Pet Shop Boys and their manager Angela Becker were honoured alongside a host of industry figures at the 2024 Artist & Manager Awards (AMAs).

The pop icons and Becker jointly picked up the Artist Manager Partnership Award at last night’s ceremony, held at London’s Bloomsbury Big Top, in recognition of their 16-year collaboration.

Describing her experience as a “rarified education”, Becker reflected on the duo’s “intelligence, passion and curiosity”, before offering words of advice to future generations of managers.

“Learning the language of your client’s hopes and fears will open doors to profound impact, ensuring your work echoes in the hearts of audiences long after,” she said. “I am continually elevated and inspired by the pursuit of new ways to communicate Pet Shop Boy’s vision. As Hans Christian Andersen says, ‘Where words fail, music speaks.’”

Organised by the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) and Music Managers Forum (MMF) the AMAs were hosted by BBC Radio 1Xtra’s Remi Burgz.

Other winners included Chase & Status and their manager, Frame Artists co-founder Sophie Kennard, who received the Team of the Year award from their agent, UTA’s Obi Asika, and Sarah Wilson from TuneCore. The award followed a memorable year for the electronic music act, who headlined Creamfields, Boardmasters, TRNSMT and BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, as well as staging their own one-day show at Milton Keynes Bowl.

In addition, the Icon Award was presented to singer Paloma Faith by her long-time manager Innis Ferguson at Lateral Management.

“Sometimes it’s worth remembering that managers need support too”

Riverman Management founders Alex Weston and Dave McLean took the Managers’ Manager honour in tribute to their 35 years working in music. Originally making its name as a promoter, bringing US acts including Nirvana, Green Day, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden to the UK, Riverman switched to artist management and has represented Placebo since 1995.

Reflecting on the company’s successes and on the increased demands being placed on managers, Weston called for greater recognition and support of the role.

She said: “What other job on this planet requires us to have so much wide-ranging knowledge and so many skills and so much responsibility? And the most extraordinary thing of all is that, very often, certainly when we work with new artists, we don’t get paid anything at all to do this for years on end.

“But we do it because we are 100% committed and passionate about each of the artists we take on and truly believe, against all the odds, we can break them and their music! They are the future of our industry and put their faith and trust in us to help them achieve those ambitions. But, a note to our major labels, sometimes it’s worth remembering that managers need support too.”

There were also wins for Barry Can’t Swim (Breakthrough Artist), Hope James at Atlas Artists (Secret Weapon) and Victoria de Juniac of VictoriaBDJ Management (Breakthrough Manager).

Elsewhere, Sam Kelly and Ray Simpson from Cymande were presented with the Originator award, the 2024 Pioneer was awarded posthumously to producer and artist SOPHIE and the Fan Champion Award went to Yungblud, Tommas Arnby, Adam Wood and the wider team at Special Projects Music.

Finally, the awards for Writer/Producer Manager and Team Achievement recognised the work of Ant Hippsley and Croydon-based Finesse Foreva.

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The UK’s Music Managers Forum (MMF) has appointed Niamh Byrne, co-founder of Eleven Management, and Jill Hollywood, founder and MD of Echo Beach Management, as the new chair and vice chair.

They succeed Paul Craig and Kwame Kwaten who stood down last month having completed two three-year terms.

In 2011, Byrne co-founded Eleven Management with Régine Moylett, achieving commercial and creative successes with Damon Albarn, Gorillaz, blur, The Clash and Graham Coxon. In the years since, they’ve invited new managers and artists to join the team, including The WAEVE, Riz Ahmed, Bashy, Bastille, Naomi Scott and Meyy.

Prior to Eleven Management, Byrne spent 15 years working with major artists including blur, Elastica, Jesus & Mary Chain and Turin Brakes, before moving on to start her own consultancy company The Engine Room.

Byrne also spent over four years at Universal Music UK as creative content strategist, where her achievements included the Music Matters campaign as well as the re-branding of the BRIT Awards in 2010, including a modernisation of the trophy design by artists including Dame Vivienne Westwood, Tracey Emin and Sir Peter Blake.

An MMF board member since 2022, Byrne and her colleagues at Eleven were recognised as Entrepreneurs at the 2017 Artist & Manager Awards, and last year oversaw the release two critically acclaimed number-one albums from Gorillaz (Cracker Island) and blur (The Ballad of Darren), as well as two sold-out blur shows at Wembley Stadium.

