Table of contents for No. 1411 in Music Week

October passed by in a blur here at Music Week, but it was at least a truly inspiring blur. For one, the start of the month saw the return of the Music Week Women In Music Awards – a day in which the sold-out ceremony was treated to a procession of incredibly moving and poignant speeches from the likes of FKA Twigs, Polydor Label Group's Semera Khan, ESEA Music, EarthPercent co-executive director Cathy Runciman, Columbia Records UK MD Amy Wheatley and many more. Thank you once again to everyone who showed up and supported the event to make it as special as it was. Closing the proceedings was exiting Warner Music UK COO Isabel Garvey, the winner of the Outstanding Contribution honour. Her words – singled out by so many…

THE BIG DEAL Universal Music Group and AI-powered music creation platform Udio have announced new strategic agreements. The companies have settled copyright infringement litigation and will collaborate on an “innovative, commercial music creation, consumption and streaming experience”. The new platform, which will be launched in 2026, will be powered by generative AI technology that will be trained on authorised and licensed music. The deal will provide further revenue opportunities for UMG artists and songwriters. THE BIG TRIBUTE Beyoncé, Nile Rodgers and Lauryn Hill were among the artists to pay tribute to R&B and soul singer D'Angelo, who has died aged 51 after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. “The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life,” said his family. He won four Grammys and was…

You started out in the theatre industry – what made you pivot to music? “I studied music from a young age alongside theatre, and then made the typical attempt of being in a band. I discovered that I actually loved everything around the music – the promoting, the organising, the ‘behind the scenes’ of it all. I had no clue what I wanted to do, so I decided to do a masters in music business management at the University Of Westminster, which gave me a solid grounding in all areas of the industry. I got my first internship at Molto Music Group and then Claire Bianchi [head of A&R, Distiller Music publishing] got in touch about an intern role at Distiller.” You interned at Distiller, left and then came back…

RELEASE: Happiness From Agony LABEL: JayaHadADream/AWAL MANAGEMENT: Lloyd Murray, 88Entertainment WHAT THE TEAM SAY: Lloyd Murray, director 88Entertainment: “I first came across Jaya in November 2023 after she did her freestyle on Sir Spyro's BBC 1Xtra show. I knew then she was a superstar with a lot of potential. Then once we met, I quickly realised that she had a lot of drive, creativity and passion. She is very self-sufficient and knows what she wants to achieve, so I knew I could help her be successful without her compromising her art or who she is. This is just the beginning of what will be an amazing career.” Will Hunt, VP, A&R, AWAL: “We met Jaya after she won the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition and were immediately struck by her drive, clarity…

CURATED BY GIR's CARLA MARIE WILLIAMS MBE LARA BAKER Co-founder, Women In Music Awards/Lead, songwriter & publishing partnerships, UK & International, Spotify CARLA MARIE WILLIAMS SAYS: “Lara has always inspired me. From the moment I saw what she was building with the Women In Music Awards, I knew I wanted to stand alongside her. She's helped create one of the most prestigious and purposeful events in the UK, one that not only celebrates women, but welcomes men into the conversation, too. That balance, that representation really matters, and I love Lara for leading it with such grace and conviction.” LARA BAKER SAYS: “Fifteen years ago, myself and my [Women In Music Awards] co-founder Alison Wenham saw a pretty male-dominated industry and we just took it upon ourselves [to change that].…

Grassroots Music Venues remain under extraordinary pressure. This year's Music Venue Trust Annual Report showed 810 venues trading in 2024, that's down from 835 the year before. More than 200 needed emergency support in the last 12 months, almost a quarter of the sector. Profit margins averaged just 0.48%. Touring has shrunk dramatically: the average UK tour in 1994 visited 22 cities; by 2024 it was 11, with only 12 locations now considered on the primary circuit. Cities such as Leicester, York, Bath, Hull and Stoke have fallen away. These are not abstract figures; they describe an infrastructure that is fragile everywhere and in decline in many places. The good news is that we can see evidence of locally driven interventions. Brighton & Hove worked with us to publish and…

