music, we want them to play it so we sit down and talk.”
Does radio still matter in the streaming age? “Some people would say it’s not as big, but for us at Atlantic we take it as seriously as ever. It’s everything for us. Streaming is really important but today you get the Radio 1 and Capital playlists and everybody will be waiting for that news at 5pm. It’s been like that for over 30 years. The whole record industry comes to a standstill. I can be a bit old school at times, but the artists still love airplay because you can hear it, you can feel it, so I still get a massive buzz out of hearing our records on the radio. It’s a drug, it’s addictive, the more you get, the more you want. Don’t tell my wife or my kids, but first thing every morning I open my eyes and the airplay is there. It’s the first thing I look at, even on holiday. I’m such a sad bastard.”
Is it important for your old school plugging style that there’s a human element to programming? Presumably you can’t influence an algorithm in quite the same way? “Yeah. Sitting down in front of people, having regular dialogue and taking people to gigs if they’re not sure about
The gong show: Christian and a selection of his Music Week Awards
an act and going, ‘Give it another go’… That’s important. But the streaming dudes do that as well. I don’t mind being called old school. I take it as a compliment. I am old school – with a new school element in there too.”
“I don’t need anyone to hold my hand. That’s not how I work”
DAMIAN
CHRISTIAN ATLANTIC
Is the music business still as rock‘n’roll as it used to be? “I went through the ’90s and it was quite lively, I’m not going to lie about that. But the ’70s and early ’80s were completely out of control! It’s not like that anymore but I’m actually pleased about it. Everyone’s much healthier. I actually don’t drink for three, four, five months of the year. I’m not drinking now until December. But you want to see me in December! In the late ’80s and ’90s it definitely made the job easier if you did go out and socialise. These days, if you were teetotal and started doing this job, it would be no problem.”
D for victory: Christian and team at the 2019 Music Week Awards
What’s the most ridiculous night out you’ve ever had? “One time, Black Grape were doing Top Of The Pops for their record with Joe Strummer [England’s Irie]. That was a very lively day. There was a party that evening and I remember being with Keith Allen. He was in a film called The Yob that I loved so we had a competition to see who could remember more lines – and I knew more than he did! We were doing that all through the night. There’s been too much fun. In the MCA days, it felt like I was in a film, it’s just there was no camera.”
Do you wish there were still more big characters in the music business?
“When I started, it was full of characters and there was a bit more nonsense going on and it definitely does feel more serious now. You can’t have everyone going nuts like you did back then, but you can have a bit of fun. We still have as much fun as possible, we laugh a lot in my department. And we genuinely get along with the people we deal with. We’re lucky enough to do what we do, they’re lucky enough to be doing what they’re doing, so when we all get together why would you not be having a good time? Some people take themselves too seriously for sure, I hear how other people do their stuff sometimes and it’s so stat-driven and serious. I try to do it in a slightly different way.”
Maybe you need someone like yourself to compete with? “No, definitely not, that would be horrible. I’d hate him! I’d definitely rather they stayed the way they are. There’s not enough room for two of me… I’d probably really not like him at all!”
20 | MusicWeek 25.11.19
musicweek.com
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