David Ventura and Tim Major have told Music Week in no uncertain terms that their company's success at the Music Week Awards 2025 means that UK talent is back at the top table.
With successes including Charli XCX, Myles Smith, Lola Young, Hozier and more in 2024, Sony Music Publishing UK enjoyed a banner year, which was capped with the Publisher honour at last week's star-studded Music Week Awards.
In an exclusive backstage interview, SMP UK president & co-managing director and SVP international David Ventura noted that five of the company’s roster – Jordan Adetunji, Good Neighbours’ Oli Fox, Artemas, Lola Young and Myles Smith – broke through in America in 2024.
Meanwhile, co-managing director Tim Major, highlighted the pride the company felt from its involvement in Charli XCX’s Brat campaign, while stressing the power of the relationships that form the axis of its approach to publishing.
The company’s roster also includes the likes of Queen, Ed Sheeran, Sade, Blur, Kate Bush, Oasis and more, while new signings in 2024 included Myles Smith, Olivia Dean, Chase & Status, Ezra Collective, Holly Humberstone, Jazzy, Shallipopi, Charlotte Plank, Paris Paloma, AOD and Freya Ridings.
Here, Ventura and Major open up about the reasons for their success, salute the new wave of domestic talent and lift the lid on why their partnership is proving so successful for the publisher…
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Congratulations. How are you feeling?
Tim Major: “Great. We had a good night with the team, we are very happy. Look, we don't ever take this kind of thing for granted. We never expect it, but it's nice and it's great for the team.”
What are your reflections on last year for the company?
David Ventura: “I think I said this when we were on stage, but it's just been incredible to see UK artists and songwriters rising around the planet. It's been years. A lot of people have been saying the UK artists haven't exported themselves for a long time. And I think last year, between five and 10 artists actually broke the US. So I think it's really showing that the UK is back, big time.”
I think the UK scene is back big time and it's just the beginning
David Ventura, Sony Music Publishing UK
Which acts are you talking about specifically?
DV: “I'm talking about Myles Smith, Lola Young, Charli XCX, Artemas, Hozier, I know he is Irish… It’s been incredible to see them be successful everywhere on the planet and I think the UK scene is back big time and it's just the beginning.”
Why do you think it all came together last year?
DV: “Because the music's been absolutely incredible. You can have the best marketing campaign, you can have the best promotion, but if you have music with no depth, I don't think it connects with the audience. And I think all those artists have really strong depth in their music and that is why they've been resonating with everyone around the planet.”
TM: “I think people are taking a while to build as well, so you're seeing artists from the US who are having huge success now here, but they've all been around for quite a long time as well. Yes, there are definitely artists who are having success overnight, it seems, but when you're building a proper artist career, it takes time and a lot of energy and a lot of effort, and they've all put in so much work. You look at someone like Lola, it's been five, six years in the making, working really hard, doing all the gigs and putting music out and just waiting for it to connect.”
You’ve been working with Lola for a long time too haven’t you…
DV: “We've been here from the start. The first time we saw her playing was at The Great Escape and when we left the room we thought it was going to happen [for her]. We thought it would happen quickly, incredible music and as Tim said she has worked so hard. It’s been incredible to see her rising across the planet and what can I say? This is just the start, she’s got incredible music coming and everything that is happening now is happening because she's been working non-stop for the last five years.”
What’s the publisher’s role when an artist like Lola or Myles is blowing up? How do you nurture the breakthrough?
DV: “Well, we're trying to remind them that to write music is important, because they can go on tour for three years and then forget to write music, so that's something we try to remind them as much as possible. But we're a force into the team, we're pushing for sync, to radio, to DSPs, we're really doing as much as we can to speak up for them and help the label, management and the live agent. So we have a real active role in the campaign, but equally, it's really about music and making sure they don't forget to make time for their art, because success can bring a two-year tour, a lot of promotion and then sometimes there’s fatigue at the end of that and the inspiration can go. So we always try to be a force of inspiration as well.”
What was it like to be part of Brat last year?
TM: “Incredible.We've always known that Charli's an incredible songwriter and an incredible artist. I remember seeing her at Alexandra Palace before all of this, and she had so much energy, incredible performance, incredible songs. But Brat was just next level, the whole campaign was incredible. Her story around it, everything that she created for it... she's become one of the most important artists on the planet. So to be part of it, to be part of that team, to be working with them and creating opportunities… it's just been incredible to see and be part of. We're very proud.”
We have such an incredible team – they care, they’re passionate, they put in the work and they have great taste
Tim Major, Sony Music Publishing UK
What sets your A&R apart at SMP UK?
DV: “I mean, we have a very range of what we can do. We can start working with songwriters very early as I mentioned with Lola. The first time we heard her music, it was a SoundCloud private link. She was not even out, there was nothing about her [online]. So there's obviously a big part that is nurturing the songwriter. Lola was very strong minded and already had a vision about what she wanted to do. Then you can be at the other end of the spectrum, when an artist has had a breakthrough moment already and we come in to amplify the reach. So it's a very, very large and very wide scale. It's very important for us to have the right AR team, so we can speak to all the different artists and make sure they have someone that can speak to you. Earlier, looking at the A&R team on stage, we were very proud because we've been working with them for so long. We've seen some of them who started making coffees and now they are running the department, so it's great to see the new generation rising.”
TM: “A&R is really about relationships and it's about the people that we work with. That's what I think stands us in an amazing place because we have such an incredible team and they know how to do the job, they care and they’re passionate and they put in the work and have great taste. So really, it's about people and it's about relationships.
Is there pressure on you to maintain this wave of new UK talent?
TM: “Always.”
DV: “We can only invest and support talent, wherever they are in their career, and hope for a wider audience to fall in love with their art. Something I love doing is shouting to the world about artists who I think are incredible. So we can only hope that it's not going to be a [fad], that it's going to carry on. I'm French and I’ve always been fascinated by UK culture and UK music, and I think if there's one place on the planet [that will produce more stars], it's here. So I'm very confident about the future. I hope next year there will be 20 UK artists [breaking] and the year after it's going to be 40.”
Finally, how is the relationship between you two evolving?
TM: “The funny thing is, we don't hate each other! [Laughs]. Which is a good place to start when you're in a duo! We actually grew up together in the company, so I think it's important to say that we love working together, it works. I don't think there's ever been a picture drawn about how we divide our roles. It's very organic, we really understand each other, appreciate each other, and I think the results show that we are two, and we can do so much together because there's two of us. It just works. I'm super happy working with David and I want to carry on doing that for a long time. I hope he feels the same way!”
DV: “We say very often that we've been working together for almost a decade. We've been doing this role, running Sony Music Publishing in the UK, for almost six years. I don't think we’ve argued once. We have a very strong trust in each other. We complement each other very well, we come from different backgrounds and I think that's what makes us a force. At the end of the day, we are crazy passionate about music, talent and songwriting. For me, this is not working, it's just having my friend that I come to every day.”
Relive the key moments of the Music Week Awards 2025 here.
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