Welcome to YungBlud’s live music revolution.
Starring on the cover of Music Week ahead of the first edition of his very own music festival BludFest, Yungblud lays out his righteous vision for live music that puts fans and artists first.
Kicking against rising ticket prices and homogeneous line-ups, the chart-topping rocker believes his event can change the live sector. Furthermore, he doesn’t mind one bit about ruffling feathers in the process.
To lift the lid on the whole shebang, Music Week meets the wild-eyed star, alongside his Special Projects management team and AEG Presents UK, to discuss his masterplan, the backlash he has encountered and hear how the industry can treat artists and fans with the respect they deserve.
“This is what I’ve wanted to do for my whole career: I want to change things and this is me putting my money where my mouth is,” says Yungblud (aka Dom Harrison) in our cover interview. “I took a fucking risk and I could have burnt a lot of bridges, but I always wanted to do it respectfully and say, ‘Listen, you’ve got to look at what people’s reality is right now.’”
BludFest isn’t the only live music story in town this month. With Glastonbury just around the corner, we meet one of the anchors of the BBC’s coverage as Music Week Award winner Lauren Laverne takes on The Music Week Interview. Speaking from BBC Radio 6 Music HQ in the wake of taking the Radio Show crown at our event in May, Laverne discusses the changing face of the station, the role of radio in today’s industry and digs into the phenomenon of the ‘6 Music dad’.
Also in our features section, PPL CEO Peter Leathem introduces a special look back at the organisation’s seismic impact on the business as it celebrates its 90th anniversary.
Meanwhile, GRM Daily’s founder Koby ‘Post’ Hagan reflects on 15 years of the platform and discusses the UK rap scene, breaking acts and staying relevant, and Grammy-winning producer Catherine Marks looks back on her career and opens up about what the business must do to support the studio creatives of tomorrow.
We also meet Elton Jackson, Sony Music UK’s director of artist and employee wellbeing, to discuss mental health and how workplace culture is changing across the business.
Finally in this month’s features section, we toast the achievements of Young Songs, as MD Gerard Phillips and Young COO Chloë Roberts explain the methods behind their independent publishing magic and Music Week Award-winning success.
Producer Toby Daintree reveals the inner workings behind Artemas’ viral hit I Like The Way You Kiss Me in a brand new Hitmakers, while songwriter and PRS Members Council president Michelle Escoffery talks breaking boundaries, working with Stevie Wonder and the art of songwriting in The Aftershow.
In this month’s edition of Mentor Me – a collaboration between Music Week and Girls I Rate – Twenty:Two Agency co-founder Whitney Asomani gives her tips on how to make it in music.
Big Story digs into AIM and Tileyard North’s plans to develop the independent sector in Yorkshire, plus there’s big news from Billie Eilish, as the US star’s team look ahead to Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour.
The front section also features folk-pop trio Tiny Habits in On The Radar, as they trace their path from college karaoke to breaking big. In this month’s Spotlight Q&A, David Pichilingi, Modern Sky’s CEO for the UK & North America, holds court on superfans and international expansion
Lastly, in our expanded monthly charts section, we present the Top 75 Singles and Albums of the previous month, accompanied by revamped analysis pages, plus a host of new listings. These include specialist genre Top 20s for Americana, Classical, Hip-Hop & R&B, Jazz, Country, Dance, Folk and Rock & Metal. The issue is also home to streaming, compilations and vinyl charts.
The new issue of Music Week is available from June 18.
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PHOTO: Tom Pallant