“This is a really exciting announcement for the MMF. Niamh and Jill are two of the UK’s most respected music managers’

Jill Hollywood was also recognised at the 2017 Awards, and remains one of the UK’s leading producer/writer managers, and someone who has advocated passionately for their interests – both within the MMF community and the wider industry.

After more than a decade at Big Life Management, where her clients included legendary producers like Youth (Pink Floyd, The Verve, Embrace) and Jacknife Lee (U2, Snow Patrol, R.E.M.), Hollywood founded Echo Beach Management in 2016.

Her current roster includes both clients she has represented for nearly two decades and a growing list of emerging production talent: Ash Howes, Ash Workman, Ben Jackson-Cook, Cameron Blackwood, Charlie Russell, Chris Zane, Dave Bascombe, Davide Rossi, Jacknife Lee, Johan Hugo, Lorna Blackwood, Louis Lion, and Roy Kerr & Tim Bran (aka My Riot).

Echo Beach’s clients collaborate with some of the biggest names in pop including Ariana Grande, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, U2 and The Weeknd, as well as the likes of Self Esteem, Moonchild Sanelly, Christine & The Queens, Modest Mouse and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes

Byrne says: “It’s an honour to accept the position of chair at the Music Managers Forum. From my seat at the board, it’s been impressive to watch Annabella and her team respond to the changing culture in our business and I am delighted to support them in continuing to build an inclusive organisation that supports managers of all different backgrounds.

“There are many challenges ahead, but I firmly believe the MMF will become ever more important in forging a more equitable industry. As the role of the manager continues to expand, the MMF is perfectly placed to help our membership embrace innovation and develop their entrepreneurial skills. I’m excited to be part of the team.”

“There are many challenges ahead, but I firmly believe the MMF will become ever more important in forging a more equitable industry”

Hollywood adds: “It’s an incredible honour to be asked to stand as vice chair. Over the last four years as board director, I have been proud to be a part of what the MMF stands for. The organisation’s role as advocates for all music makers, both in policy and in practice, the strides to make the body as inclusive as possible, and focus on education and investigation, makes the MMF an extremely valuable force for good in the changing landscape we find ourselves in. I look forward to further championing the rights of producers and songwriters, alongside performing artists.”

It has also been announced that Theory Management’s Hide Whone will be joining the board, as Clare Wright (Blackstar Management) steps down a year early due to her role at WarChild. She remains an active MMF member.

With more than 20 years experience as a manager, booker, music supervisor and video producer, Whone has run his independent management company and record label for six years, and currently represents Biig Piig, KAWALA and Bad Sounds. He is also an active member of ESEA (East and South East Asia) Music, the non-profit community group led by and for UK-based East & Southeast Asian music industry professionals and artists.

Annabella Coldrick, chief executive, MMF comments: “This is a really exciting announcement for the MMF. Niamh and Jill are two of the UK’s most respected music managers. In addition to building enormously successful businesses, both have contributed greatly to the MMF Board over recent years. As our new chair and vice chair, I’m really looking forward to working more closely with them as a source of support, expertise and inspiration building on the legacy of Paul and Kwame.

“Hide is also doing great things at Theory Management representing artists like Biig Piig, KAWALA and Bad Sounds, and he will undoubtedly bring fresh perspectives to the MMF board. His range of industry experience will be especially valuable, as the MMF rises to the challenge of representing a wide and growing membership to ensure we can support their aspirations and endeavours.”

Paul Craig and Kwame Kwaten will join the MMF Custodians Council, along with Adam Tudhope (Everybody’s) and Rob Swerdlow (Starwood Management).

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ILMC’s Futures Forum (FF) and the Music Managers Forum (MMF) joined forces this week for an event that saw emerging live music executives and artist managers discuss the future of artist development.

The workshop and networking drinks took place on Tuesday night (28 May) at The Garage in London, hosted by FF’s Lisa Henderson and MMF’s Svi Dethekar, with support from AEG Europe, AXS, The O2 and ILMC.

Attendees from companies including Runway Artists, ATC Live, X-Ray Touring, Royal Albert Hall, Live Nation, Red Light Management, Wildlife Mgmt, East City Management, AEG Presents and CAA attended the free admission event.

The 75-minute hosted debate saw the executives discuss barriers to developing and growing a fanbase in live music, strategies and innovative approaches to ensure a successful tour, and solutions to ensure the next-generation headliners rise to the top.

