Max Lousada was awarded the Sir George Martin Award at the MBW British Music Business Awards in London last night.
The award recognizes an executive with a proven track record of cultivating meaningful artist and songwriter relationships, who has earned widespread respect within the creative community.
The person who presented the award to Max was Ed Sheeran. What Ed said will go down in music industry legend. This is important.
Max’s speech was also beyond the pale. You are about to read statements from both sides.
You could hear a pin drop in the room as Max paid tribute to his mentors and the artists he worked with. He spared no effort in challenging the more than 600 executives gathered to exercise more “creative courage” in the music industry.
But first things first. Read what Ed has to say about Max. Hopefully it will remind everyone why you started your journey in the music industry. It really does that for us.
A small footnote: Effective January 1, 2025, Max Lousada will no longer be professionally associated with Warner Music Group.
Ed Sheeran doesn’t need to be around.
This is what is said.
Ed Sheeran:
My dream has always been to join Atlantic Records because Atlantic Records has the best singer-songwriters.
All my heroes and all the people I aspire to be live there.
I told Max this when I first met him. I’m a little scared because he’s a big dog and shapes the careers of all my heroes.
But when it finally became my home and he was at the helm of the ship, I was ecstatic. Ed and I went through asylum together. [Howard] and this [Cook]but Max worked remotely on my first album and then very closely on my second and second [from] Then continue.
We hit a career high together and it’s something I’ll never forget. It’s crazy that all the artists I’ve met over the years have been like, “Oh yeah, Max did that for me, Max was instrumental in that.” From The Darkness to Stormzy, to James Blunt, Coldplay, Dua Lipa and more. When I was asked to introduce this award tonight, Max had just been fired by Warners and I wanted to make sure I was here to show that they weren’t letting people like him anymore. Musician.
If they do, it will happen once in their generation. It’s not about having a strong marketing brain, being good at algorithms, or keeping up with the new hot thing.
It’s about recognizing what are great, great songs and who are great, great artists, and letting them grow instead of giving up on them after two stupid singles. All traditional artists we know and love today developed over time and allowed for exploration, failure, construction, and experimentation.
The industry is at risk of becoming reactionary, rather than simply following your heart and intuition for the good.
I really hope that young people like Max can be nurtured in the future, because for real art to flourish, we need real musicians like him to fight for it.
I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished together and even more proud to be able to call him a friend and someone I have great respect for both personally and professionally.
Congratulations on this amazing honor, man, let’s celebrate tonight. I can’t wait to see what you do next. Make sure you chime in, bro.
Everyone makes some noise for tonight’s winner of the Sir George Martin Award, Max Luzada.
Max Lusada
Thank you, Ed. Our journey has been quite extraordinary and you are a wonderful artist, a wonderful partner, and more importantly, an incredible friend.
Thank you very much Tim [Ingham] and the owners of Music Business Worldwide. You know, as Jon Platt said, I don’t really try to get these awards, but this one feels really special.
I just want to thank the George Martin family for this honor. Today I was trying to think about whether to give a short speech and trying to figure out what I really wanted to say.
It occurs to me that there is an important through-line from Sir George Martin to Ed Sheeran that extends far beyond this stage tonight.
When I first joined Warner Music, probably 21-22 years ago, I started reading about George Martin and Parlophone Records. It struck me and has always been my north star that he built this ever-welcoming sanctuary for unconventional thinkers, people who didn’t seem to quite fit in.
That’s what I think about when I’m signing an artist or running a record label. Not only that [Martin] He himself is a complete one-off, maverick.
When he saw originality, he worked hard at it. Where some see a misfit, he sees a vanguard. He never tried to mold his artists to fit this mould. He tried to tear it to pieces with them. I have always been inspired by this creative courage. Let’s be honest, we need this kind of creative courage more and more.
Because in a world full of content. It’s easy to fall into this algorithmic echo chamber. I looked around the room tonight and saw people walking on stage and I saw resistance. I’ve seen A&Rs and managers and labels, they try to look beyond the numbers, they try to find the artists that change the energy of the room, find the artists that change the world.
So I really want to dedicate this article as a music executive, but more importantly as a music fan, to anyone who supports new artists who have something to say. Everyone who supports them with the same patience and enthusiasm, and everyone who provides them with the support to succeed and the freedom to explore.
I would like to give special thanks to the incredible array of artists I have been blessed with [to work with] They believed in my story, my dreams and my career.
I want to give a shout out to the wise and generous mentors, some of whom are here tonight, Korda [Marshall]who brought me back from the cold, Lyle [Cohen]he made me and all my team at Warners strong.
You have just begun an incredible journey for me and my life. And my American crew member, Julie [Greenwald]to tom [Corson]to aaron [Bay-Schuck]and Kevin [Liles].
To my UK staff, Tony [Harlow]Joe [Kentish]Briony [Turner]Ed [Howard]Benevolence [Ivory] And everyone at Warner Bros., it’s been a very special journey indeed.
Obviously for my wife Ali and my kids, they’ve moved on [this] travel. Traveling back and forth to New York for six years [required] Have a truly patient person at home.
But in the end, to all the unconventional thinkers here tonight, some of whom I have the privilege of working with and some of whom I admire from afar, I just want to say: I see you. I salute you, and I am proud to walk alongside you, following in George Martin’s footsteps. Thanks.global music business
