Table of contents for No. 1408 in Music Week

It was not a case of business as per (diem) usual. On July 22, the British music industry took a bold step into the future when major labels committed to introduce a £75 per diem and cover expenses for songwriters attending their writing sessions. That sound you hear? That’s Raye, Myles Smith, the Ivors Academy, and many others who had campaigned so hard for this moment, deservedly celebrating. That it marks the first time this type of payment has been formally agreed with majors anywhere in the world should serve as a moment of pride for the UK industry. The impact of this per diem cannot be overstated. Across my career, I’ve been lucky to interview numerous artists, producers and songwriters, and it never ceases to amaze me how perilously…

Label manager, Believe Before joining Believe, you co-founded a small label and production studio during your time at university. What attracted you to the world of label/artist services? “Starting our label gave me hands-on experience across the full spectrum of the music industry, from production and marketing to release strategy and artist relations. It helped me build a strong foundation in both the creative and operational areas of the business, which made transitioning to Believe feel natural. I was drawn to Believe because of the way it approaches artist and label services with a digital-first mindset – it aligned with my interest in how technology can support sustainable careers. My early experience also taught me how important efficiency is when enabling creativity, which continues to shape my approach.” What do…

I’ve always loved cars; as a kid, I used to go to car shows with my dad every weekend,” G Flip tells Music Week, settling straight into a conversation from their house in LA. “I had a hyper fixation on them, I knew every car model and make on the road.” It’s the perfect introduction to one of the main themes of G Flip’s (who also goes by ‘G’) highly anticipated third album, Dream Ride – due September 5 via AWAL. Fusing explosive choruses and sharp lyricism with a country flare, the album marks a huge next chapter for the Australian artist, all the while embracing their lifelong love for cars – from the title and album artwork to the Grease-inspired music video for their unapologetically playful queer anthem Big…

ENNY Cabin Feva (FAMM) When Music Week profiled Enny back in 2020, the South London rapper talked about the importance of “substance and smartness” in rap music. Comeback single Cabin Feva brings both in spades, delivering the best vocal she has committed to tape so far. The lyrics are impactful (‘I’m just a girl at heart/ I don’t wanna play the role of bitch ‘cause there’s no reward for that’) and funny (‘Keep my teeth white like Keira Knightley’), while deft changes in pace and tone warrant repeat listens. Overall, the effect is all-encompassing; stifling, as the title suggests, but in a very good way. Contact: Ebi Sampson ebi.sampson@august.agency HALESTORM Like A Woman Can (Atlantic) Halestorm have breached the Top 10 with their last three albums, and hopes are high…

I ’m a fast lane, slow lane person,” Warner Chappell’s CEO and co-chair Guy Moot explains as he settles down for a catch-up with Music Week at the publishing giant’s London HQ. “I can’t be in the middle lane.” After decades spent cementing his reputation as one of the global music business’ biggest names, the “slow lane” side of his life is the one we know the least about. Away from the limelight, he’s devoted to his wife Kristina and family, plus Kimba and Kai, his two Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs. “Don’t put it the other way around or I’m fucking toast,” he quips. Moot’s also an Arsenal season ticket holder, a keen fisherman (he recommends Colorado for it, FYI) and a regular at his local gym. You might also spot Moot…

It is a Saturday morning in July and Sophie Ellis-Bextor is halfway through what she describes as a fairly typical working weekend for the summer months. She and her band have already played at the Galway International Arts Festival and performed a private gig at a wedding. Now, the tourbus is heading to Newbury, to play at the racecourse, which will be swiftly followed by Splendour Festival in Nottingham. A new tour, taking in the UK and Europe, will kick off this autumn. “It’s the nature of the beast,” says Ellis-Bextor, who has just stepped off the ferry from Ireland to chat to Music Week. “I’ve got a holiday coming up and by the time that happens, I’ll have worked for the previous 12 weekends. Also, it gets more fun…

If you’re under 18 and want to see your favourite artist in a stadium, that’s fine. If you want to go to a play, a ballet, or a classical concert – no problem. You can go to an arena, grab a soft drink next to someone having a pint and enjoy the show. But if you want to see a band in a 200-cap venue, the message is different. No entry, come back when you’re old enough to drink. This is the reality of licensing law as it is enforced across the UK. Despite decades of progress in making access more equitable across other art forms, live music is still being treated – at policy level – as a public order risk, not a cultural asset. And it’s cutting off…

