A UNIVERSAL MEAL

This evening—the night before the BRIT Awards, you’ll note—Universal U.K. chief David Joseph will host a lavish dinner for U.S. and U.K. label honchos and top U.K. managers at The Magazine at Serpentine Sackler Gallery in London’s Hyde Park. With three of last year’s top new artists broken in the U.S. all signed to Universal’s U.K. labels, Joseph and team seek to build on the momentum.

Among the U.S.-based players expected are UMG topper Lucian Grainge, EVP/CFO Boyd Muir, EVP Michele Anthony, head of International Max Hole, Capitol Music Group chief Steve Barnett and EVP Michelle Jubelirer, Republic heads Monte and Avery Lipman, Interscope boss John Janick, Def Jam chief Steve Bartels along with EVP Marketing Chris Atlas and EVP Communications Gabe Tesoriero, and Island ruler David Massey. Uni U.K. label chiefs Island U.K.’s Darcus Beese, Polydor’s Ferdy Unger-Hamilton, Virgin EMI’s Ted Cockle and Capitol’s Nick Raphael (with indispensable A&R head Jo Charrington)—will be among the British VIPs in attendance, as will a who's-who of major managers.

The big table is a fitting metaphor for the way music has become one big English-speaking market on both sides of the ocean, with U.K. repertoire forming a sizable percentage of the top sellers worldwide.

It’s worth noting, however, that as fertile as the U.K. has become, few U.S. label heads spent any real time working that market, with the notable exceptions of transplanted Brits Barnett, Massey and Sony’s Rob Stringer, all of whom have developed significant successes from the U.K. in recent years. Pass the sherry, old bean.