Last October, Columbia MD Amy Wheatley celebrated her coronation as Businesswoman Of The Year at the Women In Music Awards. But, clearly, she isn’t about to start resting on her laurels anytime soon. That personal accolade has since been followed by a hot streak for the major, as Music Week discovers when we meet to talk Harry Styles, chart success and why, at Columbia, their “standards are second to none”... WORDS: ANNA FIELDINGPHOTOS: JOE MAGOWAN "I’m not much of a worrier, to be honest with you,” says Amy Wheatley. “I’m not an overthinker, I don’t lie awake at night.” Instead, Amy Wheatley is a doer. She’s been the managing director of Columbia Records UK since 2022, during which time the label has nurtured new artists, such as Skye Newman, to success and pushed established acts, like Harry Styles, to record-breaking new highs. Her stewardship of the label, working alongside president Dipesh Parmar, made her a deserving recipient of the Businesswoman Of The Year trophy at last year’s Music Week Women In Music Awards. “It was amazing and very overwhelming,” she says. “Winning was important; it showcases that you can be recognised for the work behind the scenes.” On the day of the ceremony last October, Wheatley looked composed and happy. Skye Newman was there to hand over the trophy, along with a hug full of affection. Below the surface, though, things were a little more fraught. “My second child was 18 months and was poorly, so it had been a bit of a week,” she recalls. “I had to go straight home afterwards, but I had a glass of champagne and a takeaway with my husband later on, so that was the celebration!” It’s a fitting mix for a high-achieving executive who has always championed the needs of both artists and executives. She has been at Sony in various roles for much of her career and praises the support she’s received from chairman and CEO Jason Iley and Sony Music Group CEO Rob Stringer since starting a family. “My children are slightly older now, so I’m getting out of the trenches,” says Wheatley, who admits that nights out are still very much on the back burner for now. “But I do think there’s a greater understanding of what it takes. People will understand that when you take calls there might be children in the background. One of Skye Newman’s managers [her sister Charlotte], for example, is a mum and knows what it entails. But I think male managers are becoming more accepting, even if it’s still a mad juggle and it takes a lot.” She is careful to highlight Sony’s position at the forefront of the conversation. “They are very understanding and have always been supportive of me,” she says. “We’ve got fertility support, parental leave where men and women get the same time, which is so important. We have support for staff with caring responsibilities, mental health support and the Childcare Policy [which entitles parents to claim a contribution towards childcare for pre-school age children]. If you need something, the Sony system is always there.” Wheatley started out at the major in 2008 as a junior production co-ordinator and moved to Columbia in 2010, becoming a product manager three years later. She then joined the management company Three Six Zero as head of marketing but, before long, Sony beckoned once more and Wheatley returned to be general manager, then MD of Ministry Of Sound, where Parmar was president. Music Week encounters Wheatley at Sony’s London HQ on what she tells us is “a fairly typical Monday”, just before a label meeting and what she describes as “digging back into the charts”. She and Parmar are three-and-a-half years into their tenure and Wheatley says the label is “in a pretty good place”. “It took us a minute to get into it and find our feet, but now we’re in a great position,” she says. “We’ve spent the last six months with between six and eight tracks in the Top 20 of the charts. Skye [Newman] has obviously flown. We put on four shows at Brixton Academy at the back end of this year and they sold out within minutes. We’re developing Aaron Rowe and Chloe Qisha, we’ve got Calvin Harris, Central Cee... We’re in a good place artist-wise.” Her point is borne out by the numbers. The Official Charts Company’s list of the Top 40 biggest-selling songs of 2026 so far features eight Columbia tracks, plus Just The Way You Are by Milky (588,342 sales), on Ministry Of Sound, which is part of Columbia Label Group. Zara Larsson’s viral 2015 song Lush Life places highest at No.10 with 810,197 sales in 2026 (it has 3,855,680 in total), while the Swedish star also has Midnight Sun (588,342) at No. 19. Tame Impala’s Dracula (which hit a career-high peak of No.2) is at No.14 on 660,616. Harry Styles has No.1 singles Aperture (518,333) and American Girls (554,989, the highest sale for any single by a UK act this year) in the list, followed by Dominic Fike hits Babydoll (518,776) and White Keys (437,356), alongside Ella Langley’s country smash Choosin’ Texas (495,562). Styles’ chart-topping fourth album, Kiss, All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, is the biggest-selling LP released this year, with 362,320 units sold so far. Robbie Williams also hit No.1 with Britpop (47,816 sales) for the major. At the Music Week Awards in May, Columbia was shortlisted in the Record Company and A&R categories, while its campaign for Wolf Alice’s chart-topping maiden outing for the label, The Clearing, was among the contenders for Artist Marketing Campaign. It was also