Rob Stratton continues his rise at Sony Music Publishing U.K. with a promotion to Vice President, Visual + Media Rights.
Stratton joined the company 10 years ago as a promotions executive and moved into his current department in 2019. In 2022, he was upped to Director, Visual + Media Rights. He's credited as furthering the successes of existing clients and running point deals with Hasbro, Mattel and All3Media during his tenure.
In his new position, Stratton will spearhead SMP’s Visual + Media efforts in the U.K., and will also continue to work alongside SVP Cathy Merenda and the US Visual + Media Rights team to expand the business globally.
Co-Managing Director, Sony Music Publishing Tim Major said "[Rob] is a thoughtful and intelligent executive who is focused on delivering great service to our partners and who brings a calm and positive energy to our leadership team. We are delighted to see him growing within the company and he truly deserves this promotion."
Merenda echoed that sentiment, adding, "Rob is a star who has only just begun to show us the depth of his talents, and I’m excited to see what’s to come. I could not be happier for this well-deserved promotion."
"I am delighted to be stepping into the role of Vice President and leading the Visual + Media Rights team in the UK.A big thank you to Tim, [SVP] David [Ventura] and Cathy for their support and trust," said Stratton.
On the heels of placement in BBC Radio 1’s Sound Of 2024 list, British R&B/soul star Elmiene has inked a publishing deal with Tim & Danny Music and Warner Chappell Music U.K.
The 22-year-old Oxford, England, native was discovered online singing covers and had a breakthrough with the 2021 song "Golden." Late fashion designer Virgil Abloh used the track in his final Louis Vuitton show.
Elmiene has also collaborated with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Stormzy and BADBADNOTGOOD and performed at the U.K.'s Glastonbury Festival in 2023. His releases to date include the EPs EL-MEAN and Marking My Time.
"The pen is my most valued weapon, and the publisher helps me sharpen it," said Elmiene. "Extremely thankful to Tim & Danny and Warner Chappell.” Added Tim & Danny Music Co-Founder Tim Blacksmith, "He exemplifies all the qualities I look for in an artist, songwriter and creative.”
Said WCM A&R honchors Amber Davis and Xavier Champagne, “It’s rare to find a voice as powerful as Elmiene’s. His music travels from R&B, soul and spoken word so effortlessly, and his authentic nature and good heart genuinely come to life in his songs."
The value of U.K. music sales rose by 7.9% in H1 2024, according to figures by digital entertainment and retail association ERA. The growth significantly outpaces video and video game sales.
Music revenue in the first half of the year was £163.8m, up from £151.8m in 2023. The figure excludes streaming, for which figures aren't available, and combines vinyl, CD and downloads. Streaming volume (the number of streams accessed) was up 11% across the same period.
The video sales market, which also excludes streaming, grew 5.4% across the same period to £213.7m, while physical and digital video game sales dipped 29.4% to £348.6m.
Vinyl album sales rose 13.5% to £86.3m in H1, while CD sales increased 3.2% to £57.9m. Unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift was responsible for the period’s biggest-selling album with THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (EMI) and the top-selling physical single, “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone.
ERA CEO Kim Bayley attributed a successful Record Store Day, alongside the enduring commercial appeal of Swift, as main contributors to the numbers. “It was clear back in April the impact they have had on the vinyl sector, but they seem to have lifted the market as a whole too,” she said.
Indeed, across the chart week of RSD and the release of TTPD, vinyl sales enjoyed their highest weekly total in 30 years in the U.K., with 306.8k copies shifted across singles and albums.
NME and Bose have dropped their second installment of the C-Series mixtape, C24. The collaboration includes both established and breakout artists along with a limited edition magazine, vinyl and cassettes coming soon.
The first track from the mixtape, “Funeral,” comes courtesy of Teddy Swims, who wrote the song during a chaotic Grammys week.
“‘Funeral’ is fun, upbeat and it’ll make people want to dance, but there’s a layer of sadness underneath that,” Swims said of the song. “I love being able to make music that has joy but is heartbreaking at the same time. We're finally at the point where we're honing a certain sound. It's all about this old soul, Motown feel but modernizing that in a way that feels authentic. Songs like ‘Funeral’ just feel right.”
The full tracklist for C24 also boasts new songs from Artemas, Laufey, Royal Otis, Lola Young, Samara Cyn and newcomer Tehya. Listen to "Funeral" below and pre-order the mixtape here.
Hannah Neaves has been appointed President of UMG U.K.’s catalogue division, Universal Music Recordings. She previously served as co-President.
