It’s the second part of our round-up of 20 music industry figures on their big hopes for the biz in 2020. You can read the first part here.
From breaking artists to Idles recording the Bond theme, read on to discover the hopes for the year ahead from execs including Decca’s Rebecca Allen, Parlophone’s Nick Burgess and Virgin EMI’s Ted Cockle.
Here are the execs’ answers to the question: what’s your biggest hope for the music industry in 2020?
“I always have the hope that the business continues to embrace music in all its wonderful shapes and sizes. That we continue to seek out the non-conformist areas of this wonderful business and that artists from around the world continue to be discovered and celebrated.”
Rebecca Allen (pictured), president, Decca Records
“I hope our artists are protected [from Brexit]. Right now they’re not, despite consistent requests to the government to safeguard our industry, there are no assurances at all.”
Sammy Andrews, CEO, Deviate Digital
“True diversity at senior positions across labels, radio stations and streaming platforms.”
Clara Amfo, BBC Radio 1
“That we continue to explore ways to open up opportunities to talented people irrespective of gender, race, sexuality or background."
Nick Burgess, co-president, Parlophone
“Would love to see some of the great artists currently circulating not being pressured to be overnight successes.”
Ted Cockle, president, Virgin EMI
“That the charts retain their relevance and don’t become a thing of folklore for future generations to come.”
James Curran, director of music, Absolute Radio/Magic Radio
“Continued innovation. The UK music industry thrives from this, and it contributes massively to the continued growth and success of the industry.”
Paul Firth, director, Amazon Music Europe
I always have the hope that the business continues to embrace music in all its wonderful shapes and sizes
Rebecca Allen
“That somehow we find a fresh generation of rock and metal acts who can become future festival headliners.”
Joe Harland, head of visual, BBC Radio
“The same hope as every year, more diversity across the industry as a whole, it's amazing to see more and more consideration for diversity, but there's a long way to go still!”
Safiya Lambie-Knight, lead, artist & label marketing, Urban UK, Spotify
“For country music specifically it's that more women, people of colour, and LGBT artists finally punch through and enter the top tier. For a genre as diverse and varied as country music to not have even one out superstar or more than a handful of women and people of colour getting mainstream traction is just crazy! I hope 2020 is the year that changes.”
Baylen Leonard, presenter, Country Hits Radio
“I hope that labels and our DSPs find ways to help develop rock and alternative artists.”
Jeremy Marsh, chief global marketing officer, Warner Recorded Music
“Our biggest hope for 2020 is that we continue to work better as a collective to ensure we create and nurture a landscape that works for creators and service providers alike. We will continue to fight to ensure that artists are supported to work across borders, maintaining the UK's reputation for producing world-class artists and punching above our weight within the global music industry. We are very excited to see so much positive development around Mycelia's Creative Passport, particularly that organisations such as PPL are being so supportive of new technologies created to empower artist entrepreneurs. Here's to a growing artist community and a more efficient infrastructure around them in 2020 and beyond!”
David Martin, GM, Featured Artists Coalition
“That the music industry continues to grow in a sustainable way in every part of the world – and that we continue make progress in our goal to see that music is valued fairly.”
Frances Moore, CEO, IFPI
"I hope the year and decade continue to highlight the value that music publishers and songwriters bring to the overall music industry."
Roberto Neri, EVP, UK and head of European business development, Downtown and chair, Music Publishers Association
“Three things for me: more British artists topping the charts in the United States, for the UK to take Eurovision seriously again and see it for the opportunity it truly is and – go with me on this one – for Idles to record the next Bond theme. Imagine that. It would be mega.”
Simon Pursehouse, global director of music services, Sentric Music Group
“It is great that we are part of an industry that is growing again. Everyone should be able to benefit from this. It is my hope and ambition however that with this growth comes a more even distribution of income for independent artists and composers.”
Pieter van Rijn, CEO, FUGA
“That we are able to attract even more people to subscribe to streaming services, particularly some of those older demographics who have yet to be convinced, so we get the opportunity to share with them the huge variety of great music we have in our catalogue.”
Peter Stack, EVP global catalogue recordings, BMG
Idles to record the next Bond theme. Imagine that - it would be mega
Simon Pursehouse
“Democratisation in every sense of the word. I will leave it there!”
Sarah Stennett, co-founder/CEO, First Access Entertainment
“That the new government works with us to help the UK music industry realise its true export potential in the global streaming market. That is the great new opportunity for British music.”
Geoff Taylor, chief executive, BPI & BRIT Awards
“That we continue to find, develop and break new artists globally.”
Iain Watt, MD, music division, YMU
Stay tuned to musicweek.com for further round-ups of the industry’s hopes for 2020.
Click here and here for our execs’ highs and lows of the past 12 months.
