News

• Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe and Angela Becker, Pet Shop Boys’ manager since 2009, will receive the FAC & MMF’s Artist Manager Partnership Award (sponsored by PPL) in recognition of their shared impact on music and culture
• Yungblud & Special Projects Music (Fan Champion Award) will also be recognised, with further announcements coming soon – including recipients of Artist of the Year and Manager of the Year
• 2024’s Awards take place on Thursday 21st November at London’s Bloomsbury Big Top
• BBC Radio 1Xtra’s Remi Burgz confirmed as host
• Tickets and sponsorship packages are available now

The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) and Music Managers Forum (MMF) are delighted to announce that the legendary Pet Shop Boys and their long-term manager, Angela Becker, will be recognised for their shared pioneering impact on music and culture at the 2024 Artist & Manager Awards.

Their Artist Manager Partnership Award is sponsored by PPL.

The prestigious ceremony, which celebrates creative artists who release music and perform shows and the entrepreneurial partners who help them build businesses, returns to London’s Bloomsbury Big Top on the evening of Thursday 21st November.

Our host for the evening will be BBC Radio 1Xtra’s Remi Burgz.

Fresh from a triumphant headline appearance at BBC Radio 2’s annual In The Park festival, 2024 has already been a special year for Pet Shop Boys, marking the 40th anniversary of their iconic debut single release, West End Girls.

Having reached number two in the UK album chart in April with “Nonetheless” (their highest-charting studio album since 1993), Neil and Chris also completed the final UK and European leg of their Dreamworld: The Greatest Hits Live tour, culminating in a widely-acclaimed sold-out residency at London’s Royal Opera House.

A truly global phenomenon, with a remarkable influence on music and culture around the world, Pet Shop Boys have sold more than 50 million records, released 60 singles spanning five decades and are listed in The Guinness Book of Records as the most successful UK duo of all time.

Behind the scenes, former Madonna manager, Angela Becker at Becker Brown, came onboard in 2009.

In the 15 years since, Angela has helped maintain Pet Shop Boys’ influence and reputation through a period of extreme industry disruption – growing their live business and overseeing countless triumphant performances, including the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony, and embracing innovative new business models, such as the duo’s x2 record label, launched initially with Kobalt Label Services.

Angela and the Becker Brown team have also helped expand PSB’s diversity of creative partnerships, continuing Neil and Chris’ long-time manoeuvrings into the worlds of opera, ballet, theatre, fashion, design and film. Notably, in 2024, Angela reunited the duo with their spiritual home at Parlophone Records.

As the headline of a recent rave Observer review nailed it – Pet Shop Boys are still never being boring.

Annabella Coldrick, Chief Executive, Music Managers Forum:

“The MMF and FAC are delighted that Pet Shop Boys and Angela Becker will join us on November 21st to receive their Artist Manager Partnership Award. The award is testament to their extraordinary impact on music and culture, and how they have deftly navigated such a radically changing business – embracing innovation, pushing boundaries, and always with charisma and panache. Forty years since the release of West End Girls, Neil, Chris and Angela remain a true inspiration to the artist and management communities.”

Peter Leathem OBE, CEO of PPL:

“PPL is proud to sponsor this year’s FAC and MMF Artist and Manager Partnership Award to celebrate not just one, but two of the most successful partnerships in the history of popular music. Congratulations to Angela, Neil and Chris whose ultimate artist-manager partnership reaches great new heights with everything they do. Congratulations also to Neil and Chris on 40 years of recording some of the most memorable and most loved songs in British music history.”

The FAC and MMF can also happily confirm that Yungblud (aka Dom Harrison), Tommas Arnby, Adam Wood and the management team at Special Projects Music will receive the Fan Champion Award in recognition of their innovative and hands-on approach to building and nurturing a fanbase. Especially so with the ambitions and aspirations behind Dom’s “affordable” one-day festival, Bludfest, which waged a one-person war on the cost of living crisis, and presented an 11-act line-up for less than £50.

The MMF and FAC are at the heart of multiple campaigns around live music – including 100% Venues that seeks to end onerous commissions on the sale of artist’s merchandise, FanFair Alliance and the fight against industrial scale ticket touting, as well as ongoing industry-wide discussions to support the grassroots sector, ensuring artists can perform, develop new audiences and develop sustainable careers. It is fantastic to see an artist who wears their heart on their sleeve, who stands up for their beliefs and connects so passionately with their community.

David Martin, CEO, Featured Artists Coalition:

“Building a fanbase is one thing, building a community – a genuine community – is quite another. For those reasons, we are so happy to recognise Yungblud and his management team at Special Projects Music with our Fan Champion Award. The past few years have been extraordinarily challenging for artists and audiences alike, but Dom and team have provided a genuine beacon for younger audiences to connect with music, epitomised by the ideals and ambitions behind Bludfest and his recent book, ‘You Need To Exist’. Those ideals are prized highly by the FAC and MMF in all our campaigning work, particularly around live music.“

Tickets for the 2024 Artist & Manager Awards 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 our exclusive afterparty.
Further announcements will be made in coming weeks, including our recipients for Artist of the Year and Manager of the Year.

2023’s sell-out event, which was supported by the likes of beatBread, PPL, TikTok, Amazon Music and Hipgnosis Songs and graced by more than 600 attendees, saw Duran Duran and Wendy Laister recognised for their long-term partnership.

Other awards were received by Central Cee’s manager Bello, Nia Archives, Tinie Tempah, Forever Living Originals, The Cookie Crew, The Band Formerly Known As Easy Life, Jorja Smith, Louise Latimer (manager of Self Esteem & The Big Moon), The Flight Club and the Culture Media & Sport Select Committee.

Highlights from the 2023 Artist & Manager Awards can be viewed here.

For more information on sponsorship opportunities or tickets, please contact Jonathan Robinson or Gary Reid – jonathan@themmf.net / gary@thefac.org