The UK's Featured Artists Coalition and Music Managers Forum have announced more details about this year's Artist & Manager Awards, which take place in London later this month. That includes an Industry Champion award for the MPs on Parliament's Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee.
During the pandemic, the Parliamentary committee staged an inquiry into the economics of music streaming, giving music-makers and their managers a formal forum in which to raise their concerns about the way streaming works, including around remuneration, data and transparency.
That resulted in a number of government-led programmes that have been seeking voluntary industry solutions to deal with the concerns.
The FAC and MMF note that "in 2023, those programmes are finally seeing tangible progress, albeit at a slower pace than many would like. With MPs on the committee also weighing in on important issues such as AI and Brexit, and now promising to turn their collective eye to the live market, the FAC and MMF would like to thank them for their help and intervention and for their championing of the music-makers who contribute so much to British culture".
Other winners newly confirmed include Jorja Smith - who will receive the Artist Of The Year prize - and Tinie Tempah. He will be named Entrepreneur Of The Year, in no small part for his Imhotep business, which began as a music publisher and has since evolved into a full-service creative agency.
Also getting an award is the band formerly known as Easy Life who will be presented with the Artists’ Voice Award. Not so much for their recent legal battle with EasyJet, but rather in recognition of how they have "taken to social platforms and the wider media to highlight many of the everyday challenges faced by artists and music-makers".
Say FAC CEO David Martin and MMF CEO Annabella Coldrick: “We are really proud to reveal the final line-up for the 2023 Artist & Manager Awards in association with beatBread. There is so much talent within our two communities and we are overjoyed to announce Jorja Smith as our Artist Of The Year, Tinie Tempah and Imhotep as our Entrepreneur, and the band formerly known as Easy Life for our inaugural Artists’ Voice award. All are very special talents".
"We are also delighted", they add, "to recognise the important work of the Culture Media & Sport Committee. The UK remains a beacon for great music, and for that to continue it is vital those who create, record, produce and perform that music are given all possible support to reach their potential".