shortlisted in the Promotions Campaign category for Skye Newman and Press Campaign for Rosalía. Wheatley takes just as much pride in the team as the chart results. “There’s a really lovely culture here,” she beams. “Everyone seems to feel supported and feel like they are getting what they need to help develop the artists and drive the artists’ careers.” With that, it’s time to find out what Amy Wheatley has been doing to keep things ticking over so impressively... For starters, can you outline what you and Dipesh have brought to Columbia? “Dipesh is an incredible A&R person, so he’s definitely brought that to the party. He’s also brilliant with managers, artists and teams. I think we complement each other well. I think I’ve brought support and structure on the people side, along with creative and marketing. We’ve brought support, creativity, curiosity. We love to try and test and learn – we’re always questioning things.” How has that way of thinking helped you achieve the notable chart successes you’ve had in 2026 thus far? “Testing is the way of the digital sphere at the moment – there’s a lot of testing and learning happening. We are constantly evolving the digital team: how it’s set up and what we need to add to it to bolster it as much as possible. You can see that in the chart results. There’s Tame Impala and Dracula, which has obviously been going globally from Columbia US, too. With them, we’ve been growing Ella Langley here, Zara Larsson, Silva Bumpa, which is a domestic signing, and obviously Calvin Harris. There are so many things we can point to that are a result of that curiosity in the digital space.” Harry Styles, who is also on your books, has been one of the stories of this year. Can you even begin to explain the drivers behind his success? “Harry is so creative and it all comes from him. It’s his artistry. He has a massive foundation and he’s using that foundation to express his art. The run that he’s done at Wembley was 12 nights and he won a Guinness World Record for it. The album then returned to the Top 5. The singles were in the Top 5. He’s expressing himself and his art, and our job is to amplify that in the truest way to him.” That mix of true artistry and mainstream success isn’t easy to come by. Why do you think Styles’ particular self-expression has been able to make him 12-nights-at-Wembley big? “I honestly can’t answer that. There are unicorns in this world and if we could bottle it, everyone would be doing it. Harry understands his audience, he understands himself and he understands what he needs to deliver.” How has the campaign been to work on? “I went to four or five of the Wembley dates, quite a few. I also went to his Meltdown performance, which was amazing. I took my five-year-old to one of the Wembley dates and it was her first-ever concert. She loved the show. Harry played us the new record up front, we went to the shows and we’ve presented plaques, all that stuff. We work really closely with his management team. It’s incredible – all we’re doing is amplifying his vision.” Looking at your newer signings, like Skye Newman, Aaron Rowe and Chloe Qisha, what are the key ingredients for success? “The artist has to have a vision. They have to have drive. And they have to have their own identity. We’re back to artistic expression again. I’ve said it before, but we’re very selective about the number of signings we make because it takes a lot of infrastructure, time, energy, care and attention to help and support these artists on their journeys. So for us, it’s about giving them that attention and helping bring their vision to life.” Does that selectiveness set you apart? “It’s a very deliberate decision from our A&R team not to sign too many people. We don’t just sign loads of stuff and throw it at the wall. We want to be giving each artist the care and attention they deserve. You can’t do that if you have a million signings. It just doesn’t work out.” Where are you looking for new talent these days? Any particular genres or territories? “For us, I don’t think it’s about looking in a specific place. It’s about looking for quality. [A&Rs] search territories, genres, online, live… everything. But it’s about finding that quality in the artist – the bit that brings that extra something.” How are you finding the landscape for new domestic talent in the wake of the success of the likes of Sam Fender, Olivia Dean and others? “It definitely has changed. There was a quieter period – I think Covid had more of an impact than we thought it did – but there was also [the emergence of] TikTok and all the learnings from that. The live industry took a real hit, but now that seems to be back. But I think UK culture and music are second to none; we’re getting the platform back and it seems to be working.” Wolf Alice are thriving under Columbia’s stewardship, with a No.1 album followed by a BRIT win and a Finsbury Park headline show. What has the label added to the mix for them? “Ellie [Rowsell, singer and guitarist] and the band have a vision. They wanted to build a world around The Clearing, and our role was to help bring that to life, both in the creative and all the marketing that we’ve done around it. It was also about spreading the word about Wolf Alice, and this album has outsold all of their previous albums in pretty much every territory Sony has it for. That’s an incredible feat. We’ve been working on putting the band in front of new audiences and lapsed