Music executives John Leahy and Rupert King have changed desks at Blue Raincoat Music, now handling artists full time at Blue Raincoat Artists, the company’s artist management division.
Leahy and King have transitioned to the new roles from their former senior marketing roles within Blue Raincoat Music’s record label Chrysalis Records, the London-based artist management company, owned by New York-based independent music firm Reservoir Media, said in a statement on Friday.
Leahy, an industry veteran who has worked at record labels for over 20 years before joining Chrysalis Records/Blue Raincoat Music, has been Senior Vice President of Marketing since joining the company in 2020.
His portfolio includes working as General Manager at Domino, Marketing Director at Polydor and Marketing and Creative Director at EMI Records.
He set up his consultancy business after leaving Polydor in late 2010 working with clients including Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Oasis, UMG, and PIAS, among others, according to his LinkedIn page.
At Blue Raincoat, Leahy has managed artists including She Drew The Gun, Steve Mason, The Mysterines, Laurel Smith and Fräulein.
“I am looking forward to continuing to work with my clients on the development of their careers at Blue Raincoat Artists. Each one is at a very different stage in the journey but all have that unique talent that sets them apart,” Leahy said.
King, meanwhile, has been at Blue Raincoat since 2014. He held various roles including as digital marketing manager and artist management assistant, group head of marketing, and vice president of marketing and artist manager.
Before joining the company, King worked for the Outlook and Dimensions Festivals and specialized in digital marketing at a London-based booking agency.
For over three years, King has been the manager of Nova Twins, an English rock duo shortlisted for The 2022 Mercury Music Prize.
“I’m super excited for this recent move into full-time artist management. Nova Twins are at an incredibly exciting moment in their career and being well accustomed to Amy and Georgia’s unrelenting ambition and drive, I know full well that the real hard work starts now. I look forward to continuing to support their vision as best I can,” Rupert said.
“The growing success in particular of The Mysterines and Nova Twins has made it clear that they both now need to devote themselves full time to being artist managers, and I am delighted that they are doing so as part of Blue Raincoat Artists.”
Jeremy Lascelles, Blue Raincoat Group
The pair will report directly to Blue Raincoat Group co-founder and CEO Jeremy Lascelles.
Speaking about the new appointments, Lascelles said both Leahy and King “have been hugely important, senior members of the Chrysalis Records/Blue Raincoat team over recent years, combining full-on marketing roles with their artist management responsibilities.”
“The growing success in particular of The Mysterines and Nova Twins has made it clear that they both now need to devote themselves full time to being artist managers, and I am delighted that they are doing so as part of Blue Raincoat Artists. We know how smart and capable they both are, and I see this as an important and exciting move for all concerned,” the CEO added.Music Business Worldwide
