British record labels have grown used to the turmoil of recent years, but the industry remains surprised by recent changes at Universal Music’s UK arm.
David Joseph, Universal Music UK’s long-standing and highly regarded CEO/chairman, was at the company’s King’s Cross headquarters on September 23 when he abruptly resigned after 26 years with the company, almost 17 of which. There was a moving scene. top job. The next day, he was replaced by Dickon Steiner, who previously served as president and CEO of Universal’s Global Classical & Jazz division and Verve Label Group. Mr Steiner will continue as Chairman of Global Classics & Jazz alongside his role in the UK.
Meanwhile, Joseph appears to be planning to leave the music industry after a successful career and has already begun a master’s degree in religion and theology at King’s College, London.
Universal Music Group CEO and Chairman Lucien Grainge paid tribute to Joseph in a staff memo regarding the changes, saying: He aimed for heights that were completely authentic to him. Additionally, I greatly respect his decision to take a completely different path after so many successful years at UMG. ”
Joseph’s announcement comes a week before Universal UK’s formal restructuring around its two main label groups, Island EMI Label Group and Polydor Label Group, will result in job cuts across the company. It led to But Variety sources say the move was actually planned for quite some time, even if few people at the company knew about it.
Mr Joseph has become arguably Britain’s most powerful and influential music executive since taking over from Mr Grainge to head the British company in 2008, but he usually prefers to keep a low profile. He rarely responded to press interviews. Nevertheless, he remained hands-on behind the scenes throughout his tenure. Variety sources have revealed that Take That, one of Britain’s biggest acts and with whom Joseph has worked since the 1990s, will leave the Universal stable ahead of their latest album, This Life, for another home. He was personally involved in convincing Take That not to go. ”
Joseph is known for being artist-friendly and has also done a lot of important work behind the scenes to transform the industry’s approach to equality, diversity and inclusion, including pioneering research on neurodiversity. , while simultaneously keeping Universal in the number one position by far in terms of market share. .
Already in charge, Steiner may be an unknown to the modern pop/hip-hop industry, but he is well known and respected throughout the industry, and his expertise is certainly limited to classical music. Not. Genre. He worked with then Decca Records president Rebecca Allen (now head of new audiences and media at Universal UK), and current co-presidents Laura Monks and Tom Lewis, to lead Decca into a major It established itself as a genre label and achieved notable success. Elsewhere, he helped lead Jon Batiste to multiple Grammy Awards.
Mr Steiner shares Mr Joseph’s thoughtful and empathetic approach and also has vast global experience, helping Universal to emerge under threat from the UK as a source of talent capable of international stardom. This experience will prove crucial in leading the fight to retain the position.
“Throughout his career, Dickon has embraced a vast musical worldview, featuring artists from a variety of genres and reaching audiences around the world,” Grainge said in the official announcement of Steiner’s appointment. “He has deep experience leveraging our global organization on behalf of artists, as well as a proven track record that includes worldwide commercial and creative artist success and countless awards in many countries. have.”
Variety understands that Mr Steiner was not involved in Universal UK’s reorganization but does not intend to make any further changes now that he has taken up the post. But after almost 17 years under one leader, the eyes of British industry are on his successor and what happens next…
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One of the artists behind Universal’s bid to become one of the next breakout British stars is English Teacher.
The Leeds-based alternative rockers won the Mercury Prize for best British/Irish album of the year last month, and saw an immediate rise in sales and streaming numbers for their album This Could Be Texas.
According to the Official Charts Company, the record returned to the Top 40 with a 1,073% increase in chart sales in the week following the awards ceremony. That was despite the awards having a new look, as discussed on Brit Beat last month. A traditional grand ceremony with live performances for a stripped-down ‘broadcast event’ at Abbey Road Studios.
English Teacher’s co-managers, Dead Sound’s Pete Heywood and Alex Edwards, told Variety that the new approach didn’t seem to dampen the impact of the win.
“We’re more about artist exposure than sitting at a table drinking free champagne,” Edwards laughs. “What the public would have seen – the award-winning band and the other artists performing that night – that’s what matters.”
“We hope so [the Prize] This is a hugely important award for the music industry, so it continues to get the support it needs,” added Heywood. “It recognizes a body of work in a way that other awards ceremonies don’t. Not only were there more opportunities for bands, but what really mattered was that they were being recognized for the hard work they put into making their records.” I’m really happy that people are now able to discover this album that they might not have been able to do before.”
According to the management duo, English Teacher’s UK tour is almost sold out following their win, and an additional show has been added at London’s Coco venue on November 13th. They are also in talks for several high-profile media appearances and have already received offers from several media outlets. Edwards expects next year to be “a very busy year.”