audiences. Obviously, that’s a whole marketing strategy that is hard to distil into one comment, but live was a key part – if you’ve ever seen their live performance, it’s incredible – as was making sure we were doing fan activations and bringing people into their world. As for what’s next, they’re going to do some more writing.” Rosalía also won a BRIT, achieved a career-high chart result with Lux and stepped up to arenas. What do you put her growth down to? “She’s a genius! It’s been amazing to watch her growth across albums. She’s honed her art and it underlines the importance of patience and building those important foundations. Rosalía expresses herself in the purest form and fans have really connected with that. Everything genuinely comes from her, and the label supports that vision. Her BRITs performance completely solidified everything that came before.” What does the label need to do from here to build on these different success stories? “For the artists we sign, it’s always about success and whatever that looks like for each of them. Each artist has a different barometer of success – whether that’s having a single fly globally, focusing on audience development and fan discovery, having an album that hits X amount of sales, or selling however many tickets. Each artist has their own KPIs and dreams of what they want to do.” And in terms of nurturing your team to help artists, what are your priorities there? “For the execs, I’m a big one on honesty, happiness, and making sure they’re in a place where they feel safe and supported at work every day, enjoy what they do, and know they need to deliver to the standard of Columbia. As long as they are doing that, they are happy and I can support them, then we’re good.” What is that Columbia standard? “It’s got to be pretty high, right? You’ve got to make sure that you show up, that you care, you’re passionate and that you are delivering the best for your artists and also for yourself.” Looking outwards at the competition, what’s the landscape like for majors at the moment? “I think there is still a place for majors. Things just shift, and you just have to keep up with the times and make sure you are adding value at every turn. Where are we adding value for the artists, for managers, for the teams that are around them? There’s definitely a place for us. We’ve got expertise, infrastructure, an amazing group of people – everything from creative, to analytical, to finance. It’s all there, and it’s about how we represent artists and do our best for them.” You mention changing times – what direction do you think the industry is heading in? “The industry is going back to artists. We’ve gone full circle from singles consumption to artist consumption. We can see it with the Skye Newman consumption, with Calvin Harris’ consumption. If you look across Calvin’s music, the top 20% of his tracks are consumed by under-25s, and that’s high. There’s a discovery element, but it’s full-artist discovery, not just listening to one song. You see it with Sienna Spiro and Sam Fender. If something is a hit, then a rising tide lifts all boats. This helps everyone, and it’s for us to do that multi-track, artist-discovery marketing.” Why do you think it’s become about the artists again? “People want connection. They want to go back to actual real connection to something and someone, and they want to understand why. They want to understand the person that they’re listening to.” So why should acts sign to a major? And why Columbia specifically? “Because we care, we’re passionate and we have knowledge and expertise. I think we are second to none, the standard is high and that is an important part of an artist’s development.” Let’s move on to some broader topics. Is there anything the industry should be talking about, but isn’t? “[Laughs]. The industry talks a lot! Everyone talks about everything.” AI has been high on the agenda for some time and isn’t going anywhere any time soon. What’s your take? “I think AI is fascinating and there’s definitely a place for it. I think everybody needs to be better educated on how to use it, how to get the most out of it and to understand the pitfalls – because I don’t think we’re there yet. People use it quite liberally, and there’s a balance that needs to be struck. It can be incredibly helpful for all facets of the industry, but we need better education and understanding of what we’re getting ourselves into before we dive in head-first. As for what form that education takes, I think that’s down to each individual sector. It needs to be a bit more nuanced than one blanket approach.” Can you tell us what you think makes you a good music exec? “I’d like to think that I’m supportive, understanding and caring. I don’t take things too seriously – it’s important that everyone does a good job, but I think there’s also a balance that needs to be struck. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. I’ll help out in any way I can. I just want everyone to feel like I care. When it comes to my team in particular, I care a lot about them and I’m very passionate about their success. So, hopefully, that comes across.” Is there any point in your career where you felt like you made a terrible mistake? “In terms of being here at all?! That’s a whole existential crisis! In terms of general mistakes, well, as I said, I’m not a worrier or an overthinker. I tend to think you have to deal with what’s in front of you. So if you’ve made a mistake, own up to it, ask for help, and deal with it, and then hopefully it can get fixed. There are enough people around who know how to navigate these things. Nothing is irredeemable. We’re not saving lives. As long as you’re honest, transparent and collaborative, things can be overcome.” On the other side of that coin, are there also moments where you think, ‘Yes, this is why I do what I do!’