Scott Lewis clues us in on EMI North, an exciting new era for UK Music.
HI SCOTT! WHO ARE EMI NORTH?
EMI North is the first ever major label office based outside of London in the UK. It’s led by a small team of people rooted in and from the North. Our office space is in Leeds, but we are focused on supporting and uplifting the whole of the North of the UK.
WHY DID EMI END UP IN LEEDS? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?
EMI North president Clive Cawley is from Yorkshire originally, and had a vision of bringing more music industry support to the North. After sounding out a selection of places, Leeds felt like the right home, with the right initial partners to work with and to help build the vision out into a reality. EMI North was announced at the start of 2023, with the core team coming together over the summer.
WHAT DOES THE EMI NORTH TEAM PLAN TO DO?
Our vision is to improve the musical and creative infrastructure in the North of the UK. We want to make the dream of a music-based career a reality no matter where you are. There are several ways in which we’re aiming to do this; firstly as a record label, working with a small roster of artists to enhance their story and creative vision. We’re also partnering with creative organisations, starting with two Leeds-based organisations, indie record label Clue Records and the very familiar name of Come Play With Me! We’ve also partnered with MAP charity, fundraising for them through the Universal Music annual charity bike ride — cycling 410km over 3 days from the Universal office in London to our EMI North office in the heart of Leeds.
HOW EXACTLY IS COME PLAY WITH ME INVOLVED?
Come Play With Me is one of our partner labels, which means we’re supporting them to amplify what they’re doing. We’ll help to bring strategy to artist release campaigns and tap into the expertise and infrastructure at EMI to hopefully help them grow the label and achieve their wider goals, as well as those of their artists.
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE IN THIS, AND HOW DID YOU GET TO THIS PLACE?
I’m label manager at EMI North, and have been in the role since June 2023. Before this, I’d done a whole host of things in the music industry to gain experience, try things out and keep myself entertained! I set up and have been running Clue Records over the last 10 years, working with some incredible artists, many of them gracing stages at Glastonbury, Reading&Leeds, Download Festival and more. I taught at Leeds Conservatoire for three years and was the lead mentor at the brilliant talent development organisation Music Leeds/Launchpad. I’ve managed artists, tried my hand out at PR, tour managed, made music videos and done anything else I could that supported emerging artists and enabled my creativity to flow. I’ve got a huge affection for Come Play With Me as I was running the label, delivering workshops and developing artists there, trying to empower artists to further their own careers. I’m still really close to the team and try to champion all they do.
SOUNDS ACE! IF I'M A NORTHERN-BASED ARTIST, WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN FOR ME?
We’re actively looking for Northern talent to support and develop. Wider than that, we’re looking to connect Northern artists with Northern creatives, and in the long term, we want to strengthen and develop employment opportunities in the North of the UK.
The best place to find out more is across all our socials, each with the handle of @EMINorthRecords.
