About to mark two decades at Universal, former Polydor co-president Tom March made the move Stateside in 2022 as Geffen president and was upped to chairman & CEO of Capitol Music Group in 2024. Now overseeing a roster that stretches from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, to Doechii, Leon Thomas, Sienna Spiro and more, he is living the dream in LA. But, as he tells Music Week, the UK exec will never forget his roots. Sit back and enjoy, as he sounds off on his route to the top, the secret to breaking artists and why he sees Capitol as “a global label”…
WORDS: Andre Paine
PHOTOS: Damon Casarez
“I look out of my window on to the Hollywood sign and the hills around it – I’m not going to lie, it’s a dream view.”
Four years after relocating to the US, British executive Tom March is still slightly wonderstruck at where the music industry has taken him. As chairman & CEO of Capitol Music Group, he occupies an office on the 13th floor of the iconic Capitol Tower in LA – a building with both a commanding view and an incredible history.
“When I leave the office at night, I sometimes stop in the car park and stare at the building,” he smiles. “It’s nice to just stand there and reflect, because you realise you’re standing on the shoulders of giants. It’s a really powerful building.”
That power lies in Capitol Music Group’s historic labels including Capitol Records, Motown, Blue Note and Astralwerks. Music icons who are part of the fabric of these companies include The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Spice Girls, Halsey, Beastie Boys, Norah Jones, Erykah Badu, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Aerosmith and Katy Perry.
The easygoing March, in a typically expansive mood, shares a story of a recent visit to the Capitol offices by the surviving members of The Beach Boys to mark 60 years of the classic album, Pet Sounds.
“Sometimes these things are pinch-yourself moments that you get alongside your day job,” he admits.
There was also a trip to Paul McCartney’s studio to join the former Beatle to listen to the nostalgia-soaked new solo album, The Boys Of Dungeon Lane, which is about to be released as our interview takes place.
“It was honestly probably the most incredible experience of my life,” he says.
His elevation to the top job at Capitol now means he’s the label boss behind both Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones, as well as breakthrough stars Sienna Spiro, Leon Thomas and Doechii. It follows a two-year spell as president at Geffen overseeing superstars such as Olivia Rodrigo, who has just confirmed 11 nights at The O2 (“I’m very proud of her – she’s the best”).
After four years Stateside, though, March remains British in his tastes – sipping a huge mug of tea during our interview.
“I drink a massive amount of tea – I reckon I’m about 65% PG Tips,” he laughs.
The March family relocation has been supported by a group of fellow British industry figures, including Warner Chappell Music CEO and co-chair Guy Moot, and Harry Styles collaborator, Kid Harpoon.
“There’s a lot of people that I’ve become much closer to since moving here,” says March. “We moved at a similar time to Jonathan and Lucy Dickins as well. We live around the corner from each other and we have kids of a similar age. Guy was great as well, he reached out when I first moved here.”
As for UMG CEO & chairman Sir Lucian Grainge, he gave March a robust pep talk, the substance of which is probably not suitable for print.
“It was a classic Lucian-ism,” grins March.
To negotiate the time difference, he arranges an early video call in his home office in Beverly Hills. It provides a chance to show off all manner of March memorabilia, including Music Week covers and articles celebrating his three Record Company wins at the Music Week Awards as co-president of Polydor (“I was very happy to see they won it again this year”), a framed photo of Florence + The Machine headlining Glastonbury (March worked with Florence Welch from debut single, Kiss With A Fist), and multiple classic shots of The Who and Oasis.
He attended four of the Gallaghers’ reunion shows in the UK and US, including the opening night in Cardiff.
“I had a brilliant time, it was so good – although I’ve not drunk that many pints in years,” he shudders.
There’s also a prized shot alongside his son with Arsenal midfielder Martin Ødegaard. March has been keeping track of the Gunners’ triumphant progress towards the title, with fellow LA-based fans including Moot and Kid Harpoon.
“We’ve suffered through many games in early mornings,” recalls March, who is off to the Champions League Final in Hungary in the days after our interview.
Capitol Music Group has been on its own winning streak in the past 18 months, notably at the Grammys with victorious acts including Doechii, Leon Thomas, The Cure, and Yungblud. Thomas won two Grammys, including Best R&B Album for Mutt, following six nominations.
“It was phenomenal, Leon has been an enormous break for us,” says March.
Meanwhile, Hot 100 chart star Sienna Spiro is surely going to be another Grammy contender.
“I think when you have very special artists, you just have to put a lens in front of them, have the right strategy and make sure you show their talent to the world, and then the world will agree with you,” suggests the exec.
