2 Music Week 15.08.14 NEWS EDITORIAL
Major A&R problem needs a woman’s touch
A landmark moment in music industry history took place earlier this month. No exaggeration: it’s finally dragged this business kicking and screaming into a new, enlightened era. In one respect, the poaching of Sony/ATV co-president Jody
Gerson by Universal Music Publishing in the US was as old school music biz as you could get. This was one publishing colossus publicly striking a blow to another where it hurt most - right in the personnels. It was the wounded alpha party bouncing back, wiping away a single macho tear, and barking that an “international search” has begun for a replacement. And, enthrallingly, it was a public mano-a-mano tussle between two of the music industry’s most powerful big cheeses: Lucian Grainge and Marty Bandier. On this occasion, it was Bandier who took a shiner to the eye,
though to the Sony/ATV boss’s great credit, he didn’t allow any envy or uneasiness to get in the way of a heartfelt and decent tribute to Gerson, of whom he said: “I couldn’t be prouder of Jody and I will be sorry to see her go... I have seen her grow into one of the most successful and influential executives in the business.” What wasn’t overstated in the flurry of press releases that
accompanied Gerson’s big move - and perhaps rightly so - was the huge significance of her appointment, as a woman, to the role of
“Jody Gerson has just been named the first ever female boss of a global major music company. It’s taken a long, hairy 100 years to happen”
CEO/chairman of UMPG. To the best of my knowledge, that makes Gerson the first female to ever run the global HQ of a major music company. It’s news that has been a heck of a long time coming. In fact, it’s been more than a hundred hairy years. Sadly, this business still evidently has a serious gender problem.
The issue is not as straightforward as a male/female employment split: at around 50/50 overall, we’re rather progressive there. But even the most boneheaded ‘feminazi’ troll would be forced
to concede that when it comes to artist development at major labels and publishers, the be-testicled species dominates to an uncomfortable degree. They don’t call them ‘A&R men’ for nothing. And they do still call them ‘A&R men’, without a flicker. In 2014. Typically, it is from this bearpit that MDs, presidents and CEOs
emerge, battle-scared from combative signing wars. To be fair, they are obvious candidates: by their nature, the best A&Rs - like Gerson herself - are committed, successful risk-takers. Unlike their marketing peers, their skills do not easily transfer to the world of pet insurance. But an alarmingly blokey US A&R (and ex-A&R) climate is now
fuelling - or at least tacitly endorsing - the tone for a smattering of morally loathsome global pop campaigns. Case in point: no-one’s telling me that Robin Thicke’s weasily rubdowns of meth-eyed models in that video was (a) a woman’s idea or (b) okay on any fucking planet. As such, I’m ravenous for a less masturbatory, less twattish wave of mainstream pop music to emerge - especially because we’re turning people off this industry in their droves. If female A&Rs can make that happen then, man, it’s time to swing open the doors to the sisterhood. “Jody represents a new breed of music industry leadership,”
said Universal’s Grainge while proudly trumpeting his new hire. Seriously, here’s hoping.
Tim Ingham, Editor Do you have views on this column? Feel free to comment by emailing
tim.ingham@
intentmedia.co.uk
Vans: ‘We’ll nurture UK talent’ US BRAND OPENS MULTI-PURPOSE LONDON VENUE LIVE
■ BY RHIAN JONES S
kate apparel brand Vans has plans to support the UK music industry
through nurturing young talent after opening its House Of Vans venue in London on August 9. Over 3,000sqm, the space encompasses a music venue, gallery, artist labs, café, cinema, bars and skatepark in the Old Vic Tunnels underneath Waterloo Station. The 850-capacity gig space will run live streamed events and crowd- sourced event curation. Tickets will be free and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. “Our goal is to nurture artistic
talent and provide a platform for both emerging and established artists and musicians,” said VP of marketing at Vans Jeremy de Maillard (pictured). “We would be stoked to
provide upcoming bands with the space for their first gig and become a small part of their future success, potentially growing with them throughout their career. We think very much like a family so once we start something together, we like to carry it on together. Established acts will have the opportunity to play in this iconic venue too, and to give back to their most loyal fans.” The idea has been one-and-a
half years in the making, and follows the same concept as House Of Vans in Brooklyn, which opened in 2010. Said Maillard: “This has been a massive project to bring to life and we’ll now focus our efforts on making the best of it. We’ve got an awesome
“Our goal is to nurture artistic talent and provide a platform for both emerging and established musicians. We would be stoked to become a part of upcoming bands’ future success” JEREMY DE MAILLARD, VANS
team dedicated to House Of Vans London and are fully committed to making this space as a real destination for creative people.” While still alive in the US,
the Vans-sponsored Warped Tour festival didn’t return to the UK this year. It last visited in 2012 after a 14-year absence, headlined by Rise Against and Enter Shikari. “One of the things we are trying to do more of is owning our events and our platforms,” explained Maillard. “For us to sponsor a tour, a venue or a stage it needs to be with a band that we have a relationship with or a venue that makes sense for us. We are always open to
ideas but what’s really the focus is House Of Vans. If something great that’s symbiotic to everyone comes around, we’ll do that too. Doing less but doing it better is really our focus.” Four art studios will be made
available to both emerging and established artists in House Of Vans with the opportunity to exhibit in the space at the end of their tenancy. Artists in residence will also hold workshops for the local community and beyond. Two tunnels are dedicated to a permanent indoor skatepark, encompassing a street course, miniramp section and a deep concrete bowl.
Legend hits a million in UK
John Legend’s All Of Me has hit the million sales mark after spending 18 weeks in the Official UK Top 10 this year. The single, released on Columbia Records, reached the landmark late last month, having been downloaded 804,500 times and streamed over 21.1million times since release (equivalent to 211,082 downloads), according to Official Charts Company data. The Official Singles Chart rules changed to include audio streams in July of this year. All
Of Me is now Legend’s most popular single to date in the UK and the third biggest track of the year so far. Legend’s fourth album Love
In The Future reached No.4 on the US Billboard Charts, and has sold half a million copies in the territory. All Of Me hit No.1 in nine countries including Australia and the US. It reached No.2 on the chart here, Legend’s highest ever UK placing. Columbia UK MD Mark
Terry said: “John is an incredible
artist who operates in a league of his own. All Of Me is another career defining song for him and we are proud to have built it into such a huge hit. His UK tour in October gives us great further opportunity with the Love In The Future album.” John Legend said: “I’m so
happy to reach this milestone in the UK and can’t wait to tour the album.” In October, Legend is set play a number of UK dates in cities across the country from Newcastle to London.
www.musicweek.com
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