The new issue of Music Week is out now as we welcome two of the hottest names in independent music, Moses Boyd and Arlo Parks, to the cover for our indie takeover special.
Ahead of this week’s virtual AIM Awards ceremony, the pair discuss their art, their position in the scene and to unpick the highs and lows of 2020.
Also, in the second part of our cover feature, we gather a host of the sector's key players – from Young Turks, Dirty Hit, Supernature and CTRL Management, to Merlin, IMPALA and beyond – to talk creativity, diversity and survival during a time of great strain for the business.
Elsewhere, we catch up with Irish indie stars Fontaines DC and their label Partisan Records on their seismic second album A Hero's Death, which crashed into last week's charts at No.2.
In this week's Big Story, we speak to AIM CEO Paul Pacifico, who hails the united efforts of the indie nation during the pandemic and stresses the need for government support for businesses "under existential threat".
Also in news, Secretly Group’s Hannah Overton discusses the emergence of the company’s Dead Oceans label as a growing force in alternative music, while the team behind Newcastle's Virgin Money Unity Arena open up on the challenges of hosting the UK’s only major summer concert series of 2020.
In a special report, we go inside the world of independent publishing to find out how its leading lights are navigating these unprecedented times and making the most of the opportunities on offer.
Plus, Fiona Frimpong, founder of independent press agency Carpé Publicity, pens a Viewpoint explaining how going it alone in the music business can reap major rewards, even in the very toughest of climates.
This week's Hitmakers sees vocalist Róisín Murphy revisit Moloko's 2000 classic The Time Is Now, while Creation Records legend and indie icon Alan McGee takes on The Aftershow.
Punk collective Crack Cloud are showcased On The Radar, Dirty Hit digital promotions manager Perdi Higgs takes the spotlight in Rising Star and Making Waves features synth-pop/electronica combo The Ninth Wave. Sync Story, meanwhile, looks at Newcastle indie crew Lanterns On The Lake's hook-up with BT Sport.
Alongside all that, we bring you the very latest charts, news and analysis.
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