Unfortunately, we’ve come to the final song for the… ever,” Ozzy Osbourne said from the stage at Villa Park on July 5, as Back To The Beginning, Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s farewell concert, drew to a close. His words – delivered to 45,000 people in the stadium and millions around the world via a livestream – confirmed he retained his flair for the theatrical to the very last. “I just want to say to you, on behalf of the guys in Black Sabbath and myself,” he continued. “Your support over the years has made it possible for us to live the lifestyle we live. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you. We love you.” And then, as the classic opening riff to Paranoid signified the night’s…

THE BIG MOVE UMG veteran Orla Lee-Fisher has been appointed to the new role of head of dual catalogue strategy at Warner Music Group across recordings and publishing. Lee-Fisher will be based in London, reporting jointly to Kevin Gore, president, global catalogue, Recorded Music, Warner Music, and Carianne Marshall & Guy Moot, co-chairs, Warner Chappell Music. She will also support WMG’s M&A team in purchasing catalogues and attracting estate management opportunities, as the company steps up its acquisitions activity. THE BIG ROLE Jim King has been elevated to the role of chief executive officer of AEG Presents UK and European Festivals. He will report to Adam Wilkes, president & CEO of AEG Presents Europe and Asia Pacific. King, who was most recently CEO of European festivals, will add oversight of…

“The goal of the podcast is to centre women’s voices not as underserved but as those who serve brilliantly” Sarah Nagourney THIS MONTH SHE CREATES NOISE Host: Sarah Nagourney (songwriter & producer) Contact: shecreatesnoise@gmail.com She Creates Noise spotlights the stories of women across the entire music business. Here, host Sarah Nagourney delves into her mission to reframe the conversation around women’s accomplishments and explores the biggest challenges facing creatives today… How do you hope She Creates Noise will contribute to the broader conversation on gender equality across the industry? “It’s like the old saying – you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. I wanted to create something that celebrates the remarkable women I’ve had the honour to interview. While the challenges are very real, each of these women embodies strength,…

@joelryanb I just paid £6.90 for toothpaste. (Joel Borquaye, Spotify via X) Sunday, July 13 @panicshack Hey @liamgallagher babe! Our debut album is currently No.11 in the charts and u’ve got 3 albums in the Top Ten… Could u do us a solid and buy a few of ours to bump us up pls? Appreciate it PS x (Panic Shack, band via X) Tuesday, July 22 @Jpizzledizzle Black. British. Music. (Joseph JP Patterson, Trench Mag via X) Friday, July 18 @andreacmartin2 Earlier this week I attended the @UK_Music Summer Party alongside many valued partners from across the industry… UK Music CEO @Tomkiehl issued an important call to action: we must ensure creators are protected from the unauthorised use of their work by AI technologies… Evenings like this are a reminder…

AUGUST 15 Alison Goldfrapp Flux AG Bret McKenzie Freak Out City Sub Pop Marissa Nadler New Radiations Bella Union/Sacred Bones Maroon 5 Love Is Like Interscope Pool Kids Easier Said Than Done Epitaph Tom Grennan Everywhere I Went, Led Me To Where I Didn’t Want To Be Insanity Unleashed Fire Upon Your Lands Napalm AUGUST 22 Deftones Private Music Reprise/ Warner Records Greg Freeman Burnover Transgressive/Canvasback Hot Mulligan The Sound A Body Makes When It’s Still Wax Bodega Kingfishr Halcyon B-Unique/ Atlantic Laufey A Matter Of Time Vingolf/AWAL Mac DeMarco Guitar Mac’s Royel Otis Hickey Ourness/ Capitol/Island Rudimental Rudim3ntal Columbia Scott Lavene Cars, Buses, Bedsits & Shops Nothing Fancy Storm Join The Storm Indie Recordings SunYears The Song Forlorn Villa Superchunk Songs In The Key Of Yikes Merge The World…

