Stephen Barnes

Stephen has been active in the music and entertainment industry in various guises for nearly 30 years. Starting out as the frontman and songwriter with 90s band Thousand Yard Stare (Polydor Records 1991-1993), he moved into the music business side of the industry as part of Revolution Promotions (Oasis, Muse, Fatboy Slim, Underworld, Fabric Label), before starting his own company, Upshot Promotions, in 2006.

Over the years, Stephen has had his hand in most aspects of the industry – from being a musician, live promoter, DJ, radio broadcaster and documentary maker, to the realms of marketing, licensing, artist management, content creation, web and social media – working with various clients including BBC Radio, Universal Music, Warner Bros, UEL, Document Productions, Amplify Music Investments and Bristol Council. Stephen was part of the team that won a Sony Award for the BBC Radio 2 documentary on Billie Holiday.

These days, Stephen works on behalf of various labels (PIAS, Heavenly, Secretly Canadian) while co-managing and developing up-and-coming artists from the Bristol area, such as Joe Probert, and previously Oliver Wilde, The Jacques and Alex Lipinski. He’s been Artistic Director for a pan-European arts project called Future DiverCities, aiming to create new relationships and commercial opportunities with nine European partners. In 2018, Stephen became part of The British Council's outreach project in Venezuela, running workshops for new music businesses and musicians, whilst also getting the old band back together for live tours and recording sessions!