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Artist & Manager Awards 2023 in association with beatBread to honour Duran Duran and Wendy Laister 

• The iconic UK band and their long-time manager to receive recognition for their globally successful partnership at the Bloomsbury Big Top on November 23rd, 2023

• beatBread are the Artist & Manager Awards’ headline sponsor for the second year running 

• Tickets and sponsorship packages available now 

FRIDAY 28TH JULY 2023

The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) and the Music Managers Forum (MMF) are delighted to confirm that the 13th Artist & Manager Awards in association with beatBread will return to London’s Bloomsbury Big Top on Thursday November 23rd. 

Epitomising the spirit of the event, we are honoured that Duran Duran and their long-time manager, Wendy Laister, will pick up our special Artist & Management Partnership Award, celebrating more than two decades of success.

Taking their early cues from the DIY ethos of punk, Duran Duran’s original blueprint was to blend the shock and awe of the Sex Pistols with the sophistication and groove of CHIC – a combination that catapulted the five-piece of Simon Le Bon, John Taylor, Nick Rhodes, Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor from Birmingham’s Rum Runner nightclub to a defining period as the world’s biggest band. 

In the early 1980s, Duran Duran were unstoppable. Capitalising on the impact of MTV, and the transformation of music into an audio-visual medium, they achieved astonishing levels of success, delivering a succession of global hit singles and videos, from Planet Earth and Girls On Film to Hungry Like The Wolf, Save A Prayer, Rio, The Reflex, The Wild Boys, A View To A Kill and many more. 

Following a short mid-80s sabbatical, during which the group’s members separately started The Power Station and Arcadia, Duran Duran reconvened as a core trio for the Notorious, Big Thing and Liberty albums, joined by guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, before delivering the evergreen singles Ordinary World and Come Undone in 1992. The former remains one of the band’s best-loved (and best-streamed) songs, contributing to the band selling more than 100 million records over their career. 

Wendy Laister and Magus Entertainment began managing the band in 2002, ushering in a new wave of success that has continued to burgeon over the two decades since.  Reunited with original members Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor for 2004’s Astronaut, Laister secured the group a two-album deal with Epic Records, before bringing them back to their original Warner Records home for 2015’s Paper Gods.  

Under Wendy’s stewardship, that legacy has only grown, with not only some of their highest chart positions around the world, but also their biggest concert audiences, together with widespread recognition from the industry that has brought them now seven Lifetime Achievement awards – from the BRITS and MTV, to the Ivors and Q (among others).  In 2022 they were inducted into the highly prestigious Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and throughout the last twenty years they have been acknowledged by a wide range of artists including Justin Timberlake, The Killers, Goldfrapp, Janelle Monae, Tove Lo, Franz Ferdinand, Panic! At The Disco and many more.

Throughout the time they have worked together, the unique nature of their relationship has allowed them to explore innumerable ground-breaking projects together, many in the technology arena – that have added to the band’s long list of ‘firsts’.  From an early and much lauded presence in the Metaverse, and a number of innovative creative collaborations with some of the world’s top film makers, to the first ever AI created video – to name but a few.

In 2023, Duran Duran remain more relevant than ever. Their most recent album, 2021’s FUTURE PAST (BMG) saw Duran Duran assemble creative collaborations with Mark Ronson, Giorgio Moroder and Erol Alkan, alongside contributions from Graham Coxon, Tove Lo, Ivorian Doll, Chai and Mike Garson. Duran Duran have now achieved Top 5 albums in all five decades of their career.  

With new music promised for later this year, the FAC and MMF are delighted to celebrate this incredible legacy and Duran Duran’s partnership with Wendy Laister. 

Annabella Coldrick, Chief Executive, Music Managers Forum said: 

“We are so delighted to mark the return of the Artist & Manager Awards with this award to celebrate the achievements of Duran Duran and their manager Wendy Laister. Wendy remains one of the UK’s most legendary and successful managers, with an astonishing track record that stretches back to her phenomenal accomplishments with Aerosmith in the 1990s. Her partnership with Duran Duran epitomises the spirit of our event, and we are delighted they will join us to celebrate more than two decades of innovation, inspiration and global success.”

David Martin, CEO, Featured Artists Coalition said: 

“Duran Duran’s music and enduring popularity speaks for itself, but their ability to keep breaking new ground is truly remarkable – as is their influence on several generations of artists. This is a band that never stands still, and everyone at the FAC is excited to celebrate their partnership with Wendy Laister. We are also delighted to have beatBread return as our headline sponsor. Their innovative business is forging new ground within the industry and creating fresh opportunities for the artist community.”

Tickets for the 2023 Artist & Manager Awards in association with beatBread are available now – please find details here. 

As well as full access to the ceremony, attendees will enjoy a red carpet cocktail reception, a two-course meal and entry to an exclusive Artist & Manager Awards afterparty. 

Other categories at the must-attend event include Artist of the Year, Manager of the Year, Breakthrough Artist, Breakthrough Manager, Entrepreneur and Industry Champion. Lifetime achievements will also be recognised with our sought-after awards for Artists’ Artist and Managers’ Manager.  

FAC and MMF members and Associate members can submit nominations to our Awards long-list here  

At last year’s sell-out ceremony, winners included Becky Hill, Bose Ogulu, Tim Burgess, Martin Hall, Carl Cox, beabadoobee, Callum Reece, Groundworks, Krept & Konan, ABBA Voyage, Red Light Management and Music Declares Emergency. 

The Artist & Manager Awards are headline sponsored for the second year running by beatBread, the pioneering music funding platform that enables artists to access growth capital while maintaining control of their careers and ownership of their music.

 Launched in November 2020, and already a highly valued Associate Member of the MMF and partner of the FAC, beatBread has firmly established itself as one of the best ways for independent artists to source funding to further their careers. The company provides advances on streaming income for both catalogue and unreleased repertoire, empowering artists and giving them complete choice of their distribution, marketing and promotion partners. beatBread advances range from as little as $1,000 to as much as $3M per artist.

 To date, the company has supplied funding to more than 800 artists and labels across multiple genres, six continents and a broad range of career stages. 

 Artists and managers who want to explore what their capital options might be can do so quickly and easily without any obligation, simply by answering a few questions at www.beatbread.com. 

 Earlier this year, beatBread launched its Investor Network, a platform that enables distributors, industry insiders and qualified investors to bid on fractions of an artist’s deal, allowing artists to leverage the best possible terms to finance their careers as a result.

beatBread CEO Peter Sinclair said: 

“Our mission is to put power back in the hands of artists and managers, by giving them the best possible funding options with the power to customise terms to meet their needs while maintaining choice in their marketing, distribution and production partners. Even if an artist has a funding offer before engaging beatBread or receives funding from a partner other than beatBread after engaging, artists and managers who use our platform end up getting the best possible funding options. More and more artists are turning to us every day for funding, whether they’re in the early stages of their careers or have been around for years. We’re proud to be returning as the headline sponsor of the Artist & Manager Awards, as we continue to partner with the MMF and the FAC to celebrate the important work they do in supporting the creative ecosystem around the world.”