The time has finally come, people!
Today (May 8), the Music Week Awards returns and when we say our 2025 edition is a hot ticket, you don't just have to take our word for it. Tables officially sold out months ago. So, before we proceed, a polite, advance warning: be sure to get in early for the 2026 ceremony to avoid disappointment.
Back to this year. Once again returning to the prestigious JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, Park Lane, W1, the Music Week Awards remains the biggest night in the music industry's calendar for those who work tirelessly behind the scenes – it's the only ceremony where so many different sectors of the British music business are all celebrated under one roof at the same time.
Peer-voted and independently-judged, and presented in a room composed of people from every corner of the music industry, it's little wonder that over the years so many executives, managers, DJs and more have fondly recalled winning a Music Week Award as one of the proudest moments of their often storied careers.
Last year's ceremony set a high-bar, no more so than by closing with Girls Aloud appearing onstage to pay tribute to Strat winner Peter Loraine. But what will the story be this year? And what's new?
Well, for one, be sure to look out for the Glambot camera at the ceremony at the opening drinks reception to capture shareable memories from the night (courtesy of red carpet sponsor Virgin Music Group). But that's just for starters. Here’s what else to look out for at the Music Week Awards 2025…
1. THE MUSIC WEEK AWARDS GOES SUPERNOVA
This year we are delighted to welcome the highly-respected BBC Radio 6 Music broadcaster and tastemaker – not to mention former Music Week Women In Music Awards Music Champion winner – Jamz Supernova as our host.
And, clearly, she is well up for the occasion.
“What’s good is I’ve been on both sides – I'm the host now, but I’ve been at the table many times wanting to win, I know that feeling,” Jamz Supernova told Music Week in our digital cover story. “My job is to celebrate people! I’m excited.”
If her speech at the Women In Music Awards is anything to go by, we're in for a treat when she takes to the stage.
2. FIERCE COMPETITION
You know the drill here: the Music Week Awards always involves some intriguing contests on the night across the categories. You can read about who’s in the running here.
As a reminder, the Music Week Awards 2025 reflects success in campaigns and new launches last year – a period when the UK music industry showed further strength as the recorded music market grew for a 10th consecutive year.
One of the key categories, of course, is the Record Company honour. This year’s finalists include recent winners EMI (who won for the last two years and are now part of Island EMI), Polydor (winners for three years running between 2019 and 2021) and Atlantic (winners in 2022). They will be up against rivals Columbia, Decca, Ministry Of Sound, RCA, Relentless, Robots + Humans and Warner Records Parlophone.
As you may have read recently, there are reasons for optimism on the UK singles and albums charts for British talent. Hurrah.
Island EMI president Louis Bloom and his team took home the A&R trophy last year and they are contenders once again following success in 2024 with The Last Dinner Party, Hozier, Lola Young, FLO, English Teacher, Nia Archives and more. The Universal company will, however, be competing against some very strong entries from A&R teams across both labels and music publishers, including RCA, Warner Records/Parlophone Label Group, Atlantic, Columbia, Decca, EGA Distro, Ministry Of Sound, Polydor Label Group, Robots + Humans, Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group and Warner Chappell Music UK.
As for the Manager category, it boasts a host of top names who have presided over momentous achievements, including Chosen Music/FlyStr8, Project Gold, Spaceship Collective, Various Artists Management, Tileyard Music, Closer Artists, Fascination Management, UROK Management, Frame Artists, Tap Music and the teams behind Ghetts and D-Block Europe.
Warner Chappell Music UK were jubilant over their long-awaited triumph in the Publisher Of The Year category in 2024, and they return this year to face BMG UK, Kobalt Music, Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group.
The independent world is well-represented, too, with Independent Record Company and Independent Publisher categories (as well as a host of nominations elsewhere), plus there are the worlds of live music, radio, brand partnerships, marketing, PR, plus consumer innovations led by DSPs and more besides all ready to get their moments in the spotlight.
Watch this space.
3. GRASSROOTS VENUES TAKE CENTRE STAGE
The Music Week Awards are independently judged by industry peers – but we do open up one special category to a public vote.
The opening category of the night is for Grassroots Venue: Spirit Of The Scene in partnership with the Music Venue Trust. The venues in the running for 2025 includes both returning and first-time nominees: Camden Assembly, Little Buildings, Ouseburn, Newcastle, The Leadmill, Sheffield, The Bodega, Nottingham, The Boileroom CIC, Guildford, The Bunkhouse Music Venue, Swansea, The Half Moon, Putney, The Sugarmill, Stoke, Tunbridge Wells Forum, Kent and The Sound Lounge, Sutton.
This, too, comes at a crucial time for the grassroots sector with a groundswell of support for a voluntary levy from arenas and stadiums. Be sure to raise the roof for the beating hearts of so many musical communities around the UK.
4. SUPPORT FOR THE MOBO TRUST
Speaking of rounds of applause, expect a lot of noise to be made for MOBO Trust, our charity partner for this year.
The charitable arm of MOBO is dedicated to creating life-changing opportunities for diverse and underrepresented talent across the creative industries. The Trust provides vital support through funding, mentorship, and career development initiatives that break down barriers and open doors to success.
You’ll hear more about the charity on the night from some special guests.
5. SALUTING AN INDUSTRY LEGEND
Alongside the 23 judged categories, The Strat recipient is the very special award chosen privately by the Music Week team in recognition of outstanding achievements – you can read up on the history of the prestigious award here.
The trophy was named after Tony Stratton-Smith (nicknamed ‘Strat’), a former journalist who became a larger-than-life industry character as a manager and the founder of Charisma Records.
Previous winners include pop supremo and Fascination Management founder Peter Loraine (2024), CAA super agent Emma Banks (2023), PR guru Barbara Charone (2022), MOBO founder Kanya King (2021), Darcus Beese (2019) and Max Lousada (2018).
As ever, this year’s winner will be revealed at the ceremony’s conclusion…
6. COUNTDOWN TO THE AFTER PARTY
At around 10.30pm the after party gets going on the dancefloor at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London until 1am.
Kemi Rodgers will be DJing at the Music Week Awards 2025 After Party. After a successful stint co-presenting Capital Breakfast alongside Jordan North, Rodgers now hosts Capital Network’s mid-morning show (10am-1pm, Monday to Friday). She has also presented across various Capital platforms, including Capital Xtra and Capital Dance.
She is also a familiar face at festivals and events, where she frequently DJs. So stick around and continue the celebrations as Rodgers spins some tunes into the small hours.
Music Week would like to thank all of the sponsors who kindly participated in this year’s edition of our Awards: Amazon Music, Deezer, Downtown, PPL, PRS For Music, SoundCloud, Virgin Music Group, Blinding Talent Official Charts Company, Music Venue Trust, Radio Monitor.
And with that said, there's nothing to do now but count down to showtime! See you there.
For sponsorship opportunities in 2026, please get in touch with Lawrence Cooke: lawrence.cooke@futurenet.com.
Small Green Shoots will also be returning to help at this year’s ceremony – find out more about the organisation here.
To make sure you don’t miss out on next year’s Music Week Awards ceremony, for all table enquiries please contact: Kate.Smith@futurenet.com