? “I was talking about this the other day. Watching artists who you’ve worked with for years playing live. When you watch them standing in front of however many people, whether it’s 800 or 80,000, and you know that you played a tiny, tiny part in getting those people to connect with that artist, it is just amazing. There’s also the satisfaction of watching those rooms grow as well, like with Skye now. It’s just incredible.” How about ‘pinch-me’ moments? Can you share any of those with us? “Well, there are several I can’t talk about! But the vastness of the roster is quite something. It’s amazing and it can be quite… not overwhelming, but you have moments where you’re thinking, ‘Wow, I’m dealing with Bruce Springsteen, Harry Styles, Calvin Harris!’ You do have these moments of, ‘Wow, I get to work amongst this.’” Finally, what does the future look like for you? “I don’t know. Genuinely. I’m not a five-year planner and, again, I don’t worry very much. Continuing to develop artists and execs at Columbia is my main focus, seeing how that goes. I’ll take it as it comes…’’

While Blue are still touring and charting, one group member is busy on a new tech project... PHOTO: Roberto Panucci, Corbis, Getty As a member of one of Britain’s biggest boybands, Simon Webbe has decades of experience in building loyal fan support. Alongside continuing success with Blue (a No.2 album, no less, this year), Webbe is drawing on his enduring career for a new tech start-up, Backstage Music, to help artists build deeper relationships with fans and create a sustainable new source of income. Webbe’s aim is to shift from broadcasting content to “creating conversations”. “Social media has been incredible for reaching people, but it’s become so noisy that meaningful engagement often gets lost,” he explains. “We wanted to create a dedicated space where artists can build genuine communities, share more of their journey and give fans a real voice.” Developed over the past year in partnership with Leeds-based creative agency Serviced and digital product specialists The Distance, the app enables artists to share behind-the-scenes content, unreleased music, personal updates and unique experiences with their most committed supporters. “Superfans have always been the heartbeat of an artist’s career,” says Webbe. “They’re the people who buy tickets, merchandise, travel to concerts and stay with you throughout every stage of your journey. I think artists are beginning to realise that looking after those fans is more important than ever.” The Backstage platform currently limits membership to 10,000 fans per artist in each country, creating a more personal experience while allowing artists to mobilise highly engaged audiences. The app is free to download on both iOS and Android, with premium artist subscriptions available from £9.99 per month, creating a source of income beyond streaming, ticket sales and physical music. Webbe experienced the shift from CD to downloads and streaming, and the changes in how acts build careers. “Streaming has made music more accessible than ever, but it’s also highlighted how important it is for artists to build direct relationships with their audience,” he tells Music Week. “Backstage Music gives artists another way to engage with those who support them, while creating opportunities to build stronger communities around their music.” Webbe confirmed that Blue are on Backstage Music and will be taking fans behind the scenes of this year’s 25th anniversary album, Reflections. “We’re incredibly proud that Blue are the first artists to launch on Backstage Music because it allows us to demonstrate exactly what the platform is designed to do,” he says. Fans will also have the opportunity to influence future content through polls, discussions and direct feedback. “Backstage Music isn’t here to replace Instagram, Facebook or TikTok – we’ll continue using those platforms as we always have,” adds Webbe. “This is an additional space where artists and fans can connect on a much deeper level.” The Backstage Music team are now having conversations with artists, managers and industry partners about how they can help in strengthening fan relationships. “Additional revenue is certainly part of the conversation, but I actually think the bigger opportunity is engagement,” says Webbe. “Artists are looking for sustainable ways to build long-term communities rather than only connecting with fans around album releases or tours.” While the initial roll-out focuses on the UK, the long-term ambition is to establish Backstage as a leading global superfan platform for both established acts and emerging talent. “We want artists from around the world, whether they’re established stars or emerging talent, to have a place where they can build stronger fan relationships, create new opportunities and give their supporters a genuine voice in their journey,” concludes Webbe. “Ultimately, we want Backstage Music to become the platform where artists and fans can build lasting communities together.”

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