Your essential primer for the month ahead The music industry is exploring opportunities for immersive performances as technology opens up new possibilities. In the wake of the success of ABBA Voyage, new entrants and investors are set to increase the range of avatar-based music productions. Unit1 Studio, a producer of immersive concerts, said it has pioneered new developments in VFX and AI-enhanced CGI that will bring down costs and speed up production. “We really see ourselves as a conduit between the world that [an artist] might have been in for the last 20 or 30 years of touring and this immersive avatar-type show,” said Unit1 Studio CEO Barney Wragg. “It's a big creative, technical and commercial challenge, but that's our USP.” The London-based company launched last month with a KT…

If you were told that a former teacher would evolve into one of the leaders of UK rap's new school, you'd be forgiven for scoffing at the prospect. But JayaHadADream is that much of a class act. Born and raised in Cambridge, the 25-year-old (real name Jaya Gordon-Moore) is one of the hardest-hitting MCs to emerge in recent memory, merging skippy, abrasive lyrics with piercing observations about her place in the world. “A lot of my music is a reflection of things I've observed,” she tells Music Week. “Maybe in the moment itself I haven't said anything or I've needed to process it, but it ends up being quite thought-provoking.” She calls her music “resilient”, and it's crafted with a desire to, as she puts it, “turn a negative into…

in association with This year, the Music Week Women In Music Awards returned in style, with a sold-out ceremony at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London attracting superstar artists, leading executives and a host of change-makers. Here, we present a special gallery of one of the British music calendar's most important events, and be sure to head to the Music Week website where you can revisit the career-spanning interviews with all of this year's winners and Roll Of Honour inductees… THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS AND PARTNERS CAMPAIGNER SPONSORED BY 2025 Award Winners LIVE MUSIC INSPIRATION SPONSORED BY MUSIC CREATIVE - SPIRIT OF THE STUDIO SPONSORED BY NEW ARTIST SPONSORED BY DE&I INITIATIVE SPONSORED BY ENTREPRENEUR RISING STAR SPONSORED BY MUSIC CHAMPION BUSINESSWOMAN OF THE YEAR INTERNATIONAL WOMAN OF THE YEAR…

“The UK forgot the art of staying in the conversation - you can't let other people dictate it for you, you've got to get a loud hailer, get on a plane, and do it yourself” DICKON STAINER, UNIVERSAL MUSIC UK Ask Dickon Stainer to paint a picture of who he is away from the pressures of his day job, and he proceeds to detail a life that revolves around simple pleasures. Charmingly, he seems almost apologetic not to be armed with some more flamboyant hobbies. You might, for example, find him walking around the Isle Of Wight in his rare moments of downtime. You may also see him out and about indulging in his passion for cycling. “At one point I was also a violin player,” he says, issuing a…

Universal may be strengthening the bridge between UK and global audiences, but its leadership is also looking inward right now. For chief people officer Andrea ‘Ange’ Pattico, the label's “new era” isn't just about artists – it's about ensuring the business behind them is as globally minded, connected and representative as the music being made. Christened ‘Andrea’ but known universally as Ange – a nickname born from her younger sister's childhood mispronunciation – she has made approachability and authenticity central to her leadership. “Andrea's my naughty name, I don't want to be called that,” she laughs. “It means I've either offended you or you're annoyed at me. Nope. Ange is fine.” Leading a team that consists of “33 wonderful people”, Ange emphasises that they're just as essential to achieving the…

RYAN TEDDER SONG: SPORTS CAR – TATE McRAE Ryan Tedder has been making records with Tate McRae since 2022, but this year's smash Sports Car was a watershed moment. Here, the superstar songwriter and producer explains, via a story that starts with serendipity and takes in Tedder's own purchase of a sports car, why the song had to “have some teeth”… Sports Car came about at the 11th hour of the So Close To What album [sessions]. It was the last week and Julia Michaels, who is a very close friend and one of my favourite writers ever, got brought in. She and Tate hadn't really worked together since Tate was about 16, and when she asked what I thought about bringing her in, I said, ‘I love Julia, we've…