The band has big plans for the U.S., even though the British music world has struggled to find success in the U.S. recently. They recently completed a US support tour with Idols, followed by a sold-out headline show at New York’s Market Hotel, and have now appropriately signed a deal with Mercury Records in the US.
“We’re already starting to draw audiences over there,” Haywood said, adding that he plans to perform in the U.S. soon. “With some great news outlets, really solid radio support across college stations, and the backing of major labels, I think they can buck this trend.”
At home, the band is signed to Island Records, one of the labels subject to Universal UK’s reorganization. However, with Island boss Lewis Bloom leading the new Island EMI label group, managers do not expect any disruption to the band’s progress.
“Louis played a big role in bringing English teachers to the island,” Edwards says. “He’s been a champion from the beginning, he loves the band, he works very hard on the project, and so does the rest of the team. So I don’t think there’s going to be any big changes for us at all, it’s just It’s business as usual.”
After a UK tour and the release of some new limited edition vinyl copies of the album, the band will be taking a break before starting work on their next record early next year. And with its label division Nice Swan Records, which also represents other emerging alternative acts such as Sprint, Farr and Pip Blom, and has developed numerous acts including English Teacher, Dead Sound has its entire roster. We are looking forward to a leap forward in 2025.
“Alternative seems to be making a real comeback at the moment, with bands like Wonder Horse and Fontaines DC increasing their numbers and ticket sales significantly,” Haywood says. “So Oasis is coming back. Next year is definitely going to be a big year for guitar music.”
“It’s exciting to see where they end up,” Edwards adds. “The world is truly an English teacher’s oyster.”
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Meanwhile, Black Lives in Music (BLiM) is stepping up its campaign for equality in the live events sector.
BLiM CEO Charisse Beaumont recently gave evidence to the London Assembly’s Economy, Culture and Skills Committee on the licensing process for live shows, highlighting how the system is designed to support artists from black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds. This raised concerns that it was biased against promoters.
With the support of the Mayor of London and the city’s Night Emperor, BLiM is working with partners including the Musicians’ Union (MU), live industry trade body LIVE and UK Music to support the Racial Equality in Music Event Licensing (REMEL) group. We supported the establishment. and the Metropolitan Police Department. We were also commissioned by the Greater London Authority (GLA), the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime (MOPAC) and MU to investigate the impact of policies and interactions between police, councils, venues and promoters on black, Asian and ethnic people. are. A variety of music events.
Beaumont told Variety that previous investigations have revealed the “disturbing” scale of the problem, leading to multiple recommendations to cancel events that appear to be at the whim of police and local authorities.
“This is happening all over the country, from top to bottom,” she says. “[It affects] From the biggest venues to the smallest, all genres, all levels and even the biggest independent promoters. Since we announced we were doing this research, we’ve been inundated with it – and we’re shocked at the types of venues we’re getting. [evidence] from. They’re doing it at the highest level. ”
Beaumont said that while large venues and promoters have the resources and contacts to counter attempts to cancel events without good reason, smaller operators are threatened by fear of losing their licenses. He said that he often follows the instructions given to him.
The Metropolitan Police has faced criticism in the past for its use of Form 696, a risk assessment document that promoters and licensees must submit before an event. The form asks for a description of the style of music involved and the target audience, and many in the industry believe these are used to discriminate against black, Asian, and ethnically diverse events. He claimed that there was. Although this form was finally deprecated in 2017, temporary event notifications are still required for many one-time events.
“It took years of effort to eliminate Form 696,” Beaumont said. “But right now, we’re operating in stealth.”
Objections to events by police may fall into categories such as ‘preventing crime and disorder’, ‘promoting public safety’, ‘preventing public nuisance’ and ‘protecting children from harm’.
Beaumont said the events affected ranged from large-scale shows featuring visiting U.S. hip-hop stars to smaller events in Bollywood and jazz.
“Is jazz dangerous or unsafe?” Beaumont asks. “No. So why is their application denied? There’s only one reason, and that’s what we’re looking at across the board.”
This research will be used by REMEL to “develop recommendations, identify best practices, share learnings, and take action.” BLiM wants an overhaul of the licensing process, including the establishment of a transparent process for communicating license complaints. Improved training and guidance for police. Establish a charter to evaluate licensing performance. Potential compensation framework for canceled events.
“Everyone is losing money, and it’s not fair to everyone,” Beaumont said. “If you’re an artist and you want to grow your audience, you should have the right to perform locally, regardless of genre. This is 100% stifling creativity.”
BLiM, founded to address racial inequality in the music industry, will hold a unique event, “Classic Black,” celebrating the contributions of black classical musicians at King’s Place in London on October 19th.