Management: Stephen Taverner, Eloise Porteous & Eilidh Fraser (East City Management) Label: Columbia UK/ RCA US Chairman & CEO: Jason Iley President: Dipesh Parmar MD: Amy Wheatley A&R: Dan Chertoff (RCA) Marketing: Polly Withington & Angela Grech Promotions: Steph Wilkinson Digital marketing: Caitlin Fine (Sony Music), Yazz James & Claire Higgins (CYOA) Publisher: Sony Music Publishing Agent: Matt Bates Print & online press: Ruth Drake, Beth Drake, Emily Connick (Toast PR) Regional press: Ian Cheek Radio: Brad Hunner & Ross Forrest (Radar) TV: Karen Williams (Big Sister) Creative director: Joanna Weir (Sony Music) & Rachel Fleminger-Hudson International: Brooke Salisbury, David Mobbs & Carina Grace (Sony Music)…

Alex Hannaby was straight up with Big Machine founder Scott Borchetta 10 years ago. When the executive – who signed 15-year-old country music hopeful Taylor Swift 20 years previously – plucked her from Universal Music Group to lead the label’s new UK operation, she told him that she did not know all that much about country music. “And he said, ‘Well, I do, so I can teach you that,’” she says today. Now the UK head of Big Machine Label Group, Hannaby considers herself close to an expert. “I live and breathe it now,” she smiles. This year she took on the additional title of VP, international marketing & operations, and is hoping to spread her love and belief in country music beyond the UK. “Country music is, I would…

Management: Derek MacKillop, Charlotte Niven and Kat Rulach (Wallace Productions) Label: Decca CEO & chairman: Dickon Stainer Presidents: Tom Lewis and Laura Monks A&R: Sam Mumford Marketing: Hannah Flaherty, Samii Taylor Digital Marketing: Sean Ward (Universal Music Group) Publisher: Copyright Control Agent: Nigel Hassler (CAA) Print & Online Press: Beth Parnell (Bandwagon Press) Radio: Jordan Scudder (Universal Music UK) TV: Sarah Adams (Sassy) Podcasts: Flossie Easthope & Alex Critchley (Universal Music UK), Beth Parnell (Bandwagon Press)…

Your essential primer for the month ahead Ed Sheeran’s enduring global success is because the UK singer-songwriter “sets himself the highest of standards”, his label boss has told Music Week. As Sheeran prepares to launch a new era with the Play album (September 12), Atlantic co-president Ed Howard has spoken about the “fun” campaign and reflected on his 15-year working relationship with the British superstar. Howard signed Sheeran to Atlantic’s Asylum imprint, where he was then head of A&R, in early 2011. “It would be hard to imagine somebody with more of a firm plan for his future than Ed had at that time, or more ambition, focus and drive to get to that place,” he said. “He had a plan for two sets of five albums,” said Howard of…

“It’s very easy to blame streaming, but those services are also paying the most of any licensing model in the industry…” GRAHAM DAVIES, DIGITAL MEDIA ASSOCIATION What’s your experience been so far of the big move to the US representing streaming services? “I’m pleased to say it’s gone well. In terms of coming to the decision to leave the Ivors, I was there five years and during that time I believe I transformed that organisation. I left them very strong and it’s a great team there under new leadership. I thought that there was an opportunity to grow what DiMA is and to strengthen the voice of music streaming services in the industry debate. I’m really pleased to say that the organisation had the same ambition, and in a relatively short…

RELEASE: Dream Ride LABEL: AWAL MANAGEMENT: Megan Rasmussen & Harry White, Future Classic WHAT THE TEAM SAYS: Victoria Needs, SVP, AWAL: “G is a unique artist that has the ability to drive culture forward with their fearlessly authentic lyrical content and emotionally charged live shows. There’s a lot of superfans of G here at AWAL, we’re so proud to be building a multi-territory career for a performer, musician and songwriter that redefines what pop stardom looks and sounds like.”…

“There’s less money now, but there are lots of pluses in artists having control and being more vocal” Alison Goldfrapp The album’s title could evoke a lack of stability, but the way you’ve interpreted it seems to be a lot more about possibility. Is that the case? “It’s about change and things evolving and constantly moving, and for me that reflects in the music and also in my personal life. Being an almost 60-year-old woman, I feel like in the last 10 years there have been so many changes, physically and emotionally, and then in the fucking world we live in as well. Flux is a word that feels very relevant to now and just being human.” This marks your first release on your own AG Records label. Why did now…

