“And I can’t feel my lungs” EDITORIAL


EDITOR-IN-CHIEF George Garner george.garner@futurenet.com


DIGITAL EDITOR Andre Paine andre.paine@futurenet.com


FEATURES EDITOR Ben Homewood ben.homewood@futurenet.com


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ART EDITOR Steve Newman steve.newman@futurenet.com


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CONTRIBUTORS Yemi Abiade, Adenike Adenitire, Koury Angelo, Karen Bliss, Calvin Ceile, Mark Davyd, Rhian Daly, Niall Doherty, Anna Fielding, Charlotte Gunn, James Hanley, Paul Harries, Colleen Harris, James Hickie, Ben Jolley, Alan Jones, Louise Haywood-Schiefer, Emmanuel Legrand, David McLaughlin, Paul Stokes, Jennyfer J. Walker, Carla Marie Williams, Lisa Wright, Rod Yates, Matt Yates


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Welcome to Music Week


First and foremost, thank you to everyone who came and sold out the Music Week Awards last month. Once again, you helped it live up to its reputation as the loudest ceremony out there. It was, truly, a boisterous crowd – composed of so many different amazing parts of the UK’s music industry – that descended upon the Grosvenor. But amid all the deafening cheers, spilled drinks and one memorable Jamz Supernova-led run through the Gillette theme song, there was also that rarest of rare things: a sustained period of quiet. The great hushing down happened after Arctic Monkeys’


Alex Turner and Wildlife Entertainment MD Emma Greengrass welcomed Strat winner Ian McAndrew onto the stage to reflect on his storied career, one that has seen him play a decisive role in the careers of so many legendary British acts. His was a powerful speech, covering War Child, talent development and more; and seeing Turner watch on as his manager spoke was particularly moving. After all, his band mate Matt Helders – who narrated McAndrew’s tribute video – had just observed how so much had been made possible in Arctic Monkeys’ lives because, once upon a time, McAndrew made the pilgrimage up north to see them play a pub in Sheffield. The rest was history. Not for the first time, it got me thinking about whether such discoveries still happen. Not just because of the ongoing grassroots venue crisis (see p66), but also the question of just how set up the industry even is to nurture regional talent, especially as the cost of living crisis continues to bite hard. Two and a half years ago, after Universal launched EMI North, I looked at how far the UK music industry had come in expanding its sights beyond the contours of the M25. There were some reasons to be positive at the time. So, what does it look like now? Well, flicking through some of Music Week’s headlines since then, there have been a number of


heartening developments. In 2024, NQ formed a new partnership with Columbia Records UK and a global distribution agreement with The Orchard – in turn giving Sony access to emerging northern talent. Interval Records – a JV label partnership between EMI North and talent development agency Generator – also unveiled its first signing, while Warner Music UK revealed it was opening a major new studio in the heart of Newcastle. In January of this year, meanwhile, Generator and Liverpool-based creative and cultural consultancy Nothin But The Music joined forces to launch The Open Sauce x Generator – Black Music Incubator Project. Designed and led by Liverpool City Region Music Board’s Yaw Owusu, the initiative aims to create new opportunities for Black music creatives. That it has been funded through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund, and garnered support from organisations and labels, including UNESCO City Of Music, Interval Records and Warner Music UK, is yet another reason for optimism. In March, there also came the proposal of a ‘Northern Music Export Office’ by Tees Valley Combined Authority, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and the North East Combined Authority. The plan: “To accelerate the international growth of the North’s thriving music scene and provide national and international touring support, as well as export opportunities for professionals and showcases,” they say. That sound you hear? It’s me clapping. There’s more to come this year, too. As discussed by BPI CEO Dr Jo Twist and more on page 8,


The Mercury Prize is set to migrate outside of London for the first time in its 33-year history and take place in Newcastle this year (the same city Kanya King took the MOBO Awards to back in February). And all of this after we’ve just seen BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend take over Liverpool. While examples such as these speak to the increasing attention the UK music industry is giving


to different regions, there is still – it must be said – a long journey ahead of us. Last year, Youth Music delivered a sobering new report outlining the stark “deterioration of opportunities” in the north of England. Among the results of their survey, they revealed that “people in Yorkshire (49%), North West (57%) and North East (52%) are among the least likely in England to feel supported when making music”. We’ll never know how many acts with enormous potential may have already been lost to that


deterioration. The work to course correct continues. George Garner, Editor-In-Chief


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