The Money Trench - The Music Industry Podcast with Mark Sutherland

Merry Christmas from The Money Trench! This week, we’re bringing you a very special compilation episode! Sit back, relax, and enjoy some of the key moments from our 2025 episodes. Mark will guide you through the hottest industry talking points from the year, and end with a joyful latest or greatest compilation of the best music industry parties. NEWSLETTER ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Zena White, COO of Partisan Records and Chair of WIN. From working her way up through live music, management, and label services, Zena is now COO of one of the world's most successful indie labels in the world, responsible for acts such as Geese, Cigarettes After Sex, and Ezra Collective. The pair discuss what it takes to break alternative...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Paul Lennon, one of the UK’s top music lawyers and consultant at Moore SGD Law. From working as in-house lawyer at labels, to becoming the go-to lawyer during the 90s Britpop era, Paul has been at the heart of the music industry for over 30 years. In Paul’s debut interview, he discusses the glory days of Britpop, how artist deals have evolv...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Alexi Cory-Smith, lawyer, publishing/label executive, and now CEO and founder of Bella Figura. Alexi is one of the most respected figures in the rights and legal world, and now she’s building her own catalogue acquisition company - Bella Figura. The pair discuss Alexi’s journey to where she is now, including her time running BMG UK, auditio...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined for a special live episode at the Resonate Music Conference in Glasgow by Cam Blackwood, one of Scotland’s most successful producers. Having worked with George Ezra, Jack Savoretti, and many more, Cam has helped shape UK music across genres for over a decade, whilst also championing creator’s rights. He is now the co-founder of Rezonate Music...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Craig Logan, a manager and executive whose career spans every corner of the industry. From his teenage years in Bros, to senior leadership roles at EMI and RCA, and now as the founder of Logan Media Entertainment (LME), Craig’s story is one of reinvention, resilience, and a lifelong passion for music. During their chat, Craig reflects on hi...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Nadia Khan, artist manager and founder of Women in CTRL.  From championing gender equality across the music industry to breaking artists including Lethal Bizzle, Nadia has carved out a unique and influential path in the music industry. The pair discuss how Nadia built her career from intern to manager, how gender equality in the industry ha...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark catches up with Tim Burgess, frontman of The Charlatans. As The Charlatans prepare to release We Are Love, their first album in eight years, Tim reflects on 35 years with one of Britain’s most beloved bands. The pair discuss the making of the new album, as well as how the band has survived through tragedy and change, and Tim’s ongoing mission to give ba...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Henry Semmence and Simon Wills, co-managing directors of Absolute Label Services. As pioneers of the label services model that transformed the modern business, the pair share the story of how they created an independent empire — and how they’re bouncing back after their time under the Utopia umbrella. With roots in retail, record labels, an...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Rich Castillo, President of LionBear Music Group and one of the UK’s most influential A&R executives of the past two decades. From his beginnings as a boy band hopeful, to discovering N-Dubz, signing Tion Wayne, and leading A&R teams at Polydor, Sony, and EMI, Rich’s career spans the past 20 years of British music. Now running his own indep...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by legendary producer, Fraser T Smith. With credits ranging from Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” to Stormzy’s “Gang Signs & Prayer”, as well as his own project, Future Utopia, Fraser has helped shape some of the most defining records of the 21st century. Now he’s here to discuss how he chooses which artists to work with, plus AI, catalogue sale...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Josh Mateer, Head of A&R for Europe, Middle East and Africa at SoundOn, TikTok’s artist and label services platform. From his teenage days playing in punk bands and promoting shows in Belfast, to stints at Warner and Sony, and working with the legendary Seymour Stein, Josh has built a career that bridges grassroots music culture and the cut...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Matt Riley, the newly appointed president of AWAL UK. With a background that spans from DJing and promoting club nights, to cutting his teeth at Hospital Records, and then playing a pivotal role in shaping AWAL’s rise, Matt’s career reflects the evolution of the modern independent music business. Now at the helm of one of the UK’s most exci...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark sits down with a legend in the industry, Jo Charrington, president of Capitol Records. With a career spanning over three decades at labels including London, Virgin, BMG, Sony, EMI and now Universal, Jo has helped discover and break some of the world’s biggest artists, from Sam Smith and Paloma Faith to 5 Seconds of Summer, Olly Murs, and now Olivia Dean...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark sits down with visionary British artist Jack Garratt. Jack first rose to prominence in 2016 after winning both the BBC Sound Of… poll and the BRIT’s Critic’s Choice Award, before earning a gold debut album with Phase. Almost a decade later, Garratt is back with his third album, Pillars. Throughout their chat, the pair discuss the struggles of a modern a...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Mark Orr, founder of LAB Records. Starting the company while still at university and promoting DIY shows, Mark has grown LAB to hundreds of releases, while keeping a laser focus on artist development, physical retail, and sustainable growth. During their chat, Mark also breaks down how Indies compete on the biggest stages, what really moves...