UNITED KINGDOM CHARLI XCX Everything Is Romantic (feat. Caroline Polachek) Video Creations: 1m Charli XCX and Caroline Polachek's Everything Is Romantic has become a defining sound for autumn on TikTok, inspiring a wave of creator-led storytelling around the idea of falling in love “again and again”. The trend began with fan edits paired to footage from the upcoming Wuthering Heights movie and has grown into a visual language for nostalgia and reconnection. Creators are using the track for cinematic loops from airport reunions, flashbacks and slow-motion transitions syncing perfectly to its emotional drop. The sound bridges pop and storytelling, used by both film-edit accounts and everyday creators capturing sincere moments. Amid polished choreography trends, Everything Is Romantic stands out for its warmth and relatability, showing how TikTok can turn a…

5 years ago… TOP STORY BURNING BRIGHT Five years ago this month, Music Week met up with Burna Boy, his manager and mother Bose Ogulu, plus their team, to get the story of his Grammy-nominated Twice As Tall LP for our huge cover feature. Completed in lockdown in Nigeria, it was released via his own Spaceship Records with Atlantic/Bad Habit, and counted legendary Senegalese artist Youssou N'Dour, Stormzy and Chris Martin among its guests. “Different songs have different spirits, I like everything to be organic and for everything to appease my spirits and ancestors,” said Burna, mystically. “That's how the music comes and that's how the collaborations end up. It's always organic, it's never a business deal…” That said, the Nigerian was busy building a business of his own as…

NOVEMBER 21 Def Leppard Diamond Star Heroes – Live From Sheffield Mercury Studios Descendents I Don't Want To Grow Up (40th Anniversary) Org Music Ella Eyre Everything, In Time Play It Again Sam Elujay A Constant Charade Drink Sum Wtr Keaton Henson Parader Play It Again Sam Madness Hit Parade West Village Simply Red Recollections Simplyred.com Stray Kids Skz It Tape ‘Do It’ JYP Stryper The Greatest Gift Of All Frontiers Music Sub Focus Contact Positiva The Futureheads Christmas Nul The Pretty Wild Zero.Point. Genesis Sumerian NOVEMBER 28 Dream Theater Quarantième: Live À Paris InsideOut Music/ Sony Music Iron Maiden Live After Death (40th Anniversary) Parlophone Jessie J Don't Tease Me With A Good Time Darco Madonna Bedtime Stories – The Untold Chapter Rhino The Darkness One Way Ticket To…

in association with Head to facebook.com/MusicWeekNews or our Flickr account now for an extensive Music Week Women In Music Awards 2025 gallery On a roll… Previous Roll Of Honour members celebrated this year's new inductees at a special party hosted at Young Space HQ in association with TikTok……

It was the night Universal Music Group UK arrived in Los Angeles. Gathered inside an event space in the Miracle Mile district, there were decision makers from film and TV companies, DSPs and sync agencies as well as actors, producers and directors. They had all come to watch Olivia Dean, Holly Humberstone, FLO and Sekou, but on the night were even treated to a surprise appearance by Sir Elton John. “It was an almost un-British thing to do, we became very American,” says Rebecca Allen, president of the group's recently launched Audience & Media Division (more on that shortly). “We became very bold, very ambitious. We made our presence felt.” Nickie Owen, president of Universal Music Group UK's International Marketing department, is smiling at this description. “I think when Dickon…

“Labels, managers and artists have an increasingly sophisticated understanding of what they want to do” VANESSA BOSÅEN, VIRGIN MUSIC GROUP Ask Vanessa Bosåen to name the biggest recent development in the thrumming hive of activity that is the distribution sector and one word springs to mind. “Education,” begins the UK president of Virgin Music Group. “Although it's hard to quantify, the most notable change is improved education. Just a few years ago, much of our time was spent explaining what a distribution and services company could offer. Now labels, managers and artists come to us with an increasingly sophisticated understanding of what they want to achieve.” There's certainly a lot to learn about, as Jasmine Bodkin, VP, label management at The Orchard, concurs. “It's a combination of things,” the executive…

At BBC Radio 2, Helen Thomas not only oversees a station with a reach of 12.8 million weekly listeners, she also gets to meet some of the biggest artists on the planet. Here, she talks encounters with the likes of Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen… oh, and her master's in medieval history… Believe it or not, I did a master's in medieval studies at Bristol University… “I did a drama degree first, and it was an exciting time to be at Bristol University because it was when the trip-hop explosion was happening with Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky. I had managed to get onto the university entertainment society, so I could see as many gigs as possible. I finished my degree, and I wanted to stay in Bristol, so I…