It’s time to take stock at the end of one of the busiest years the music business has seen in recent memory. Our special end of year review looks back on it all with an epic collection of reflections from some of the biggest names in the industry. Read on for part 1 of our massive look back, including insight from Dickon Stainer, Tony Harlow, Emma Banks, Dipesh Parmar, Dotty and Alexi Cory-Smith…
DICKON STAINER
CEO & chairman, Universal Music UK
What are your reflections on your initial weeks in the top role at Universal Music UK?
“I’m loving it. We have some incredible artists and there is a renewed hunger within the company to deliver UK success globally.”
Can you outline what the industry should expect from your tenure in 2025 and beyond?
“Collaboration, innovation and ambition. And, hopefully, some new British hits around the world.”
What was your track of 2024?
“Lola Young’s Messy, this was a song which speaks about identity in a unique way.”
And your favourite album?
“I Kept These Old Blues, released by the brilliant young Irish artist Muireann Bradley.”
TONY HARLOW
CEO, Warner Music UK
Now we have a moment to reflect on the past 12 months, what is your take on the way the UK music business is emerging from 2024?
“We’ve had a lot of change in 2024, but change creates opportunity and new direction, and that’s exciting to be part of. When change and evolution stops, that’s the time to be worried.”
Artist development is always a hot topic of discussion at this time of the year. What thoughts are uppermost in your mind on that subject as 2024 draws to a close?
“Artist development is still our biggest priority – to find great artists and back them to the hilt. This has worked well for us over the last couple of years, and I hope the artist development progress continues into global stardom for the likes of Maisie Peters, Griff, Florence Road and Soft Launch next year.”
What was your track of 2024?
“Gunfinger (Salute) by Irah and Chase & Status – I guess I’m a bassline geezer now!”
And your favourite album?
“In the year of the flute, I like Shabaka Hutchings’ Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace more than I liked Andre 3000’s album, but I think Nala Sinephro’s Endlessness is the best of the lot. I also like Leon Bridges’ Leon, which had a great mellow vibe. And of course Brat, and all its incarnations, is the album of the year.”
EMMA BANKS
Co-head of global touring, CAA
Where are we in the debate over ticket prices right now?
“I suspect that it is going to run and run! The free market means that, within legal boundaries, you can set your prices wherever they need to be. Costs are still increasing and so to make a tour profitable is not easy. There is no slow-down in the size of show that the big artists want to present, but they are eye-wateringly expensive to put together. There has been a general avoidance of dynamic pricing and, in some cases, platinum tickets since the public furore over the Oasis on-sales. But if they are legitimate means to generate additional revenue, then I fully expect to see these methods back in circulation. I know every artist cares about what they charge and wants to get fans in the room – but that has to be weighed against maximising revenues. I find it very interesting that for years the live industry, trade bodies and FanFair Alliance, along with MPs such as Sharon Hodgson, have been trying to address the secondary ticket market. Unscrupulous touts are activating enormous networks of bots to buy up inventory to sell at massively inflated prices, but no one in government seems to care about stopping that. It’s about ‘market forces’ and we cannot protect our tickets. The money made on the uplift from those sales is, in most cases, not going back into the music business, not generating any tax and yet no one appears to be worried. And while the dynamic pricing on Oasis clearly caused issues, the money generated was all properly accounted for, and generated revenue in tax, PRS to songwriters and so on. Even so, everyone was vilified, with even government ministers commenting when, apart from a minority, no one cares less when we are trying to keep the ticket-buying public safe from being ‘scammed’.”
What was the best headline set you saw this year?
“Kylie at Hyde Park was off-the-charts good, I thought. So many great acts to see, both headlining events and lower down the bill, but this was, I thought, a masterclass in how to be so current and yet still give a good nod to all that has gone before.”
What was your track of 2024?
“Beautiful Things by Benson Boone is stuck in my head and has been since the first time I heard it.”
And your favourite album?
“Chappell Roan’s The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess doesn’t have a duff track on it.”
DIPESH PARMAR
President, Columbia
It’s been a year full of change in the industry – how are you feeling about the landscape now?
“I’m feeling optimistic and energised. It’s a cliché, but with change comes new opportunity, but also new challenges. We must adapt to new ways of thinking of how we better service our artists and managers with more creativity, fresh ideas – and I’m all in on that!”
There has been talk this year that artists are breaking through on album three or four more and more these days, what’s your take on that argument?
“We’ve been talking about artist development taking longer than ever, but some of the recent success stories this year prove that actually there are instances where four or five years to break could be the new norm. We truly believe in the artists that we are signing right now, and I continue to tell my A&R team to only sign someone if this will be the next three years of your life minimum.”
What was your track of 2024?
“Jungle’s Let’s Go Back. The band just keep getting better and better – the music, the creative, the choreo… All on point!”
And your favourite album?
“Tyler, The Creator’s Chromakopia. True art from a true artist, a journey into the mind of a creative that pulls you into different stories through his lyrics and production. Sticky is my personal standout.”
ALEXI CORY-SMITH
Founder/CEO, Bella Figura Music
Earlier this year, you told us that your intention with Bella Figura Music was “to deliver results that would have an impact”. How have you made an impact in 2024?
“It is no secret that there is a lot of leakage in royalty collections, which ultimately affects the creators, who may not be getting paid every penny they should. This is a big focus for us – cleaning up and managing the metadata, and doggedly tracking collections to ensure we collect every penny due to us, our writers and artists. It’s nothing new to the industry, but how one does it is in constant evolution. And being a boutique with a relatively small but high-earning catalogue we are able to be efficient, laser focused and keep on top of the tools and technologies that support our efforts and enable us to yield results. Since we opened for business at the start of 2022, every catalogue we have taken over has grown in terms of creative exposure and revenues.”
How do you think the fight for equitable remuneration for creators has moved forward this year?
“I think we have seen progress across several fronts – for example, with the concerted effort right across the industry to fight the unlicensed use of music, and digital platforms providing data that helps artists to understand where they are making money, where opportunities lie, and to help inform their decision-making. The growth in sales of rights by artists and writers has created a lot of opportunity with businesses like ours that recognise the value of music. This has provided a lot of liquidity to creators and the broader community.”
What was your track of 2024?
“Plus & Minus by David Gray – it’s perfect and I love it.”
And your favourite album?
“Brat – it was a Brat summer for me.”
DOTTY
Host/Lead cultural curator of Black Music, UK, Apple Music
As the recipient of the Music Champion gong at the Women In Music Awards this year, which artist story made you happiest in 2024?
“Sasha Keable’s breakthrough. For an artist to have their biggest year more than a decade into their career is testament to the fact that great music will always find its audience. From her single Hold Up, to her unforgettable sessions for Colors and the BBC Live Lounge, Sasha’s year is a reminder to never count an artist out. I look forward to seeing her reach even higher heights in 2025.”
What was your track of 2024?
“Summer Walker – Heart Of A Woman. We were blessed with some incredible R&B songs this year, but this held a lot of weight for me because it felt like a throwback to the golden era of R&B.”
And your favourite album?
“Asake – Lungu Boy. This reminded me why music sometimes needs time to sink in, because I didn’t love it on first listen, but it built on Asake’s sound and really defied expectation.”
