Music Week Awards 2020: Music Consumer Innovation

TikTok’s head of UK music operations Paul Hourican reflects on how the video sharing app – not to mention full-blown cultural phenomenon – beat some stiff competition to claim the Music Consumer Innovation honour at the Music Week Awards 2020... It’s TikTok’s first year entering the Music Week Awards and a first-time win, not bad! What does it mean to you personally to win this category? Paul Hourican (head of UK music operations, TikTok): “We really appreciate this award – it means so much to me and all the team at TikTok in the UK. Winning the Music Consumer Innovation award wouldn’t be possible without the passion, drive and dedication of our incredible music operations team here in the UK who have worked so hard in paving the way to this moment. Everyone at TikTok has worked so hard together to make it the success it is, so this really is for all of us at the business. I’d also like to thank all our amazing partners across the industry and the amazing artists who inspire our users and spark creativity and joy every day on the platform. This was a tough category and I know and love the other nominees. To respect the competition so much makes it a special win for all of us. We’re massively humbled to receive this, and it’s a huge recognition for the hard work so far.” Why do you think TikTok won?“TikTok truly is unique and, we believe, providing something to fans and artists that is completely different and groundbreaking. As others have said, TikTok is revolutionising music and artist discovery and it’s so true. It’s that dizzy mix of creativity and music, all wrapped up in a truly innovative platform like no other. With TikTok you lean in, creating and engaging with music like never before, capturing the creative imagination of fans globally. Artists have a fresh, new way of engaging with their fans and finding new ones, which is driving an incredibly powerful form of platform interaction, but that also leads to sales and streams too. It’s an open, truly democratic and inspiring offering and the industry has jumped on board with us. That’s a great feeling. I’m proud of the opportunities we’ve provided so many artists both here in the UK and around the world and also the relationships we’ve built with our label and industry partners as well as the artists – without them we couldn’t do what we do. In the short time we’ve been going, we’ve got so many great success stories that stand out. Be it Young T & Bugsey who took off after the #DontRushChallenge, Lewis Capaldi smashing it as ‘The King Of TikTok’, Ashnikko who has used the app to build her following and unique brand, or Beabadoobee whose hit Coffee was sampled and remixed by Powfu spurring over six million video creations, there are many, many examples. I’m also proud of how, as a business, we’ve created a team that truly cares about the success of music and artists, and a company with music at its heart, committed to long-term success.” What would your winner’s speech have addressed?“We realise it’s a really tough time for many in this business. We’ve seen how Covid has impacted those in the live sector especially and that is a worry for all of us. We all hope we can get back to seeing the gigs we love soon. It’s also vitally important that we continue to discuss and address the issues of racism and inequality that affect so many of our friends, colleagues and peers. Cultural diversity in our business and on our platform is crucial to our success and we’re all focused on how we do more to best champion the community of users and artists we represent.” Finally, are you feeling fired up to defend your crown in 2021?“Our users and artists are at the heart of everything we do. We’re going to keep innovating, keep supporting, keep pushing, keep doing amazing things in music and we’ll be back next year to defend our crown for sure. See you there.” (L-R) Nessa Zhang, Jim Stannard, Toyin Mustapha, Sophy SIlver, Anna Gruszka, James Underwood, Paul Hourican, Clive Rozario and Barney Hooper. Team members not pictured: Farhad Zand, Lisa Skeppner, Ole Obermann and Rich Waterworth Photo: Andy Paradise

New head of station Samantha Moy reflects on the unique culture at BBC Radio 6 that helped it scoop the Radio Station honour at the Music Week awards 2020… What does it mean to you for 6 Music to reclaim the Radio Station Of The Year honour?Samantha Moy: “It’s really so wonderful. I’m incredibly proud of all of our presenters and production teams. The last 12 months have been far from ordinary, but everyone at 6 Music has risen to the challenge. They continue to create brilliant content and broadcast the very best music despite all the challenges that keeping a radio station going through a nationwide lockdown has brought. This award is testament to all of their hard work.” What is it about 6 Music’s offering that may have swayed the judges?“The passion and musical knowledge of our presenters have resulted in them playing such a rich and varied range of music. Our presenters, production and music teams are the beating heart of our radio station. They shape the decisions about what goes into their shows and the broad range of tastes across our presenting family brings a real variety that is unique in UK radio. 2020 has been a year where audiences have relied even more on the companionship that radio provides and that connection with our listeners is something that our presenters have always excelled at and, since March 2020, that’s become clearer than ever. I’m so proud of everybody’s inspiring commitment to sharing music with our listeners. There have been some brilliant moments this year. Our State Of Independents Day on September 10, which saw every show pause to reflect on the issues affecting the independent music sector, our Stay At Home Rave Safe series, playing Prince’s Sign O’ The Times in full – a musical masterpiece that we could all relive – and of course our 6 Music Recommends Best Of The Year moment in June, which celebrated new artists and music from every genre and corner of the UK. The station’s culture and purpose serve to support the industry, play a broad range of music past and present and give new artists a platform. For music lovers – this has never been more important.” What would you have said in your speech at the event?“On behalf of all the teams at 6 Music, I’d like to thank Music Week for awarding us Station Of The Year. I’d like to commend our brilliant presenters and production teams, who week-in, week-out bring their depth of music knowledge and passion to their programmes and our music team, who put together a fantastic line-up for this year’s 6 Music Festival. I’d also like to thank our listeners for their support, making us the most listened to digital radio station in the UK. We will continue to honour your commitment by championing the broadest range of music, artists and genres from around the UK and the world, playing the best in alternative music past and present and in a time when live music is scarce, delving into our extensive archive to bring you a taste of the live music experience we all miss so much.” Does winning this make you fired up to defend the crown in 2021? “To lead a network I love is a huge privilege. It’s an exciting new chapter for me personally. Our relationship with our audience is stronger than ever – and I look forward to continuing to support our talented presenters and staff in bringing their fantastic, creative ideas to fruition and bringing our audience the quality of content they expect from 6 Music.” (L-R) Lauren Laverne, Samantha Moy and Shaun Keaveny Photo: James Watkins

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