Press play to see a short introduction from Stephen.
Stephen Budd has spent decades at the heart of the music industry. A former Chairman of the Music Managers Forum (MMF), he has managed - and continues to manage, Artists and Record Producers whose work has collected multiple BRIT and Grammy Awards, alongside hundreds of Gold and Platinum discs.
Budd regularly lectures at the renowned Berklee Music College and appears regularly on BBC, Sky news etc discussing the Music Industry.
His management roster has included artists such as Gang of Four, The Magic Numbers, Tanita Tikaram, Heaven 17, Dry the River, The Sound, Songhoy Blues and more recently, Nubiyan Twist. He has also represented world-class producers including Tony Visconti (David Bowie), Mike Hedges (U2, The Cure), Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey), Rick Nowels (Lana Del Rey, Madonna), Chris Kimsey (Rolling Stones) and many more.
For nearly 20 years Stephen has collaborated with Damon Albarn on the Africa Express project which he co-founded, bringing together internationally famous artists from across continents to create groundbreaking collaborative musical live events and recordings.
He co-founded SuperVision Management (home to Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs) and for 10 years was a director at ChannelFly / MAMA Group which owned venues such as The Barfly clubs across the UK, plus London's The Borderline, The Garage, The Jazz Café and The Forum as well as running the Lovebox and The Great Escape festivals.
Internationally, he launched India’s biggest rock festival the Bacardi NH7 Weekender in 2010 and closer to home, he founded War Child’s BritsWeek concert series, raising millions for children affected by conflict through intimate shows with global stadium-level acts. Both of which continue to this day.
A short documentary about his career is here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=civivQ2C_x0
A recent podcast is here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOuDXWKac2g&t=771s
Stephen’s unusual in the music business: he loves music, cares for musicians and delivers the bottom line. He's charming but with a hard headed understanding of what needs to be done to get results. His track record is incredible. And he's a nice guy which is why I choose to work with him.
(Jon King - Gang of Four)
Stephen is one of the hardest working people in the business, that I've met. His follow-through and execution has always been very good with my experience with him.
(Sat Bisla - Industry Leader)
Stephen has worked for myself as a producer, and Heaven 17 as a manager for a total of more than 15 years. He is honest, passionate and reliable and a great source of contacts and information.
(Martyn Ware - Heaven 17)
