Parlophone and Warner CEO Visits BIMM Bristol

As the Chief Executive Officer at both Parlophone Records and Warner UK, Miles Leonard is one of the most senior working professionals in the UK music world, making him the perfect person to deliver a high-level industry Masterclass to our students at BIMM Bristol.

Miles brought a huge amount of positivity and enthusiasm to his Masterclass, which took the form of an informal interview followed by a fruitful question and answer session, finishing up with some live on-the-spot music analysis.

Miles told us about his early role working in the A&R Department at Virgin Records, leading up to his present high-level career. He touched on the rapid changes in the digital era of music and the increasing importance of revenue gained from advertising sales, with the John Lewis Christmas campaigns being a recent success story in that area.

From the outset Miles established a genuine rapport with the class, which meant people were confident enough to ask him some incisive questions. Several hot topics from the contemporary music world surfaced and Miles was perfectly placed to answer them. Here are some of our favourites:

How important is radio play for up and coming bands?

Miles: Radio is still the biggest platform in terms of sales.

In what ways has the music industry changed during your career?

Miles: The main change is that it’s all about access now, not ownership.

Would you recommend that an artist put their music on Spotify, given all of the recent controversy regarding royalties?

Miles: Yes, I would very much recommend it. It’s always best to get your music everywhere you can.

At the end of the Masterclass, student Bronwyn Leonard gave an a capella vocal performance for Miles and the class. Impressed by her courage as a performer, Miles gave her some useful artistic feedback. Thanks to Bronwyn for singing, and thanks most of all to Miles Leonard for being so generous and insightful. Come back to Bristol any time!