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Despite tough competition, Sony Music Publishing UK managed to retain the Publisher Of The Year trophy (sponsored by PRS For Music) at the Music Week Awards.
The market-leading music publisher had another great year with a roster including the new generation of UK talent such as Olivia Dean and Lola Young, as well as classic catalogue from the likes of Oasis.
“We have held on to it, so we are very happy,” said Tim Major, president and co-MD at Sony Music Publishing UK, who heads up the British company with David Ventura, president & co-managing director, UK, SVP international A&R.
Sony Music Publishing UK also represents Lily Allen, Dave, Jade, PinkPantheress, Charli XCX, Myles Smith, Wolf Alice, Ed Sheeran, Skepta and Hozier, as well as iconic song catalogues from Queen, Sade, Blur and Kate Bush.
New songwriting talent and signings include Little Simz, Victor Ray, Kidwild, Asha Banks, Fimiguerrero, Freya Ridings, Seb Schub and Jim Legxacy.
Joining Music Week backstage at the ceremony, Tim Major and head of A&R Sarah Gabrielli talked us through their triumphant year…
Olivia Dean was a major presence at the Music Week Awards in terms of the winners. How has it been working with her team on this incredible campaign?
Sarah Gabrielli: “Well, obviously it’s been a pleasure, because the team is absolutely marvellous. Emily [Braham, manager, Yo&Co], Sarah [Howell, Yo&Co] and Willem [Ward, Capitol A&R] are a winning team. Capitol has done an amazing campaign for her. As a songwriter, she’s just so authentic, and that’s the first thing that strikes you when you meet her. She’s so in love with making music, so in love with songwriting and her narrative. I feel like that is what is really the main thing about her. She just shines as a personality, and you can feel that in the way that she makes music and in the way that she collaborates.”
We’ve been working with Lola for a very long time – she’s always just had this amazing talent
Tim Major
Lola Young is another hugely successful artist, how has it been working with her team amid the global reach with Messy?
Tim Major: “Incredible. We’ve been working with Lola for a very long time. She’s always just had this amazing talent and the music has always been quality. Just to see that song connect the way it did – it was a few months after it came out but it suddenly just caught fire and everything happened for her.
“For us, it’s been an amazing time for British music – to be able to see Olivia, to see Lola, to see Myles Smith, to see Yungblud, to see these people having success on a global scale. We went out to the Grammys, so we were able to see Yungblud, Lola and Olivia win awards. For British songwriters and British artists to be winning those awards again is just fantastic. So we’re super proud of all of them.” 
And we’ve seen PinkPantheress emerge as another big UK star…
Tim Major: “She’s had an incredible time. She was another artist that, when we signed her, it was just obvious that she had this amazing talent. But she has really just developed and blossomed into this incredible artist, and she has such a presence on stage. Now it’s incredible to watch to be honest.”
Sarah Gabrielli: “What has been really amazing with PinkPantheress is how she’s managed to bring UK culture and make it sound fun and make it global, because she’s so British in the way that she sounds and makes music. But somehow it’s just international and it’s just so unique. She has her own voice, she’s phenomenal.”
Has SMP CEO & chairman Jon Platt taken a closer interest in the UK company amid this global artist success?
Tim Major: “To be honest, Jon’s just been there from the start. He was in the meetings when we first met Lola. Jon is somebody who loves meeting artists at all levels, and so he will genuinely spend time with songwriters, wherever they are at. And I think that’s what’s so fantastic for us, because he just cares about the music and he cares about the songwriters. He spends a lot of time with us. We see him and he’s super-engaged in the music, and that’s been incredible for us in terms of the support.”
As a songwriter, Olivia Dean is just so authentic, she’s so in love with making music
Sarah Gabrielli
How does Sony Music Publishing work with an act like Oasis on catalogue, following their return to the stage?
Tim Major: “We do everything we can in terms of supporting them. We license a lot of music for Oasis. They don’t need a lot of creative support but we are engaged with the team on anything they need. For me personally, I was an absolute huge Oasis fan back in the day. And even I had sort of forgotten how big they were and how much of British culture they touched. For them to be back was incredible, and it was incredible for us just to be there and to witness it and to be a very small part of it. We are really so proud to represent those songs. Because standing in Wembley and watching everybody singing those songs, you realised it was just anthem after anthem – they are so important.”
Sarah Gabrielli: “And you can see that internationally too. In America when they had their dates in California [Rose Bowl] and opened their shop with merch, the queue just to get access to the merch was blocks and blocks long. It was just insane the global impact and excitement worldwide about having them on stage again.”
Is there now a greater demand for ’90s music for sync at Sony Music Publishing?
Tim Major: “It feels that way. There’s never been a shortage of interest in Oasis’ music for sync to be honest. But I think we feel like there’s an interest in bands again and music of that era for sure.”
PHOTOS: Paul Harries/Panni Renner
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