{"id":248026,"date":"2026-01-07T15:22:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T15:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/?p=248026"},"modified":"2026-01-15T14:15:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T14:15:02","slug":"ive-worked-at-all-the-majors-ive-seen-how-they-operate-and-i-genuinely-dont-know-what-they-could-do-that-we-cant-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/ive-worked-at-all-the-majors-ive-seen-how-they-operate-and-i-genuinely-dont-know-what-they-could-do-that-we-cant-do\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019ve worked at all the majors, I\u2019ve seen how they operate, and I genuinely don\u2019t know what they could do that we can\u2019t do.\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trailblazers is an MBW interview series that turns the spotlight on music entrepreneurs with the potential to become the global business power players of tomorrow. This time, we meet Artist Theory co-founder Nick Burgess. Here, he looks back at his career so far \u2013 and to the future of his new venture. Trailblazers is supported by TuneCore<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The music industry? Nick Burgess has completed it, mate.<\/p>\n

Across a remarkable 30-plus-year career, the renowned A&R executive started out as an artist in an indie rock band that signed to EMI and were managed by Merck Mercuriadis in the 1990s (and whose identity he is determined to keep secret).<\/p>\n

He then joined indie Gut Records as a scout before working his way around all four majors \u2013 in the days when EMI was still a thing \u2013 via high-profile roles at EMI\u2019s Virgin, Sony\u2019s Jive, Universal\u2019s Virgin EMI and Warner Music\u2019s Parlophone.<\/p>\n

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He\u2019s enjoyed huge highs and endured plenty of frustrations, including EMI\u2019s decline and Terra Firma\u2019s takeover (\u201cThat was a whole world of pain for everyone\u201d), plus an exasperating 18-month wait when Universal made him sit out his Virgin EMI contract before joining Parlophone (although he admits today he spent some of his gardening leave in the Wrights Lane Holiday Inn taking meetings).<\/p>\n

Along the way, he has been instrumental in discovering\/breaking everyone from The Kooks to Chipmunk, <\/strong>and Lewis Capaldi to PinkPantheress.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done everything,\u201d he grins as he greets MBW<\/i>. \u201cI started as an artist, I\u2019ve been at all four majors. I\u2019ve seen it all really; the highs and the lows.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Burgess\u2019 23-year stint in the major label system ended abruptly in 2023 when Parlophone \u2013 which he and co-president Mark \u2018Mitch\u2019 Mitchell had worked tirelessly to turn around, having taken over in 2019 \u2013 was downsized in the early stages of Warner Music Group\u2019s ongoing restructure\/cutbacks.<\/p>\n

The timing, at least, gave Burgess a chance to steal a march on many other big name ex-major label UK execs currently looking to set up their own independent companies\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t get fired as a music executive, you\u2019re doing the wrong thing \u2013 it\u2019s part of the game,\u201d he quips. \u201cWhen I look back, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Bad news is good news in disguise most of the time and maybe it was my destiny to [launch] a label.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cBad news is good news in disguise most of the time; maybe it was my destiny to do a label.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nick Burgess<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Having spurned further major label job offers in the immediate aftermath of the Parlophone split, Burgess set about building his own company, Artist Theory.<\/a><\/p>\n

Teaming up with former Parlophone colleague Jack Melhuish, and joining forces with indie label\/publisher B-Unique \u2013 run by Burgess\u2019 friends Mark Lewis and Martin Toher \u2013 with financial backing from Firebird<\/strong>, Burgess sees his new label as a \u2018best of both worlds\u2019 proposition.<\/p>\n

\u201cJack\u2019s got 15 years of major label marketing experience and I\u2019ve got 20 years of major label A&R experience,\u201d he says. \u201cWhy don\u2019t we take the major label mindset, put it into the independent arena and see if we can find some success?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve set up Artist Theory with the premise of being a real, true alternative to the major label system.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019re already building quite a roster: with another Parlophone refugee, Eurovision hero Sam Ryder (whose Heartland<\/i> album gave Artist Theory an early Top 20 UK chart foothold) adding some established stardust alongside fast-rising, highly rated new acts such as Nieve Ella, Benjamin Steer, The Guest List and Ruth B.<\/p>\n

Burgess acknowledges that artist development in 2025 is a different game to his major label days, when he would argue in the studio with his acts about which songs they should prioritise: The Kooks only recorded their biggest ever song, Na\u00efve<\/i>, because he begged them to do it as a personal favour; he similarly had to twist Dan Smith\u2019s arm to even put Bastille\u2019s name to monster hit Happier<\/i> (eventually released by Marshmello feat. Bastille).<\/p>\n

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