Arlo Parks and Beatnik Creative’s Ali Raymond are among the winners at this year’s Artist & Manager Awards.
The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) and Music Managers Forum (MMF) announced Skunk Anansie’s Skin and Leigh Johnson (LJM) as the winners of the Pioneer Award at the end of last year.
Now, Parks and Raymond have been unveiled as winners of the Breakthrough Artist & Manager Award, while Music Week Rising Star Michael Adex and his team at NQ won the Entrepreneur Award.
Last year’s Mercury Prize winner Michael Kiwanuka and Starwood Management’s Robert Swerdlow are winners of the Leading Artist & Manager Award, and Ric Salmon and Brian Message’s Driift received the Innovation Award. Driift has worked on events with Biffy Clyro, Nick Cave, Laura Marling, Andrea Bocelli, Kylie Minogue, Sleaford Mods and Dermot Kennedy.
Arlo Parks starred on the cover of Music Week last year and hit No.3 with her debut album Collapsed In Sunbeams, released via Transgressive, earlier this month.
All this year’s winners will feature in a documentary premiering at 7pm on Wednesday, February 24 on YouTube.
Director Raja Virdi of Phase Films produced the film, which serves as an alternative to the event’s traditional awards ceremony and features interviews with all five winners.
Annabella Coldrick, CEO, MMF & David Martin, CEO, FAC, said: “The FAC and MMF would like to congratulate all our deserving winners, and thank all our sponsors. Rather than cancel the Artist & Manager Awards we decided to document the resilience and creativity of artists and managers during this difficult period when careers have been disrupted, live shows postponed and life has shifted online. Obviously we all want business as normal to return safely in 2021, but in the meantime we hope this unique film highlights why music has played such an important role during the pandemic.”
The FAC and MMF would like to congratulate all our deserving winners
Annabella Coldrick & David Martin
Dan Chalmers, director of EMEA, YouTube Music, said: "We believe passionately in celebrating music managers, and recognising the vital role they play in helping the UK creative economy to thrive, now more than ever before. We are delighted to be presenting the Leading Artist & Manager Award to the Starwood Management team and Michael Kiwanuka - a most deserved accolade following a phenomenal year in the face of great adversity.”
Lara Baker, director of business development, UK & Ireland, Songtrust, added: “Songtrust is proud to support and recognise the vital communities represented by the FAC and MMF through sponsoring the Entrepreneur Award category. In what has been such a difficult past year for all in music, it is fantastic to see what a remarkable business and music community Adex and the team at Northern Quarterz have built. Huge congratulations to team NQ on this much deserved award from all at Songtrust."
Chris Stoneman, UK music strategy & ops, Spotify, commented: “We are all delighted for Arlo and Ali and look forward to seeing the documentary film. Being recognised as Breakthrough Artist & Manager is a major achievement, and especially in the current circumstances. To keep up momentum and keep moving forward is truly inspirational.”
PHOTO: Alexandra Waespi
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