March and Capitol Music Group president Lillia Parsa have overseen a creative and commercial resurgence. CMG has made a multi-genre impact with the likes of Yeat, Kali Uchis, Lil Baby, Offset and NBA YoungBoy, as well as rising stars like Royel Otis, Young Miko and Good Neighbours.
In terms of US market share, CMG held at No.6 in Q1 with an increase to 4.92%.
“I’m much more focused on breaking artists and growing artists’ careers,” he says. “If you do that, those things [market share gains] naturally happen.”
Doechii’s mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal won Best Rap Album at the 2025 Grammys (only the third woman ever to do so), while her single Anxiety reached the Top 10 of the US Hot 100, as well as No. 1 in Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand. It peaked at No.3 in the UK and has amassed 577,855 units according to the Official Charts Company.
Signed to TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment), Doechii is a prime example of CMG working with other executive entrepreneurs on an artist campaign. March highlights the TDE team’s focus on artist development.
“Working with TDE and breaking Doechii has been a real highlight and success of the last couple of years,” he says. “She has exploded across culture and music over that time, and I’m very excited to start rolling out what will be her debut album in the near future. She has been one of the biggest and most important artist breaks of recent years.”
As a Glastonbury regular (“my favourite place on Earth”), March witnessed Doechii’s much talked about turn in 2025.
“Her creative is phenomenal,” he says. “We went from 300-capacity shows to 10,000-capacity shows all around the world in the space of six months. When the world got to see how incredible she was, it changed everything.”
Doechii is part of the story of the Capitol labels’ resurgence across hip-hop and R&B (“We have a really powerful roster,” says March).
He highlights their partnerships with Field Trip Recordings on chart-topping rapper and singer Yeat (“an enormous success”) as well as developing PlaqueBoyMax and Bnyx, along with QC (Quality Control) acts Lil Baby, Quavo, Yachty and JT (“they are a huge part of Capitol”).
Despite his big move to the US, March is also overseeing a wealth of UK talent at CMG – from Yungblud and Dave, to Alessi Rose, Sienna Spiro and developing act Feng from South London.
He will also be watching the nation’s football talent at England’s World Cup matches. Capitol acts J Balvin and Katy Perry have been booked to play at opening ceremonies.
“Everyone’s excited for it,” says March of the tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico.
In his latest big sit-down with Music Week, he shares his experience of two decades in the Universal camp, rebuilding the roster at Capitol and his global mindset for artists…
Does it feel like quite a responsibility overseeing some of the most iconic labels in the world?
“Yeah, it’s not lost on me, the history of Capitol, and then being a custodian and helping to guide some of the legendary artists that we have on Motown and Capitol Christian Music Group and Capitol Nashville [which both operate under Capitol Music Group Nashville] that we’ve now launched. As a Brit coming here, it’s a dream, especially with the history across these labels.”
How did it feel to be promoted to such an elevated role?
“I felt I had just started to get some momentum [at Geffen]. I had brought the whole team in and I had brilliant artists. But this was an opportunity you couldn’t say no to. I knew it was a big job, but I knew I would be allowed to build the team exactly as I wanted to. I’ve worked with John [Janick, chairman & CEO, Interscope Capitol Labels Group & IGA] and Berm [Steve Berman, vice chairman, Interscope Capitol Labels Group] for over 10 years. I’m very fortunate to work with them, they’re the smartest guys I know, and they are the biggest help to me. So it wasn’t like I was leaving that behind. It was just that this was where our company needed us.”
Was it a big challenge to take on, though?
“There was work to do to rebuild the roster and to reshape the team, and then to make sure the Capitol team fitted well within the West Coast Universal operation we now have. [Also] to make sure there’s great synergy between what we’re doing at Capitol and the Interscope team, and then some of the areas across the business that we share. The first year was relentless, but very quickly, I got the team in place and settled. It’s the fourth time I’ve come into a label [after Virgin EMI working with Ted Cockle, then Polydor and Geffen] and been told to shape it, organise it, get it right structurally, bring the right people in. When that starting gun goes, there’s no time to waste. You just have to make sure that you’re moving with speed and intention. For the first six months, I don’t think I ever took a second off. But I’m very happy – I can’t believe where we are now.”
You came into the role after a reshuffle of the West Coast operation at Universal. How has that played out?
“Honestly, it feels like a distant memory now. Looking at it now, structurally, it works brilliantly. Capitol has the resource, the infrastructure and the size of a major label, but we don’t have the roster the size of the other major labels. So there’s a lot of extra resource that we have, where we can operate a little bit differently, a little bit more nimbly than maybe some can because of our size.”
