Brit Beat: Universal Music U.K. Looks Ahead After David Joseph’s Surprise Exit

U.K. record labels have got used to upheaval in recent years, but the industry was still taken aback by recent changes at Universal Music's British company.

There were emotional scenes in the company's King's Cross HQ when, in a surprise move, David Joseph – Universal Music U.K.'s long-time and highly respected CEO/chairman – stepped down on September 23 after 26 years at the company, almost 17 of them in the top job. He was replaced the following day by Dickon Stainer, previously President/CEO of Universal's Global Classics & Jazz division and the Verve Label Group. Stainer will continue as chairman of Global Classics & Jazz alongside his U.K. role.

Joseph, meanwhile, appears to be leaving the music industry after a stellar career, and has already started a master's degree in religion and theology at King's College, London.

Universal Music Group CEO & chairman Lucian Grainge paid tribute to Joseph in his staff memo about the change, saying: "One of the many things I respect about David is that he never tried to be anyone but himself, and he guided the U.K. company to heights in a way that was completely authentic to him. In addition, I have enormous respect for his decision to take an entirely different path after so many outstanding years at UMG."

The timing of Joseph's announcement came a week before the official implementation of Universal U.K.'s restructure around two main label groups, Island EMI Label Group and Polydor Label Group, which has led to layoffs across the company. But Variety sources indicate the move had in fact been planned for some time, even if very few people in the company were aware of it.

Joseph has been arguably the U.K.'s most powerful and influential music executive since he took over from Grainge at the top of the British company in 2008, but he usually preferred to keep a low profile, and rarely did press interviews. Nonetheless, he was hands-on behind the scenes throughout his tenure; Variety sources say he was personally involved in successful efforts to persuade Take That – one of the U.K.'s biggest acts and one that Joseph had worked with since the 1990s – not to leave the Universal stable for another home ahead of most recent album, "This Life."

Joseph had a reputation for being artist-friendly and also did much important work behind the scenes to transform the industry's approach to equality, diversity and inclusion, including some pioneering work on neurodiversity, while keeping Universal a clear No.1 in terms of market share.

Stainer, who is already in charge, may be somewhat more of an unknown quantity to the contemporary pop/hip-hop end of the business, but he's well-known and respected across the wider industry and his expertise is certainly not confined to the classical genre. He worked with then-Decca Records President Rebecca Allen – now the leader of Universal U.K.'s new audience and media division – and current co-presidents Laura Monks and Tom Lewis to establish Decca as a multi-genre label with notable success. Elsewhere, he also helped guide Jon Batiste to multiple Grammy wins.

Stainer shares Joseph's thoughtful, empathetic approach, and also has huge global experience, which will prove crucial as Universal leads the battle to preserve the U.K.'s under-threat status as a source of talent capable of international stardom.

"Dickon has embraced an expansive musical worldview throughout his career, taking artists from a wide variety of genres and bringing them to audiences globally," said Grainge in the official announcement of Stainer's appointment. "He not only has deep experience in leveraging our worldwide organization on behalf of our artists, but a track record that includes global commercial and creative artist successes and countless awards in many countries."

Variety understands that, while Stainer had not been involved in the Universal U.K. restructure, he will not be making further changes now he is in post. But, after almost 17 years with one leader, all eyes in the U.K. industry will be on his successor, and what happens next...

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One act getting a boost in its attempts to become one of Universal's next wave of breakout British stars is English Teacher.

The Leeds-based alternative rockers won the Mercury Prize for the best British/Irish album of the year last month, and saw an immediate uplift in sales and streams of their album, "This Could Be Texas".

According to the Official Charts Company, chart sales of the record increased by 1,073% in the week following the ceremony, as it returned to the Top 40. That was despite the Prize's new look, which – as discussed in last month's Brit Beat – forewent the traditional big ceremony with live performances for a pared-down, "broadcast event" at Abbey Road Studios.

English Teacher's co-managers, Pete Heywoode and Alex Edwards of Dead Sound tell Variety that the new approach did not seem to dampen the impact of the win.

"We're more about the exposure for the artist rather than us sat at a table having a free bottle of champagne," laughs Edwards. "It's what the public would have seen, which is the band winning the award and the other artists on the night, that's all that matters."

"We hope that [the Prize] continues to get the support it needs because it's such an important award for the music industry," adds Heywoode. "It recognizes a body of work in a way that other awards ceremonies don't. Not only are we seeing increased opportunities for the band, but what really mattered was the acknowledgement of the work they've put into making the record. I'm really pleased that people are able to discover the album, that might not have done previously."

