Simon Cowell will receive an A&R Icon Award at the prestigious Music Business Worldwide awards in London on 6th November.
The A&R Icon Award, a highlight of the evening, recognizes an individual who is considered a legend of music business A&R – and someone ‘whose professional feats will influence generations to come’.
Simon has produced worldwide television hits with X Factor and Got Talent, Pop Idol and American Idol before starting his music career in the A&R department of EMI Music Publishing in the 1980s, then going on to join BMG.
There, he broke one of Britain’s biggest-selling artists of the 1990s, Robson & Jerome, who were stars of UK TV drama series Soldier Soldier. It wouldn’t be the last time that Cowell would masterfully combine the power of television with pop music.
Simon broke boyband Five at RCA, then, via his own label at BMG, S Records, broke Westlife – who sold more than 50m records.He then created Syco Entertainment as part of a new deal with Sony Music in 2004.
Rob Stringer, CEO, Sony Music Entertainment: “Simon is so omnipresent in pop culture over the past 20 years that it is sometimes overlooked that he is originally and primarily a truly great A&R executive. His track record is up there with the best A&R people of all time if you look at the number of hits he has produced, so I am thrilled he is getting deserved recognition with this particular award.”
A hugely successful music artist on Syco Music is Camila Cabello who speaks highly of her mentor: “Simon knows what makes something connect to another person. He knows if you sing songs that have nothing to do with you or your artistry, people can tell. The most important thing to him is that the music and the artist connect and it all makes sense.
“He knows it’s not just about the song, it’s about the person and their story. He’s been a really great mentor for me over the years and has seen me grow up. That’s the most important thing I’ve learnt from him; the authenticity of your artistry is what will make you connect with your fans.”
Full article: Music Business Worldwide
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