Two years in, have you had a chance to reflect on where you have got to?
“I always want more, and you always want to achieve more. You always want more success. But I’m happy with how we’ve grown the roster – the artists we’re breaking and some of the more established artists on the roster, how their careers are moving. Because of where we are as a label, and the job to build a new roster for Capitol Records, I think you can see it in the acts that are breaking and growing that we’re building momentum. You’re getting that because new artists get space within our roster. They get focus and they get attention, which is why you’re seeing that reflected in Grammy nominations, artist breaks and everything else.”
How different is it leading a US record company for that market compared to a UK operation?
“I don’t see Capitol as a US record label. We are a global music company. Our campaigns are global campaigns, which we drive out of the US with our great partners and our great teams around the world within UMG. We think globally right from the minute we get an artist; it’s, ‘Here’s our 18-month plan, here’s our strategy. Here’s where we think the releases are going to come, the touring, the live shows, the moments that we’re going to create.’ We build out a global plan of, ‘Here’s how we’re going to move you around the world.’ We never think ‘US’. You move campaigns as one globally now; you don’t move them in one market and then go to another. So I think maybe that’s the nature of how the business has changed. But that’s how you move records now.”
A label can be quite nimble with breaking an artist in the UK, though, can’t they?
“The market moves quickly in the UK; it’s such a great market for that. If you have the right culture and momentum, and you can drive the conversation and create the right moments, you can make a dent really quickly in the UK. Australia is the same. There are certain markets where you can really hit culture. And there’s such an amazing ecosystem in the UK that’s really powerful for building and breaking artists – we have such incredible media, brilliant radio, great content opportunities. The UK is a nation of music super fans, it has such incredible music and culture coming from it. I will get artists into the UK as fast as I possibly can, and the content you create from the UK, you can move it around the world so, so quickly and so easily. It’s such a great hive of content creation. So you send an artist to the UK, and what you make in the UK, I can make sure that millions of people around the world see that. I just need to make sure the artist is moving in the right way, and their strategy is cohesive.”
Does it take longer to break in the US?
“Every artist will move at their own pace; you can’t force anything and artist development takes time. I’ve got some artists where things have moved really quickly like Sienna Spiro. But I signed Sam Fender with Richard [O’Donovan, head of A&R], Ben [Mortimer, Polydor Label Group president] and everyone at Polydor eight years ago, and we just had his first record in the Hot 100 [Olivia Dean collaboration, Rein Me In]. Dave – whom I’m lucky enough to have come through Capitol in the US, working with Benny [Scarrs] and Jack [Foster, Neighbourhood] – has also just had his first record in the Hot 100 [Raindance with Tems], which went Top 50. So you’ve got some artists where their journey in the US to get to the Hot 100 takes a bit longer. They’re two of the best artists in the world. You then have others where things move a little bit quicker, but it’s about coming up with the right strategy. I’ve been working with Yungblud from his very first release, back when he played his first gig in a pub to 70 people. He has now won his first Grammy and it’s arenas next for him. So, for the US, these things take as long as they take.”
How do you manage campaigns now when an artist like Sienna Spiro can secure simultaneous hit singles?
“When you are coming back with a particular artist, you’re going to call it a single. But particularly when you’re building an artist, it’s more about putting out great music. You’re not aiming for a huge single with every song. Some of it will just develop who the artist is and connect them to their fans in a different way. But if you keep putting out great music, the audience will tell you when there’s a moment to really double down. I’m always focused on multiple songs at any one time.”
You worked alongside John Janick at Polydor on US artists including Olivia Rodrigo. How does he support you in this role?
“He thinks big-picture. In terms of how creative he is, his marketing brain, his A&R brain, he is the most impressive person. So to have him as a boss, as someone that I get to speak to whenever I need to, to have him in the trenches with us, building artists, brands and thinking strategically across the company… I couldn’t wish for anything better.”
How do you combine with Lillia Parsa on the operation and creative vision for CMG?
“It was a great extra motivator for me to know that I’d be able to work with someone with the skills and the respect for what she does that Lillia has. We would not be in the great place we are in as a label now, if it wasn’t for her. She is relentless, she wants to win, she’s hungry. But the biggest thing is how respected she is by the creative community. With some of the biggest and best songwriters and producers in the world, she has been a big part of their careers, backing them from the very beginning. I trust her implicitly. I trust her ears. We have an incredible working relationship. I don’t think there’s anyone with the kind of access that she has. We are very fortunate, as we’re rebuilding the roster, particularly on the pop and rock side, to have some of our emerging artists be able to get in the room with the best people in the world. That can only happen if the best writers and producers take a leap of faith with somebody. They trust Lillia, there’s a great relationship there with so many of the best writers. So our artists are in very safe hands.”
