ESNS Announces Keynote Speakers for 2024 Music Conference 30 Nov 2023
Amy Thomson is the former Chief Catalog Officer at Hipgnosis Songs Fund and CEO and founder of ATM Artists, where she executed record releases, marketing campaigns, touring, legal rights and copyright for clients including Kanye West, DJ Snake, Swedish House Mafia, Gorillaz, and Seal. Her passion for catalogue management led her to develop an online application that helps artists manage their metadata. Amy Thomson will address the music industry’s challenges regarding finding, tracking, and tracing metadata across different platforms.
As the European music industry is gearing up for ESNS, the conference programme is rapidly taking shape with newly announced conference program highlights, reflecting on the current state of the music industry and looking ahead.
NEWS & PRESS
Three Six Zero names Aimee Jessiman Head of Management (UK)
At Three Six Zero, Jessiman works on global talent such as Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia. In her new role, Jessiman will work closely with Three Six Zero Founder & CEO Mark Gillespie, overseeing all aspects of artist management, serving as a resource...more
The Artist & Manager Awards return on Thursday 20th November
The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) and the Music Managers Forum (MMF) are delighted to reveal that our annual Artist & Manager Awards ceremony returns to London’s Bloomsbury Big Top on Thursday 20th November 2025. Early bird tickets and table sales are available...more
TikTok and Anghami make streaming Nancy Ajram's 'Nancy 11' easier than ever with new 'Add to Music App' feature
Whether it’s a viral earworm, a snippet from your For You feed, or a song that hits just right, starting today, TikTok users in the Middle East and North Africa can now instantly save their favourite tracks from TikTok straight to...more
Jeff Satur, F.HERO, Kantong and Saran among artists honoured at star-studded Official Thailand Chart event in Bangkok
The event marked the launch of the Official Thailand Chart, part of the Official Southeast Asia Charts platform celebrating the talent and creativity of the region. The stars of Thai music gathered at MU:IN Club Bangkok last night as the industry...more
Operation Authentica gains momentum as Brazil court makes first landmark ruling in streaming fraud case
A Court in São Paulo, Brazil has handed down a landmark ruling against company Seguidores Marketing Digital Ltda for generating fake followers, likes, and streams on platforms including Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. This is the first ruling under ‘Operation Authentica’,...more
PRS Members' Fund launches Rest & Rewind – A new Wellbeing Breaks Initiative for music creators
The PRS Members’ Fund is proud to announce the launch of its new Rest & Rewind Wellbeing Breaks Initiative, designed to support PRS members who need time out to rest, reflect and reconnect with their creative selves following periods of illness, stress...more
Indie band The Clientele joins Wise Music Group
Wise Music Group is pleased to announce the worldwide signing of acclaimed British band The Clientele to our publishing roster under The Sparta Florida Music Group catalogue. Formed in 1991 in London, the English Pop band The Clientele are known for...more
Former ELO members open new production suite in memory of bandmate
The memory of Electric Light Orchestra’s (ELO) keyboardist is being honoured with the opening of a new production suite at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC). Richard Tandy, who died at the age of 76 in April 2024, also has a scholarship established in...more
Key Production Group strengthens senior leadership team with the appointment of new CFO, Laura Bessell
Laura Bessell joins Key Production Group as Chief Financial Officer, bringing 25 years of financial experience Appointment supports company’s European expansion amid rising demand for physical music Bessell’s appointment follows Key Production’s transition into an Employee Owned Trust Key Production Group, Europe’s leading physical...more
Armada Music Publishing and Spectrum Music Launch Spectrum Music Publishing; Joris Voorn Exclusively Signed as First Composer
Several tracks born out of Armada and Spectrum’s creative partnership are included on Voorn’s upcoming album ‘Serotonin,’ out this Friday, July 18 Armada Music Publishing, the dedicated publishing division of Armada Music Group, today announced a strategic partnership with Joris Voorn’s...more
Inflation Surprise Sends Ripples Through Business Confidence as Industry Ramps Up Call for Government Action in Autumn Budget to Prevent Fiscal Fallout Says NTIA
UK inflation has surged to 3.6% in the year to June — a sharp rise from May and well above the Bank of England’s 2% target, outpacing expectations. This inflationary jump is set to tighten household budgets and further pressure businesses already grappling...more
PPL PRS supports LOROS' Stomp Round Leicester art trail with elephant sculpture designed by Kasabian frontman, Serge Pizzorno
Leicester businesses, including music licensing organisation, PPL PRS, have come together to support LOROS’ upcoming Stomp Round Leicester art trail taking place this summer. The trail, which launched on Monday, 14th July and runs until Sunday, 21st September, is made up...more
TikTok announces the beta launch of TikTok Songwriter Features
Today TikTok is pleased to announce the beta launch of TikTok Songwriter Features, a new set of features and tools which have been designed to highlight and give due credit on TikTok to the amazing work of songwriters and the music...more
Tom Coulson-Smith Promoted to Vice President, A&R at Concord Music Publishing
Concord Music Publishing is pleased to announce the promotion of Tom Coulson-Smith to Vice President, A&R. Based in London, Coulson-Smith steps up from his previous role as Senior Director of A&R, which he has held since joining the company in 2020. During his time at...more
Warner Music Italy signs deal with Mace
MACE IS ONE OF THE MOST RENOWNED PRODUCERS IN ITALY AND HAS RELEASED ALBUMS THAT HAVE ACHIEVED MULTI-PLATINUM STATUS Warner Music Italy has signed MACE, a renowned Milanese producer and DJ. MACE, whose real name is Simone Benussi, has helped to...more
The LIVE Trust announces eight new trustees
New Appointees Add Wide Range of Expertise and Experience Across Multiple Roles in Live Music Kirsty McShannon Elected Chair of Trustees LIVE (Live Music Industry Venues & Entertainment), which represents 15 live music industry organisations, has announced eight new trustee appointments...more
Touring and Mental Health; The Music Industry Manual - Available as an audiobook on 17 September
The widely praised music industry mental health manual Touring and Mental Health; The Music Industry Manual edited by psychotherapist Tamsin Embleton will be released as an audiobook this September. Following the paperback publication of the book by the leading UK music book imprint Omnibus...more
Sony Music Publishing Promotes Pixie Pickering to VP Creative & Writer Services, Co-Head of Sync
Today Sony Music Publishing announced the promotion of Sarah ‘Pixie’ Pickering to Vice President, Creative & Writer Services, Co-Head of Sync, effective immediately. Based out of SMP’s London office, Pickering will continue to report to Sony Music Publishing’s Co-Managing Director UK Tim Major and President & Co-Managing...more
Perpetrator Focused Approach is Essential in New Government Package in tackling VAWG Says NTIA
On 16 July, the Government unveiled a £53 million landmark package to directly target the most dangerous domestic abuse perpetrators as part of its Plan for Change, aiming to halve violence against women within a decade. The focus is shifting firmly onto perpetrators, with a...more
Peermusic sign 8x Platinum, Grammy-nominated writer/producer Amish
Global independent music publishing company, Peermusic, has signed British writer/producer and recording artist Amish Patel, professionally known as ADP, to a worldwide publishing deal as announced today by Ralph W. Peer, Managing Director, U.K., Australasia and Vice President of peermusic's African and Middle East operations,...more
Can I Have Your Intention, Please?
