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Global Radio launches its music business Stateside, appoints former AEG Live chief
By Chris Cooke | Published on Friday 20 February 2015
Good news if you’re one of those people who like companies called Global to actually be global, because Global’s gone global.
Yes, Global Entertainment – the music publishing and talent management side of London-based media firm Global Radio – has launched a US division based out of LA, and it has hired Randy Phillips, last seen running AEG Live Stateside, to head up the business.
The biggest commercial radio station operator in the UK, owning the likes of Capital, Heart, Classic FM, LBC and Xfm, Global has long had operations beyond its radio business, and not just the Capital and Heart-branded TV channels. The Global music publishing unit represents the song rights of a nice little roster of artists, while on the artist management side the company was entirely responsible for inflicting The Wanted on us all.
But confirmation of Global Entertainment’s launch in America under the leadership of a veteran like Phillips suggests an ambition to considerably expand this side of the business. Billing itself as a “real 360 content creation company”, in addition to its existing publishing and management operations, Global Entertainment plans to move into marketing services, brand partnerships, recorded music and live.
Although best know for his time at AEG, where he was one of the live giant’s highest profile execs, Phillips has also worked in management and co-launched a label, so does have the CV to run a “360 degree” music company. Speaking to Billboard about the new venture, Phillips revealed that he has actually been working with Global since last April, but has been “fine-tuning” the model ever since.
He notes: “Doing a start-up is different than stepping into an existing job. Building a business from scratch is like putting together a puzzle, the pieces all have to fit. You can’t just hire people because they have great resumes, they have to be able to work with the other people you bring in”.
