlani went viral, but nothing was as big as this. Those moments kept me going, I always had a feeling that I would get there with just one more song… and Kehlani was the one. “Since releasing it, the song has just been reignited again and again. At first, it was the storyline around it - I was like, ‘I’m not going to stop posting about it on TikTok until Kehlani herself does a video to it!’ - then there was the dance that people were doing, then people like Kim Kardashian did something with it, then it was big in Spain and globally. It just kept getting bigger. “But one thing that I’ve noticed from all of this, is when it comes…

Audiences across the globe have been going wild for Chappell Roan’s Good Luck, Babe! since its release in April this year. It spent six weeks at No.2 in the UK and has over 900 million Spotify streams to date. Here, producer and co-writer Dan Nigro reflects on how the Missouri-raised star blew his mind when they met, outlines the creative process behind the hit and looks back on how ‘Jane’ became ‘Babe’… Chappell Roan is a very special artist. I always knew there was something unique about her, it was just about getting her in front of as many people as possible. We met through my manager, who was a fan of hers. When we first starting writing together, it was a little slow to start with as we were…

01 NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH GRACIE ABRAMS That’s So True (Interscope/Polydor) SALES: 177,175 Adding almost 200,000 sales in November, That’s So True topped the chart for four consecutive weeks and therefore romps to No.1 in our monthly standings. That’s So True, from the deluxe edition of Gracie Abrams’ chart-topping second album, The Secret Of Us, is the singer’s first No.1 single and her fifth hit overall. The Californian has three further hits in our November rundown, I Love You, I’m Sorry at No.9 with 109,596 monthly sales, followed by Close To You (No.70, 39,982) and I Miss You, I’m Sorry (No.74, 39,010). The latter, released in 2020, is her biggest UK seller, with 439,689 sales to date. 02 SEA LEGS GIGI PEREZ Sailor Song (Island) SALES: 160,086 Similarly consistent throughout November, Gigi…

TOP UK TRACKS BY UK ARTISTS IN 2024 The UK sounds used most in creations by the UK TikTok community this year 1 Blood Orange Champagne Coast Video Creations: 6,000,000 Originally released in 2011, Champagne Coast gained an incredible second wind in 2024, hitting No.1 on TikTok’s Billboard Top 50 and becoming Blood Orange’s most-streamed song. Driven by nostalgic slideshow trends such as Did We Get Rich?, it amassed millions of TikTok creations, peaking at No.16 in the UK Official Chart over a decade after its initial release. 2 Bakar Hell N Back (Ft. Summer Walker) Video Creations: 6,000,000 Bakar’s track saw renewed life with Summer Walker’s remix. Used in slideshow trends, Hell N Back gained millions of TikTok creations, becoming a go-to soundtrack for relationship content and breaking back into the…

James Dean Bradfield, artist Ahead of releasing their excellent new album Critical Thinking, Manic Street Preachers legend James Dean Bradfield talks cassettes, charts and how they ended up being so loyal to Sony. Oh, and why he regrets splashing so much cash on videos in the ’90s… Critical Thinking feels like a “cassette album” to me… “That’s a very esoteric thing to say, I don’t even know what I mean by it, but it feels like a classic cassette album. It feels quite personal, quite warm in the way it approaches every subject, except for perhaps the songs Critical Thinking and One Man Militia. I had lots of cassettes when I was young, albums that when I bought them on CD or vinyl didn’t feel as good. I remember having…

THE BIG ROLE UMG’s Global Classics & Jazz (GCJ) division has appointed Natasha Baldwin to the new role of president, global classics, jazz & screen. She will continue to serve as EVP of classics & screen at Universal Music Publishing Group, while taking on an expanded remit for GCJ’s group of labels. Baldwin will oversee the international strategy for GCJ’s roster, which includes Andrea Bocelli, Max Richter, Jon Batiste, Samara Joy, Ludovico Einaudi, Lang Lang, Lise Davidsen and more. THE BIG DEAL Partisan Records has formed a global partnership with Virgin Music Group. Partisan’s repertoire will be distributed via Virgin, alongside a collaboration on global marketing. Partisan is home to Ezra Collective (pictured), Idles, PJ Harvey, Cigarettes After Sex, Laura Marling and more. “Partisan Records have done what is increasingly…

@SabrinaAnnLynn I THOUGHT Y’ALL DRANK TEA OMG THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! (Sabrina Carpenter, artist) Friday, May 3 @scottygb Seeing all the tributes to Annie Nightingale is another reminder to me that we need to praise people openly as much when they are alive. (Scott Bryan, BBC Sounds) Friday, January 12 @ShauniCaballero It’s a daily fight to keep ‘unhinged Shauni’ at bay. (Shauni Caballero, Sony Music Publishing) Wednesday, August 21 @kellyndyann No sane person chooses to work in the music industry, I’m sorry. Like we are maniacs for doing this to ourselves. (Kellyn McKay, RCA Records) Friday, July 19 @LilNasX Beyoncé finna make me put my cowboy hat back on. (Lil Nas X, artist) Monday, February 12 @lisaannewright Is this [Primavera] the first time ever that a mainstream festival has booked three female headliners? I…