By Lee Henshaw Working with record labels, promoters and record shops, I'm conducting a commercial experiment in taste.At Into-it, we are inviting music fans to install our Chrome extension and tell us the music they’re into. In return, we’re transforming The...more
Defected signs producer Anthony Gorry & M People's Andrew Lovell for ambient album
House music giant's first wellness album targets $4.4 trillion market with AjoiA project Defected Label Group has signed producer Anthony Gorry (Gwen Stefani, Moby, Richard Ashcroft) and M People's Andrew "Shovell" Lovell for their debut album The Essence of Being, marking...more
Activate - new animated series
On Tuesday 15 July 2025, Joe Wicks MBE (The Body Coach), will release a new online animated series, Activate, designed to get children moving and to make fitness fun. The new series has been co-created by Joe and BAFTA award-winning Studio AKA (the creators of Hey...more
Orfium awarded EU funding to lead first of its kind research into copyright detection in AI-generated music
Global music and rights tech leader is part of a prestigious pan-European consortium to develop explainable AI tools that identify copyrighted music in generative AI outputs Orfium, the global technology company shaping the future of music rights management, has been awarded...more
Sonopress Launches EcoRecord Production in the United States
First production line successfully commissioned at new Charlotte, North Carolina site Last week marked a bold step into the future of LP record manufacturing and truly historic moment for Sonopress. The leading global manufacturer of storage media and a subsidiary of...more
Naoki Osada Launches Nebula17, a Global Creative Venture
Bridging Japanese Talent to the WorldBacked by Top Industry Leaders Naoki Osada, former CEO of Avex USA, has launched Nebula17, a next-generation creative ecosystem that integrates label, publishing, management, international strategy, and venture capital under one roof. Headquartered in Los Angeles,...more
GigSalad Expands Roster, Pays Out $31.8M to Performers Since 2024
Boosted by strong growth and notable payouts to talent, the leading event talent platform is refreshing its design to help its diverse roster book more and better gigs. GigSalad, the largest online booking destination for event talent, is growing by leaps...more
Symphonic Distribution Expands European A&R Client Development Team with 5 New Hires
Symphonic Distribution, a leading music technology and services company for independent labels, managers, and artists, has hired a team of A&R Client Development Leads to expand their presence in Europe. They include Thomas Williamson (Director, A&R & Client Development, EU & UK), Sander...more
Music Venue Trust Appoints Four New Trustees
Sammy Andrews, Richard Perry, Helen McGee & Adrian Norman Join Board Music Venue Trust (MVT), the charity which represents over 800 UK grassroots music venues (GMVs), has announced the addition of four new members to its Board of Trustees. Bringing a...more
Orla Lee-Fisher named Head Of Dual Catalog Strategy at Warner Music Group
Experienced leader to champion catalogs represented by WMG across both Recorded Music and Music Publishing Orla Lee-Fisher has been appointed to the new role of Head of Dual Catalog Strategy at Warner Music Group (NASDAQ: WMG), crafting and leading campaigns for the company's...more
THE HEADLINES
Has pop music become stagnant? Kind of yes but also no (see Analysis)
Why are we still using Spotify? (see Opinion)
TikTok launches TikTok Songwriter Features (see Digital)
EU Commission reportedly prepares ‘full-scale, four-month investigation’ into UMG’s proposed Downtown purchase (see Business)
Lisa Nandy MP addressed the UK Music Summer Party (see News)
Building fandom is about the journey, not the destination (see Opinion)
Industry calls for streaming sites to tag music created by AI-generated acts (see News)
“Content is king” say analysts - so why is Spotify worth more than the entire music rights industry? (see Comment)
Where’s the next wave of working-class rock stars? (see Features)
Populists vs. tech titans: The battle over AI and the future of music (see Comment)
Can TikTok revive classic songs? A statistical analysis (see Analysis)
UMG’s Michael Nash: ‘AI can be instrumental to the future of music’ (see Digital)
In the post-music streaming era, do artists and labels give too much away? (see Comment)
Songwriters ‘missing millions in royalties from more than 100,000 UK gigs’ (see News)
Merck Mercuriadis plots comeback with Hipgnosis remix (see Business)