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08.06.12 MusicWeek 11


CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE RCA’s new breed: Post War Years, Maxsta, Aiden Grimshaw, the return of Wookie and K Koke


ENERGISING AND SO DID I’


Heap, Dry The River and Mercury nominees Everything Everything – while the main RCA label now counts Josh Kumra, Paloma Faith, Rebecca Ferguson, JLS and promising X-Factor contestant Aiden Grimshaw on its books. Barlow has begun to shape a core RCA team in


his mould: hiring former Geffen cohort Ricardo Fernandez as GM, Pete McGaughrin as head of business and creative affairs/A&R and Neil Hughes as head of promotions. “What separates us from what RCA was before


is that we’ve got people who understand hip-hop, people who understand rock, people who understand indie and people who understand pop – the skills base is much broader,” says Barlow. “That also means there’s not only one way of


working for each act. The people working with Aiden aren’t all pop people – and it’s made for a much cooler record and campaign. “I remember when we lost Keane at Polydor


because the band thought we were too ‘pop’. After that I signed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and it instantly changed the perception of the label. The same thing is happening here with Chess Club, Search And Destroy and the lifestyle labels.” He adds: “I’ve made a few records in my time


and I’m not scared of taking a risk. I’m broad in my tastes, so I’m happy to sign any kind of artist, but rule No.1 is you’ve got to love it. “I saw it at Polydor with Scissor Sisters and


Snow Patrol: if you love the act, no matter how tough it gets, you’ll keep fighting for them. I won’t let anyone sign anything here because they


think the market wants it – it’s got to come from a gut instinct.“ Barlow – a man famous for bringing through


Girls Aloud, James Morrison and The Saturdays during his career – acknowledges that RCA’s recent track record of breaking acts in the UK outside of Simon Cowell’s TV shows has been “non-existent”. “That’s exactly what I felt before I came here, so


I’m aware of the criticism,” he admits. “If there’s something that comes out of X-Factor that we can


TV TIMES AND TAKING RISKS


RCA HAS ENJOYED a lot of success in the UK through acts born on Simon Cowell’s shows – an opportunity Barlow is grateful for, but one he says RCA must become less reliant on. “You can find some real


artists out of the TV process,” he says. “It gets very interesting when you take risks with them. I did it with Girls Aloud and that’s what we should be doing. “Rebecca [Ferguson] has


written her whole record herself, as has Aiden [Grimshaw]. The public sometimes swallows the myth that these people are


glove puppets – it’s simply not true.” Barlow applauds the “incredible” platinum album from Ferguson, suggesting her US star is set to rise


following favourable reviews in publications such as The New York Post. “It’s just a shame Radio 1 have


now deemed her outside their playlist,” he adds. ”She’s never been played on Capital either, but we’ll keep going. This is a great lesson to the industry: you don’t always need radio to make an act – you have to find other ways to reach the public.”


really do a good job on, great – but I want to ensure we’re not to reliant on it. “Also, RCA has for a long time relied too heavily


on its American roster. When you’ve got big records coming from the US, they can almost paper over the cracks. But my whole career has been about signing and breaking new acts – and that’s my focus here.” Barlow’s mission to widen the make-up of RCA’s


roster won’t be to the detriment of its pop credentials, he promises – not least as it now has one of the UK’s best in the field in its president’s chair. “I’ve always had the philosophy that having a


really successful pop roster allows the other acts a bit of breathing space,” he explains. “The success of JLS, Rebecca Ferguson and Paloma is hugely significant. They’re the ones that keep the lights on. But the more success we have with pop, the more risks we can take on the alternative music side.” Turning RCA from a pop-orientated label - one


reliant on US stars and Mr Cowell - into an outfit boasting new top-drawer UK acts in every genre is no easy task, but Barlow says he’s had the schooling he needs to make it happen. “I loved my time at Universal – there were some


great people there,” he recalls. “Lucian [Grainge] is an incredible executive, as is David [Joseph]. “[They] have this great philosophy not to take


anything for granted: even if you’ve had some good news, stay calm – it’s only the start of the process. “It creates an anxiety in you so that you’re


constantly thinking about your decisions. Do I miss that? Not at all… because it’s still right here with me.”


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