Revered artist manager and First Access Management CEO Sarah Stennett spoke about the future of the rock’n’roll star at the MIDEM show in Cannes today, suggesting that there is now “less space for rock stars” in today’s music industry.
Stennett, who won the prestigious Music Week Awards Strat Award earlier this year and has worked with the likes of Conor Maynard, Jessie J, Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora, Iggy Azalea and Zayn Malik, said that the industry is now less willing to take risks when it comes to new artists with a rebellious or unpredictable streak.
When asked if she though a band like Oasis would make it today, Stennett replied: “I don’t know. If you walk into certain offices now in the music industry and you are not playing ball, you’ll see consequences. There is less space for risk taking.”
On the subject of signing new artists, Stennett said it is still as important to ever to trust instinct over stats and to develop emerging talent organically, as opposed to forcing them to pursue a certain style or direction.
“It’s important you look outside stats,” she said. “If you just focus on stats you miss what’s going on where there aren’t any stats available. You’ve got to invest time in an artist in a way that allows people to be who they are. Let them develop. Sit and wait while they learn their craft.”
Discussing contemporary rock’n’roll stars, Stennett cited Lady Gaga as the last “pre-streaming” rock star, and Kendrick Lamar as one of today’s today’s biggest rock stars.
You can read Music Week's Big Interview with Stennett here.
