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14.09.12 Music Week 3
GLOBAL EXPANSION ON THE CARDS FOR 21-YEAR-OLD MINISTRY OF SOUND A Sound plan
LABELS BY TIM INGHAM
O
ne of the UK’s most successful homegrown labels is set for
international expansion as it celebrates its 21st birthday. Ministry Of Sound will mark
the anniversary on Saturday (Sept 15) at its world-famous nightclub in London, where Calvin Harris will headline. CEO Lohan Presencer
(right) told Music Week that the company - which also operates international tours, merchandising, digital media and a radio station alongside its nightclub and label - would continue to be driven by its core values of “passion, focus and excellence”. “We’re not dependent on one
particular area, but our success and longevity flow from doing things properly and not compromising,” he said. “The club is the best in the
world, the only venue still sold out every week over two decades after its launch. Our small artist roster is full of success stories; Example, DJ Fresh, Wretch 32 - there is no such thing as a
A PRIME EXAMPLE
“International digital distribution means we are no longer reliant on licensees who don’t care or understand our products like we do.” LOHAN PRESENCER, MINISTRY OF SOUND
DJ Fresh
priority, they all are. Our compilations are simply in a different league, we deliver great listening experiences, the consummate curators. “And the same is true of our thousands of live events, Ministry of Sound and Hed Kandi parties are renowned for giving clubbers amazing, unforgettable nights out.” When asked what the key ambitions were for MoS in the coming years, Presencer said: “International is our greatest
opportunity. Dance music is global and our brands have international recognition thanks to our compilations and events. “The growth of digital music consumption outside of the UK enables us to deliver the right releases into each market, tailoring albums to suit local audiences. We can also move quickly without the historic issues of having to rely on licensees who never understood or cared as much about our products as we do.”
The man widely credited with transforming Ministry Of Sound’s label output into an A&R-centric success story, David Dollimore (left) has worked his way up at the company over 11 years. Now label MD, Dollimore has
worked directly on the development of artists such as Example, Wretch 32, DJ Fresh and many more.
Can we expect the trend of artist development to continue and even increase from MoS? 2010/2011 were significant years - a real statement of intent that we’d diversified and were successfully breaking artists. Fundamentally it has been
down to the artists and managers who believed in us and trusted our team to deliver. I’m particularly grateful to Elliot (Example) and his manager Mick Shiner for being
Ministry has built a notable
reputation for growing and breaking new UK artists in the past three years, boasting No.1 successes such as Example, Wretch 32 and DJ Fresh. “I’m especially proud of our
progress in artist development,” said Presencer. “We used to be pigeon-holed ‘dance’ and we needed to prove our broader music credentials. The success of Dave Dollimore and his team is entirely theirs, it’s a pleasure to work with people who are so
the first to put their trust in us. No- one knew with certainty what was going to happen, but we had this common belief, a great work ethic and a focus to succeed. Even though I have been at
Ministry for 11 years it feels like it’s just the beginning. Our ambition for the label is far reaching but I know our approach has to be well-measured. We are not interested in signing a lot of acts or chasing ambulances. We will be focused and bespoke, letting our artists discover their sound, who they really are. We want a long and productive harvest and we want to build careers. This requires nurturing. We are in it for the long haul and already looking to 2014.
How much importance do you place on your compilations business vs. your artist-centric
committed to their artists and growing their label. We’ve also made good progress in expanding our compilation business internationally. Alice Schofield presides over operations spanning the UK, Germany, Central Europe, Asia and now the USA. We have a unique model and the potential is exciting. I’m confident that both these businesses are going to grow significantly over the coming years under their respective expert stewardship.”
business in 2012? We can offer a multi-layered approach to artists and DJs. We can sign an artist who has a hit to the label, plays at our club, tours the world with our events, mixes a compilation and can release a studio album. What other label can offer that?
Who should we be watching out for from Ministry in the remainder of this year and into 2013? For 2013 you’ll have to wait and see as I want the music and artists to speak for themselves, but for the rest of this year the DJ Fresh album is incredible, packed with hits and coming in early October. In November there is the new Example album, his best yet. In early 2013 we have more to come from Hadouken!, Wretch 32 and many exciting dance tracks starting to bubble.
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