- Say hello to pop’s new alternative: Rina Sawyama is Music Week’s September cover star. Ahead of the release of her bombastic second album Hold The Girl, Sawayama is joined by label Dirty Hit and management team House Of Us to tell a story of identity, growth and rebellion. Having already changed the rules at the BRITs, the star sets out her plan to make the music industry more progressive and calls for us all to move on from pop’s tired tropes.
- Alongside Sawayama in calling for change this month are our previous cover stars the Black Music Coalition. Chair and executive committee member Sheryl Nwosu writes exclusively for us about the BMC’s recently unveiled Excellence Honourees list, which the organisation conceived to shine a light on the best Black talent in the business. We also meet four of this year’s honourees – Motown UK/EMI’s Knacai Ceres-McLeod, LiveSource’s Debbie Gayle, YMU Group’s Shanice McConnachie and Parlophone’s Sthenkosi ‘Kosi’ Sompeta – to hear their stories.
- BBC Radio 1 were big winners at the Music Week Awards and we celebrate their victory with a visit to new Broadcasting House to meet station head Aled Haydn Jones alongside star Drivetime presenters Vick Hope and Jordan North. The trio tell us why Radio 1 will always be the home of breaking talent, both on and off the airwaves.
- This month’s Music Week Interview sees SoundCloud CEO Michael Weissman reflect on the continuing recovery of the business, which, under his stewardship, has moved beyond streaming, further into tech and beyond. According to Weissman, SoundCloud is a unique music industry proposition and, as well as revealing his plans for the future of fan-powered royalties, he suggests that the rest of the industry needs to address the way it thinks about artists and fans.
- Last but not least, Brett Morgen’s upcoming film Moonage Daydream is about to make its mark as the first official David Bowie documentary, and we bring you the full story in a special feature. Alongside Morgen, we talk to Warner Chappell Music’s Guy Moot and BMG’s Fred Casimir to find out how Moonage Daydream can add a new dimension to an already legendary legacy