NIPPA With a sold-out debut headline show, a second MOBO nomination and the release of his new EP Hope She Hears This, R&B talent Nippa has already had a busy year. Here, he talks Tottenham, R&B and independence… Growing up in Tottenham, how did you first get into music? “Growing up in Tottenham’s rough, it’s like no man’s land sometimes, and if you’re born in it, you’re in that shit from the start. I always wanted to be a rapper, and that’s associated with being cool in Tottenham. But I’m just not good at it, so when my manager would take me to the studio, he’d be like, ‘Nah man, just sing, you got a nice voice.’ But even when the song was alright, I lost credibility in my ends,…

Rhea Pasricha is a true visionary in artist and songwriter development. As head of A&R at Prescription Songs, she oversees the LA office, signing new talent and creating opportunities for its roster. During her 13-year tenure, Pasricha has been pivotal in shaping the careers of artists such as Kim Petras, Peter Fenn and Emily Warren, whilst her A&R work has contributed to global hits such as Myles Smith’s Stargazing, Beyoncé’s Texas Hold ’Em and Dua Lipa’s Don’t Start Now and New Rules, to name only a few. Born in Gorakhpur, India and raised in Singapore and the United States, Pasricha studied music at NYU’s Clive Davis School Of Recorded Music prior to entering the music industry. During her final year, she landed a job at Atlantic Records assisting former label…

“You can have brilliant music, presenters and guests, but if they don’t excite your audience, then you have a show that’s just a brilliant failure” DARI SAMUELS, BBC RADIO 1XTRA Bathed in bright July sunshine, Dari Samuels greets Music Week with a warm smile and an emphatic statement about BBC Radio 1Xtra, the station he’s been running since September 2024. “We celebrate the past, present and future of Black music, but also the communities that surround it,” Samuels declares. “We’re discussing the things that matter to our young, diverse audience. My job is to make sure that what we deliver excites, amongst all the noise.” As the head of BBC Radio 1Xtra, Samuels oversees one of the most vital cogs for Black music in the country, directing the station’s programming and…

SOMBR SONG: UNDRESSED Early on this year, Sombr was riding high off the success of his hit single Back To Friends when he sat down in his home studio and came up with a drum groove that would shape his next track – the UK No.4 smash Undressed. Here, the LA-based star breaks down how the song ended up rocketing past 320 million streams, and talks lyric writing, indie music and why feeling pressure is only natural… What makes up a ‘legendary indie rock song’? Some smacking drums, good melodies, a strong chorus and a bridge. That’s it. That was my reference when I made Back To Friends and Undressed, and for everything going forward. Undressed was the first song I wrote this year. It was just after I’d dropped…

UNITED KINGDOM PinkPantheress Illegal Video Creations: 2,000,000 One of the biggest TikTok trends of the summer so far belongs to PinkPantheress, who has continued to show her ability to turn left-field pop into global, community-driven moments on the platform. Her airy, sample-driven single Illegal, one of TikTok’s UK Song Of The Summer predictions, has inspired the handshake trend, which is now dominating For You feeds. TikTok users have embraced the sound with increasingly elaborate handshakes timed to each lyric, celebrating friendship, teamwork and much more. And now, with UK stars like Lola Young and Jade jumping on the trend – alongside families, office teams, Tottenham Hotspur FC announcing a new signing and even tennis star Aryna Sabalenka joining in at Wimbledon – Illegal has clearly crossed into wider culture. The…

Craig David has packed a lot in since releasing his era-defining, two million-selling No.1 album Born To Do It 25 years ago this month. As he drops his latest set, Commitment, he fills Music Week in on his business secrets, giving vocal tips to Sting and his love of chocolate… I’ve learned to navigate the smoke and mirrors of the music industry… “I’ve been with all the major labels, twice round with some. The beautiful thing I’ve realised is that there are certain times where it’s easy for an artist to think, ‘The label didn’t quite get that, they didn’t really push the button.’ I think that’s a bit of a myth. What button are we talking about, a monetary button? An exposure button? You always want to keep the…