What is the A&R approach across the company?
“We’re very considered. We’re very strategic. We are very focused on artist development. We don’t sign a lot but what we do sign, we really focus on. I think you can see that in Josiah Queen, who we signed in partnership with Capitol Christian Music Group. He’s the second most streamed faith-based artist [non-catalogue] in the world over the last 12 months. He’s breaking in a massive way, he’ll be in arenas very soon. Royel Otis, Sienna Spiro, Young Miko – these artists are breaking through because they have the time and the focus. Dave’s having his biggest moment in America.”
How have you achieved that breakthrough for Dave, and how much potential is there for UK rap artists?
“EsDeeKid is on fire as well – Sincere [Lizzy Records boss] has done a great job with him. Central Cee’s had success, too; Dave is selling a huge amount of tickets. Dave’s important in culture here; the new album really connected – and it’s growing and growing. Raindance will be a huge record into the summer here. But I think that’s just testament to Dave as one of the most important British artists of recent history, and the great work that Ben [Scarrs] and Jack [Foster] have done for the last decade. It’s just incredible, patient artist development by great managers and a great artist. If you have a brilliant artist and you stay true to yourself, your moment will come if you reach for things. I’m very fortunate to still work with so many British and Irish artists. Across the roster we have Lewis Capaldi, Sam Smith, Niall Horan, The Rolling Stones now, which is fantastic, Paul McCartney, The Cure, Sienna Spiro, Disclosure, Yungblud, Alessi Rose. There are so many brilliant British and Irish artists from every different genre.”
It’s quite something to be heading up the company behind Paul McCartney and the Stones…
“I’m very fortunate to be a custodian of such an incredible label. We’ve been calling the [new] McCartney album almost like a prequel to The Beatles. Steve Berman and I were lucky enough to go down to his studio in December and have him play it to us, and talk us through the stories about John [Lennon], his parents, hitchhiking with George [Harrison]. He told us some hilarious stories, some that will see the light of day and some that we will hold dear forever. It’s a magical record. And the Stones, these are timeless records. I couldn’t be more proud and excited to work with them.”
What other genres are you building up?
“We’ve grown the Latin side of the label in partnership with Nir [Seroussi], who heads up Interscope Capitol Miami. Kali Uchis has joined, and we’re developing Young Miko with Wave Music Group. We brought J Balvin in as well. So we’ve been growing out the Latin side. We’ve been developing the K-Pop side as well with Aespa, Meovv and there’s a new signing with YG [Entertainment] that I can’t talk about yet.”
In the dance space, you teamed up with former RCA and Ministry Of Sound president David Dollimore on the Disorder JV. How is that progressing?
“It feels phenomenal what we’re building with Disorder, just in the space of two years. We haven’t really shouted about this much yet, but over the last few months we’ve now signed Interplanetary Criminal, Disclosure, Rudimental. We recently signed a rapper called Lex Armani, who’s really starting to move. How we’re developing that roster feels incredible. We see Disorder as a global record company. David happens to be based in London, but he’s really plugged into us in the US. The music we’re signing is global.”
With Katy Perry, Capitol has one of the biggest pop artists going. What’s behind her current streaming revival?
“Her catalogue is up 70% since January. She’s the 16th largest artist on Spotify today, and this week is going to be the largest global streaming week of her career. So we are growing and growing. I put that down to brilliant cohesiveness between Katy and the team. My marketing team is exceptional. My viral marketing agency, which we have inside Capitol, is the best. Our strategy and our digital marketing is phenomenal. So really, it’s just her incredible catalogue, Katy being one of the best artists in pop history, and a whole new audience discovering these incredible songs. As we start to roll out new music, she’s in a brilliant place now. It is an entirely new global audience discovering these incredible songs.”
How much are you thinking about opportunities with AI?
“If you look at the new Stones video [In The Stars], that’s a great use of AI. We saw what The Beatles did with Now And Then and how AI was used [to complete the track]. The DSPs are opening up new revenue streams for artists [with Spotify’s AI remix and cover version tools], if they and the writers decide it’s something they want to engage with. I think it really has to be led by the artists and what they are comfortable with, and how they want to use it. It’s going to just continue to evolve. As long as artists are protected, it’s up to them to make the right decisions. Our job is to make sure that we are great custodians of their art and that we put all the right guardrails in place. Then, they can make the decision on how they want to use it.”
Finally, how will you be marking your 20th year at Universal?
“Another hit would be nice! I’ll take a hit for my 20 years.”
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