Fascination Management’s Peter Loraine won The Strat at the Music Week Awards 2024 in recognition of his incredible success with pop artists over the last 30 years.
His career included a spell as the youthful launch editor of Top Of The Pops Magazine, marketing director and then label head at Polydor/Universal imprint Fascination (recruited by Sir Lucian Grainge), and his own Fascination Management company.
As well as giving the Spice Girls their nicknames in TOTP magazine, Loraine has worked with acts including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Will Young, Jessie Ware, Jake Shears, S Club 7, Bananarama, All Saints, The Saturdays and Steps.
Girls Aloud presented Loraine with The Strat at the Music Week Awards 2024, while numerous stars appeared in the video tribute. Here, pop icons and execs salute the industry executive…
Kylie Minogue
“Well, it was the ’90s and I was on the cover of Top Of The Pops Magazine, which was a huge thrill, covering Jarvis Cocker in kisses. So it was a good day at the office, thank you Peter Loraine!”
Melanie C & Emma Bunton, Spice Girls
MC: “I don't think people realise how instrumental Peter has been in a huge part of what the Spice Girls went on to become. Not many people knew what the Spice Girls were at that point, did they?”
EB: “Not at all. We went to meet him because obviously Top Of The Pops Magazine was huge. I think we wanted a cover. So he actually gave us our nicknames.”
MC: “It was a bit of a game-changer for the Spice Girls because we were such strong characters, but because of those nicknames, we were able to become caricatures of who we were.”
Howard Donald, Take That
“Supporting us from the very early days when we first started with Top Of The Pops, it was amazing – part of our DNA.”
Sir Lucian Grainge, CEO & chairman, Universal Music Group (then boss of Polydor)
“I had this brainwave, and I thought, Peter Loraine is exactly the kind of person that a record company needs – and it's certainly what Polydor needed. You were really the beginning of the transformation of what Polydor became in the late ’90s, obviously with S Club 7.”
S Club 7, Rachel Stevens & Bradley McIntosh
RS: “He was just such a huge part of everything from marketing, to branding.”
BM: “He had such enthusiasm, we even nicknamed him Peter Pop.”
He had such enthusiasm, we even nicknamed him Peter Pop
Bradley McIntosh, S Club 7
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
“He was marketing director at Polydor, where I had just signed. We just immediately started having a ball together really. It was around the era of making videos like Take Me Home and Murder On The Dance Floor.”
David Joseph, CEO & chairman, Universal Music UK
“Peter was such an important part of making Polydor the number one label at that time. So it just felt very natural and the right thing to do to give him his own label [Fascination]. I’m really thrilled for you, well done. You found a lane that you loved and you’ve absolutely smashed it. Congratulations.”
Selina Webb, EVP, Universal Music UK
“I’m just so thrilled to see you recognised.”
Girls Aloud, Cheryl Tweedy
“Without him, I don’t think we would even be here today.”
Goldfrapp, Alison Goldfrapp
“My gosh, we've been through so many things together, so many wonderful events, so many great shows. He's been there guiding me through every album.”
Jessie Ware
“I remember going into the Fascination office, it was collaborative and it was pure, it was passionate and it was enthusiastic. And it was kind.”
Will Young
“Peter bloody Loraine. It hit me like a wave, I thought, ‘I really want Peter to manage me.’ I don’t even know how long it’s been now. It actually feels like a lifetime. Did I say lifetime? I meant life sentence.”