Discussing key considerations for developing an emerging act’s live career, one exec said: “Artists need to put in their 10,000 hours to be at a professional level. Patience is important – from both artists and managers – especially when you’re looking to build.”

Another exec added: “We need to help emerging artists understand that initially, they need to take ownership of their live career. It’s important that they have mentors and guidance on how the live music business works and how you can get paid – whether that’s via ticket sales or PRS. They also need an understanding of how the industry is changing.”

According to attendees, the biggest barriers to artist development include a lack of government funding, high audience expectations, venue availability, converting online fans to ticket buyers and the cost of touring.

“There was an awful lot of knowledge and passion in the room, especially around areas like grassroots and mid-level touring”

The latter was a major talking point for attendees when sharing their strategies and innovative approaches for a successful tour.

“You’ve got to be creative,” one attendee said. “Think about brands subsidising the costs of a tour, or using influencer marketing to reach new audiences.”

Other execs warned that artists should choose wisely when to go on tour and ensure that every show counts.

“Think about collaborations and providing something special for a fanbase,” said one attendee.  “Think about your marketing campaigns, creating interesting assets, and think about data capture to help plan future events.”

Exploring solutions to the aforementioned issues, attendees said they would like to see a UK ticket levy introduced to support grassroots touring. Execs also called for more transparency about where fees go and revenues flow.

“As Futures Forum continues to build out a year-round programme for its community of young live music professionals, the evening truly showed how creative the various sectors of the live business can be when they get together to collaborate,” says Greg Parmley, head of ILMC.

“We would especially like to thank Futures Forum’s annual partners AEG Europe, The O2 and AXS, for making unique moments like this possible.”

Manasvi Dethekar, membership secretary, MMF, added: “Working with Futures Forum was a really exciting collaboration for the MMF. Importantly, it was also an opportunity to capture views from a wide diversity of upcoming managers, booking agents, venues and others who are dedicated to building the live careers of artists. There was an awful lot of knowledge and passion in the room, especially around areas like grassroots and mid-level touring. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who participated, and we’ll be using all the feedback we gained to inform some of the MMF’s upcoming projects.”

Futures Forum is a year-round platform for the next generation of live music industry leaders to forge relationships and exchange ideas.

The organisation hosts a one-day conference discussion and networking event in London each spring, on the final day of its renowned parent event, the International Live Music Conference (ILMC).

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Australia’s Association of Artist Managers (AAM) has unveiled a policy called Michael’s Rule, which would ensure international tours include at least one local artist among the support acts.

The campaign bears the name of Michael McMartin, the legendary artist manager who guided the career of Sydney-hailing rock band Hoodoo Gurus for more than 40 years.

Michael’s Rule is broken down into three main tenets: every international artist must include an Australian artist among their opening acts; the Australian artist must appear on the same stage as the international artist using reasonable sound and lighting; and the Australian artist must be announced at the same time as the tour so that they benefit from all the marketing and promotion.

The policy was presented at the 2024 AAM Awards by its executive director, Maggie Collins, who said: “Promoters received significant public funding during the pandemic and they understandably continue to receive public support for some of their major events. We think it is only reasonable that, in return, they should ‘do their bit’ to help give Australian artists a leg up by the simple means of including at least one local act on every international tour.

“We need more Australians loving more Australian music”

“If there’s one overarching issue that managers have been flagging time and time again, it is this: we need more Australians loving more Australian music. We have a major discoverability problem and if we don’t solve this issue, which is both economical and cultural.

“Had Michael’s Rule existed for major international tours, such as Taylor Swift’s seven-date The Eras Tour, which visited Sydney and Melbourne in 2023, how many more fans could we have introduced to a local artist and started creating our own megastar of the future?”

The Support Act rule had once been a widely accepted industry code after lobbying by artist managers in the early 2000s.

With the launch of Michael’s Rule, a voluntary code, senior artist managers call for its reintroduction “at this time of crisis for Australian music,” reads a statement from AAM.

The trade body, which represents more than 300 artist managers, says that if promoters don’t cooperate, it will make formal representations for federal government to step in and make it a condition of issuing visas to international artists touring Australia.

Coldplay are already ahead of the game, having last year launched a competition to find a homegrown support act for their sold-out shows in Perth, Australia.

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