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FAC adds Imogen Heap and Katie Melua to board of directors, launches BEAT for emerging talent
By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 13 January 2016
The Featured Artists Coalition has announced this morning that it is adding Imogen Heap and Katie Melua to its board of directors. They join the likes of Sandie Shaw, Ed O’Brien, Nick Mason, Annie Lennox, Fran Healy and Kate Nash on the artist-only board.
Heap said in a statement: “It’s fantastic to be invited in to help shape the bright future of our music industry with the FAC gang and hopefully add to their great work! It’s the first time in a long time I’ve been positive about the future of our industry and I completely and whole heartedly believe a revolution is upon us”.
Melua added: “It’s great to be joining the FAC board, the music industry has long been needing an organisation like this. In my introduction to the FAC, I can see that there is so much experienced knowledge and care in this community, which is there to be shared. If a young artist doesn’t know where to find an impartial support system, the FAC can provide the advice and education that can greatly benefit them and the long term creative work also”.
As well as new additions to the main board today, the FAC has also announced the launch of a new Breakthrough And Emerging Artists Together board (or BEAT for short. BEAT! Do you see what they did?). The group will represent the interests of featured artists still on the rise in their careers, with founder members including Everything Everything’s Jeremy Pritchard, Bella Figura’s Justin Gartry, Rotimo Soul, Tomer Danan of Treetop Flyers, Roxanne de Bastion, Niall James Holohan (aka Nibbinz) and Jack Gourlay from The Night VI.
On this particular development, that there mentioned Jeremy Pritchard commented: “In such a transitional and fast-moving period for music, every sector of the industry wants to voice their concerns. Despite being the lifeblood and raisin d’être of the business, the artist’s interests are too often lost in the noise, and the voice of emerging artists specifically is the most overlooked. What I hope to do by joining the BEAT board is ensure that artists who are only just breaking through are both fairly represented in the ongoing debate, and are fully equipped for what lies ahead”.
Meanwhile, pulling all of this together into a satisfying conclusion, FAC CEO Paul Pacifico said: “The FAC is excited to welcome both Imogen and Katie onto our board. Their support, knowledge and energy further strengthen our organisation at this critical time of change for artists in the music industry. Our 5000 strong membership, represented by the main board and now also the new BEAT board, clearly demonstrate the need and desire for artists to stand up and be counted in the ongoing evolution to a better and more transparent music industry for the 21st century, with the artist-fan relationship at its heart”.