LAMBRINI GIRLS The Brighton-based duo are forging their own path, one brutally honest alt-punk anthem at a time… KEY TRACK: Big D*ck Energy LABEL: City Slang MANAGEMENT: ATC Live INSTAGRAM: @lambrinigirlz Your debut album, Who Let The Dogs Out, will be coming out in January. How did it first come to life? Phoebe Lunny (vocals/guitar): “Many reasons, like the world is shit and someone needs to write about it! But this also just fell into place at the right time —we’d signed to a new label [City Slang], then we were told, ‘Right, we’re going to record your debut album next month, so start writing.’ We were like, ‘OK!’” It was written in two bursts, the first where you had a strict routine and a second involving some booze. What…

“AI could be an amazing creative tool, but it will probably be used in a very unimaginative way to make money” David Gray Your single Plus & Minus is a duet with up-and-coming artist Talia Rae, how did that come about? “There were plenty of names suggested, but if things feel complicated I’m less inclined towards them. Then my manager happened to see Talia perform it in New York at a charity event, she brings a bluesiness to the track. Initially, I didn’t quite trust the song because it’s probably the most commercial thing I’ve done in a long time. But I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth — it’s such a single!” You’ve also pointed out that the lyrical themes revolve around three elements, like your old…

And breathe. It’s time to take stock at the end of one of the busiest years the music business has seen in recent memory. While the churn of change at some of the largest companies in the industry continued apace, the stories and successes just kept on coming, from Taylor Swift’s domination, Charli XCX’s Brat summer and Beyoncé’s exploration of country, to the return of Oasis, Raye’s BRITs haul, Dua Lipa’s huge campaign and the global breakthroughs of Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. Our special end of year review looks back on it all, kicking off with an epic collection of reflections from some of the biggest names in the industry. Elsewhere, we honour those we lost in 2024, celebrate the breakthroughs of The Last Dinner Party, Myles Smith and…

After a year in which cutting through the noise was harder than ever, we look back on 2024’s biggest breakthroughs… At the start of this year, we’d come from winning the BRITs Rising Star and the BBC Sound Of 2024 poll, so we were set up really well. We then had the Music Week cover, so we felt that we had everyone backing The Last Dinner Party and we were looking to showcase their debut album [Prelude To Ecstasy] in a blockbuster, exciting way. “At that point, I thought, ‘I can’t wait for the world to hear this.’ It was so good. Working with such a talented band and when the creative is undeniable, I didn’t have any concerns. Their success is proof that doing it the old way, playing…

“Glastonbury is the biggest show of my life… I’m going to make sure I don’t f**k it up, basically!” Dua Lipa “Obviously we want massive records, but the first thing isn’t asking, ‘Could Dua possibly have a hit?’ It’s, ‘Does this feel different?’ We want people to wonder what she’s done or how she’s done it. It shouldn’t just be a straightforward, ‘Oh, that’s a banger’” Joe Kentish, Warner Records “People would say to me, ‘What are you going to do when you leave school?’ I would always say, ‘I’m going to move to London and be friends with Bananarama!’” Peter Loraine “It’s important women own their success. Women overall are not comfortable with saying they’re bossing it if they are 60% there, we want to be 100%. Actually, if…

1 AI IN MUSIC CREATION I could have written this entire column on AI, but you can look back over my Music Week articles this year if you want to take a deeper dive. AI music generation has undoubtedly become one of 2024’s biggest talking points, with about a quarter of producers now integrating it into their processes, according to a Tracklib survey. While some musicians remain loyal to traditional methods, others, especially younger and independent artists, have embraced assistive AI as a powerful tool for experimentation. With AI-generated beats, melodies, mastering and lyrics on tap, creating music has never been more accessible than it is now, opening doors for emerging talent and making creative tools available to a wider range of artists. It’s also flooding the DSPs… 2025 will be…

5 years ago… TOP STORY DIVINE INTERVENTION It seemed impossible to sum up the magnitude of Lewis Capaldi’s 2019 in just a few words, but Music Week’s Artist Of The Year gave it his best shot. “You can write as many songs as you like, but the only way to describe my year is just fucking lucky,” insisted the ‘Scottish Beyonce’, fresh from topping the charts on both sides of the pond with Someone You Loved, and releasing the UK’s biggest album of the year in Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent. There was rather more than luck involved in the astounding debut campaign, of course, as a parade of execs including then Virgin EMI boss Ted Cockle, Capitol Music Group’s Greg Marella, BMG’s Thomas Scherer, manager Ryan Walter and…