Neaves’ promotion comes after a busy year for UMR. Over the last 12 months, the division has found new, young audiences globally for the music of Amy Winehouse, Elton John, Florence & The Machine, The Rolling Stones, The Spice Girls, Sam Smith and Bob Marley. The team has also been working on The Beatles’ "Now and Then," aka “the last Beatles song,” a project used AI and was led by Neaves.
David Joseph, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music U.K., described Neaves as “a truly exceptional and inspiring executive” and “an artist person with an innate understanding of where creativity and discovery meet.”
Neaves added: “I am enormously proud of everything the brilliant and successful team at UMR has already achieved, and feel privileged to be continuing the great work with the best artists in the world.”
Neaves was named co-President of UMR in 2022 alongside Azi Eftekhari, who we understand has since left the business. Her career has spanned roles at Mercury, Polydor, Atlantic and TaP Music. During that time, she’s worked with Dua Lipa, Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding and Jess Glynne, among many.
Ahh, promotions. We wonder what they're like.
The U.K. music industry's umbrella trade body, UK Music, has named Tom Kiehl as its new Chief Executive. He takes on the title after serving in an interim capacity since last September.
Kiehl will lead the organization at a critical time, as the industry prepares for the arrival of a new British government following polling day on 7/4.
With more than two decades of experience working in and around London’s political hub of Westminster, Kiehl will spearhead the music sector’s cross-party engagement with Ministers, MPs, policymakers and government officials. He joined UK Music in 2012 as Director of Public Affairs and was promoted to deputy CEO in 2018.
Welcoming the appointment, UK Music Chair Tom Watson said, “The UK Music Board is looking forward to working with Tom to help him progress his exciting ideas to ensure the U.K. music industry continues to grow and retain its unique place in the world. At this important time, I'm confident Tom is the right person for the job. He will be a tireless advocate for our members and our sector—using his wide range of talents to drive UK Music to even greater heights.”
In his new role, which starts this month, Kiehl will focus on providing everything from “strong copyright protections and more music teachers to key safeguards around AI and greater support for music freelancers.”
He continued, “I want young people across the U.K. to see our industry as the most inclusive and exciting place to work, and one which will reward their talents. We need to turn this moment of considerable political change into a moment to achieve change for UK Music.”
British songwriter and producer Peter Rycroft, aka Lostboy, was the king of last night’s ASCAP London Awards, taking four gongs.
Lostboy was crowned Songwriter of the Year for his work on a string of 2023 hits, including “10:35” by Tate McRae and Tiësto, the Grammy-winning “Padam Padam” by Kylie Minogue and “Miracle” by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding, which spent eight weeks at #1 in the U.K. All three songs also earned him an ASCAP award in the Hot Dance/Electronic Song category.
Rising star Rema took two awards: Song of the Year and Top Streaming Song for his global hit, “Calm Down.” The song was co-written with fellow award-winners Michael “London” Hunter and Andre Vibez.
Producer and songwriter Steve Mac won Top Hot Dance/Electronic Song for his work on “Baby Don’t Hurt Me,” as performed by Anne-Marie, David Guetta and Coi Leray. Eddie Jenkins, Andy Sheldrake, Camden Cox and Hayla received a Hot Dance/Electronic Song prize for “Where You Are” by John Summit & Hayla.
As previously announced, South Africa-born, British singer-songwriter and producer Kenya Grace was presented with the ASCAP Global Impact Award. She’s the first female artist since 1978 to write, produce and perform a #1 U.K. hit by herself.
Irish indie-pop singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot, who scored a viral TikTok hit with “All For You” in 2022 and co-wrote SZA’s massive “Saturn,” took home the ASCAP Vanguard Award.
The U.K.'s long-running Glastonbury Festival is expected to take its regular year off in 2026, according to co-organizer Emily Eavis, who also told the BBC that her dream headliner would be Kate Bush (pictured).
The event traditionally designates every fifth year for a break to give the land at Worthy Farm an opportunity to recover. The last official pause was in 2018, although Glastonbury was not held in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking ahead of this year's festival, which begins 6/26, Eavis said she hoped Bush, who hasn’t performed live since a 22-date London residency in 2014, would one day headline (the artist was also rumored to be in the mix for Coachella in recent years, but was never booked).
Noting that 2023 headliner Elton John was also once "a pipe dream," Eavis said she was hopeful for an appearance by the reclusive Bush, who was inducted last year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and enjoyed a huge resurgence in 2022 when her song "Running Up That Hill" was featured prominently in Netflix's Stranger Things.
Headliners for 2025 have not been announced, but Eavis said she has an idea of who they might be. This year’s event will be led by Dua Lipa (in her first U.K. festival headline slot), Coldplay and SZA, with Shania Twain, LCD Soundsystem, Little Simz and PJ Harvey rounding out the bill.
