Red Light Songs’ team have told Music Week they are “just getting started” following a run of hits.
Headed by Caroline Trout, who has been with Red Light for a decade, the songwriter & producer division is part of the wider management business.
The firm’s songwriters and producers have worked with Charli XCX (Jon Shave), Dua Lipa (Danny L Harle) Chase & Status & Becky Hill (Emily Makis), Sonny Fodera & Clementine Douglas (Ruth-Anne Cunningham), Lainey Wilson (Jon Decious), Fred Again.. and Myles Smith (both Will Bloomfield), and more.
“It’s the genesis of something great,” said James Sandom, managing partner & UK co-founder. “In real terms, it’s just getting started – this is the third year we’ve been properly focused on it. As well as a lot of positive headlines, it’s now demonstrating its worth from a business standpoint.”
The London-based operation has established strong connections with Nashville and LA. Managers working across Red Light Songs in the UK and US include Trout, Sandom, Victoria Becks, Al Mills, Patrick Hanrahan, Matt Johnson, Dan Potts, Tony Garvey, Marc Thomas and Ash Sykes.
Following several years in artist management, Trout moved over to work with Hanrahan on UK songwriter and producer Danny L Harle, who collaborated across Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism.
“My eyes had been opened to a world that I hadn’t really seen before,” said Trout. “You’re able to see the wider industry and be involved in more than just artist projects.”
“Red Light develops good people and enables them to succeed,” said Sandom. “This just felt like a very natural transition where Caroline was absolutely thriving in that [Red Light Songs] ecosystem. It just made total sense to focus on having someone at the heartbeat of it.”
Trout also manages Grammy-nominated Jon Shave, who co-founded production team The Invisible Men. Since going solo in 2023, he has worked on projects including Charli XCX’s BRIT and Grammy-winning album Brat, including co-writing and co-producing Sympathy Is A Knife.
“Charli has been a collaborator of his for nearly a decade now,” said Trout. “Brat just keeps on giving, it never seems to stop. He’s been working with a lot of different people, he is excited to work with new talent as well.”
It’s great to have got started and touched so many records that have soundtracked the lives of people in the last few years
James Sandom
Red Light Songs has seen strong results with dance and dance-pop, including production duo Punctual, co-managed by Trout and Sandom.
“They are in sessions every day, they are speaking to A&Rs every day,” said Trout.
Punctual produced and co-wrote Kisses by Bl3ss, CamrinWatsin and Bbyclose, which spent 11 weeks in the Top 10 and was nominated for Song Of The Year at the BRITs. It recently passed consumption of a million chart units in the UK.
Punctual (with co-writer Ruth-Anne Cunningham) had a second song in the BRITs Song Of The Year category, Alibi by Ella Henderson feat. Rudimental – the biggest new dance track of 2024 .
In terms of securing cuts with artists and hits in the dance-pop lane, Sandom said Punctual’s “strike rate amongst their immediate peers in the UK is unrivalled”.
Following co-writes for Kylie Minogue and Bebe Rexha, Punctual are targeting international collaborations in the United States and Germany.
Red Light Songs’ roster also includes Shift K3y (Seventeen), Rob Swire (Yungblud), Riley MacIntyre (Ezra Collective), Lewis Thompson (Kylie Minogue), Violet Skies (Jisoo of Blackpink), Cole MGN (Carly Rae Jepsen) and Grace Baer (New Jeans).
James Sandom suggested that there’s a growing trend for personality and character in songwriting that’s delivering “interesting and creative records”.
“I don’t see a world where, creatively, AI can ever replace human connection and human emotion,” he told Music Week. “More music is being made from the heart and with more integrity, context and emotion – AI is never going to help you with that.”
However, he acknowledged that global royalties flow more slowly for songwriters, which impacts the timing of revenues.
Speaking ahead of the latest measures on per diems for songwriters by major labels, Trout welcomed the improvements across the industry in conditions for songwriters. It follows the BRITs acceptance speech by Raye in 2024 calling for a better deal.
“We do ask for fees and we ask for points,” said Trout. “I think that’s something that’s becoming much more standard, especially in the last 18 months.”
She also noted the wave of new female producers, in a field which has traditionally been male-dominated.
Looking ahead to the next phase of the company, Trout said that “everyone wants a Hot 100 No.1” in the US.
“It’s great to have got started and touched so many records that have soundtracked the lives of people in the last few years,” said Sandom. “We want to continue to fulfil the ambitions of our writers and producers and help them achieve their goals.”
PHOTO: (L-R) Caroline Trout, Victoria Becks, James Sandom
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