The management duo say that English Teacher's U.K. tour largely sold out in the wake of the victory, with an extra show added at London's Koko venue on November 13. They are also in negotiations for some high-profile media appearances and are already fielding offers from festivals for 2025, with Edwards anticipating "a very busy year" next year.

Despite British music's recent struggle to succeed Stateside, the band is also making big plans for America. They recently wrapped a U.S. support tour with Idles, followed by a sold-out headline show at New York's Market Hotel and have now signed, appropriately enough, with Mercury Records for America.

"They've already started to build an audience over there," says Heywoode, who says further U.S. dates will follow soon. "There's been some great press, really solid radio support across the college stations and, with the backing of a heavyweight label, I do think they can buck the trend."

At home, the band is signed to Island Records, one of the labels caught up in the Universal U.K. restructure. But with Island president Louis Bloom heading up the new Island EMI Label Group, the managers do not anticipate any disruption to the band's progress.

"Louis has been a big part of bringing English Teacher into Island," says Edwards. "He's been a champion from the start, he loves the band, he's very much committed to the project and so is the rest of his team. So, I don't think much is going to change for us at all, it's just business as usual."

After the U.K. tour, and the release of some new limited edition vinyl versions of the album, the band will take a break before starting work on the follow-up record early next year. And Dead Sound – which also represents other rising alternative acts such as Sprints, Fur and Pip Blom, and has a label arm, Nice Swan Records, which has developed numerous acts, including English Teacher – is expecting a big 2025 across its roster.

"There does seem to be a real alternative resurgence at the moment with bands like Wunderhorse and Fontaines D.C. really smashing their numbers and ticket sales," says Heywoode. "Then you've got Oasis coming back – next year's going to be a big year for guitar music, without a doubt."

"it's exciting to see where they're going to get to," adds Edwards. "The world is truly English Teacher's oyster."

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Meanwhile, Black Lives in Music (BLiM) is stepping up its campaign for equality in the live events sector.

BLiM CEO Charisse Beaumont recently gave evidence to the London Assembly's Economy, Culture & Skills Committee about the licensing procedure for live shows, raising concerns that the system is biased against artists and promoters from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

With support from the Mayor of London and the city's Night Czar, BLiM has helped to set up the Race Equality in Music Event Licensing (REMEL) group, with partners including the Musicians' Union (MU), live industry trade body LIVE, U.K. Music and the Metropolitan Police. It has also been commissioned by the Greater London Authority (GLA), the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and the MU to research the impact of policies and interaction with the police, councils, venues and promoters on Black, Asian and ethnically diverse music events.

Beaumont tells Variety that the research so far has revealed the "depressing" scale of the problem, with multiple incidences of events being advised to cancel, seemingly on the whim of the police or local authorities.

"This is happening across the country, all over, from the top down," she says. "[It affects] all genres, all levels from the biggest venues to the smallest, and even the biggest independent promoters. Since we made public that we're doing this piece of research, we've been inundated – and we're shocked at the type of venues we're getting [evidence] from. They're doing it at the highest level."

Beaumont says that, while larger venues and promoters have the resources and contacts to counter attempts to cancel events without good reason, smaller operators are often intimidated into complying, for fear of losing their licenses.

In the past, the Metropolitan Police faced criticism for its use of Form 696, a risk assessment document that promoters and licensees had to submit in advance of events. The form asked for a description of the style of music involved and the target audience, which many in the industry claimed was used to discriminate against Black, Asian and ethnically diverse events. The form was finally axed in 2017, although many one-off events still require a Temporary Events Notice.

"It took years' worth of work in order to get Form 696 scrapped," says Beaumont. "But now it's operating by stealth."

Police objections to events can fall under categories including "preventing crime and disorder", "promoting public safety", "preventing public nuisance" and "protection of children from harm".

Beaumont says events that have been affected range from large shows by visiting U.S. hip-hop stars to small Bollywood or jazz events.

"Is jazz dangerous or unsafe?" asks Beaumont. "No. So why is their application being rejected? It can only be for one reason and that's what we're seeing across the board."

The research will be used by REMEL to "develop recommendations, identify best practise, share learning and take action". BLiM wants an overhaul of the licensing process, including establishing a transparent process for communicating licensing objections; improved training and guidance for the police; and the establishment of a charter so that licensing performance can be assessed; and a framework for potential compensation for canceled events.

"Everybody's losing out on money and it's not fair on anyone," Beaumont says. "If you're an artist and you want to grow your audience, you should have the right to perform in your local area, regardless of the genre. This is 100% stifling creativity."

BLiM, which was set up to address racial inequality in the music industry, will stage its own event, Classically Black, a festival celebrating the contributions of black classical musicians, at Kings Place in London on October 19.