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Sharkey announces UK Music departure
By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 14 November 2011
Amid all the hoo and the haa of the EMI sale on Friday, the British music business’s trade body of trade bodies, UK Music, announced that its CEO, Feargal Sharkey, was stepping down with immediate effect.
Sharkey, of course, was instrumental in creating UK Music in the first place. He originally joined as chief of British Music Rights, the rather lacklustre organisation that undertook lobbying and comms for the music publishing sector and its three other trade organisations, the Music Publishers’ Association, British Academy Of Songwriters, Composers And Authors, and collecting society PRS.
Adamant the wider music business needed to speak as one on key issues, especially when addressing government, Sharkey brought representatives of the record industry, management and musician communities and, more recently, the live sector, into the fold, creating what we now know as UK Music.
It’s an uneasy alliance, because the agendas of constituent members often differ, and some member organisations – the record industry’s BPI in particular – are more prolific and powerful than the others. But, in no small part thanks to Sharkey’s personality and determination – not to mention the fact he made a great public representative given his background as both an artist and industry exec – he managed to pull it off.
Paying tribute to the organisation’s outgoing CEO, UK Music’s Chairman Andy Heath said on Friday: “This is a very sad day, Feargal has worked tirelessly to realise the vision of the founders of the company, and he has achieved that brilliantly. He has assembled a first class team who, I’m certain will take the company forward to new strengths and achievements”.
He continues: “I will miss working with him immensely. He’s unique and can’t be replaced, but now UK Music has achieved the stability, credibility and reputation that it has, we will move forward with a new CEO to new heights. Feargal is an ambitious man and I fully respect his decision that he wishes to take up new challenges”.
Sharkey himself added: “UK Music has been one of the greatest adventures of my life and I leave now so I might continue on other journeys. While there will be many memories above all I shall never forget what a honour and a privilege it has been to have worked with such a dedicated, creative and professional team of staff, without whom, so much simply would not have been possible”.
Meanwhile the CEO of one of the trade bodies involved in UK Music from the start, as a former affiliate of British Music Rights, the MPA’s Stephen Navin, told CMU: “I advised Feargal on his management agreement when the Undertones [first] burst upon us. He has been advising me wisely ever since. I shall miss him enormously as friend, colleague, fisherman and catholic. A force of nature, like a comet he lit up our part of the creative industries firmament and now he has moved on – God bless you and good luck”.
UK Music’s senior policy advisor Jo Dipple will head up the organisation while a new CEO is recruited.