Welcome to The Money Trench!  This week, Mark sits down with Madeleine O’Gorman, General Manager for Mushroom Music Uk & Europe. Having grown up in Australia’s thriving independent scene before relocating to London, Madeleine has built a career across journalism, agencies, and label management at Liberator and Ivy League before stepping into her current role at Mushroom. The pair chat about the un...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by David Martin, CEO of the Featured Artist’s Coalition (FAC). As a leading voice in championing fairness, transparency, and sustainability in the music industry, David is an expert in management, touring, and advocacy. The pair explore how the FAC is pushing for streaming reform, supporting artists post-Brexit, and fighting for artist-first s...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Alistair Norbury, President of UK, Europe and Asia-Pacific at BMG.  Together, they explore how one of the world’s biggest music companies is rethinking deals, rights, and the artist-label relationship. From signing Kylie Minogue, Louis Tomlinson, and Craig David, to reviving classic catalogues from Black Sabbath, The Kinks, and Gary Numan,...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Grace Meadows, Head of Music Minds Matter, the mental health charity supporting everyone who works in the music industry. From her roots as a music therapist to leading campaigns for Help Musicians and Music for Dementia, Grace has become a leading voice for mental health advocacy in the industry. The pair talk about the urgent mental healt...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Tom Connaughton, former UK & Ireland MD at Spotify, now Partner and Senior Advisor at Canvas Music Distribution. From pirate radio and Sony Music, to MySpace, Vevo, and Spotify, Tom has lived through every twist in the digital music revolution. Now he’s helping artists navigate a saturated market through boutique distribution and hands-on s...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Cliff Fluet, partner at Lewis Silkin, MD of Eleven Advisory, and now Chair of Music Technology UK. Cliff has spent decades helping artists, managers, rights holders, and tech companies navigate the complicated world of law, licensing, and innovation, from the rise of digital media, to the current era of generative AI. The pair chat about la...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by legendary label exec, David Massey, whose career has spanned over 40 years at labels such as Epic, Sony, Mercury, Island, and most recently Arista Records. Fresh off his retirement from corporate life, Massey reflects on working with global artists like Oasis, Shakira, Shawn Mendes, and The Killers, while offering his perspective on the mus...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week we celebrate our 50th episode and Mark is joined by Jim King, CEO of AEG Europe’s Festival Division. Jim is the driving force behind some of the UK’s biggest live music events, including American Express presents BST Hyde Park, All Points East, and newly launched Lido Festival. The pair chat backstage at BST Hyde Park to reflect on a career that spans Creamfi...

Welcome to The Money Trench! This week, Mark is joined by Alison Howe, Executive Producer of Music at BBC Studios, and the driving force behind the BBC’s epic Glastonbury TV coverage. With over 30 years at the BBC and a background spanning Radio 1, Later with Jools Holland, and iconic music specials, Alison shares her journey from secretarial college to being the BBC’s go-to for live music broadca...