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Photo credit: Aaron Law

The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) and Music Managers Forum (MMF) are proud to reveal more awardees and shortlists for the 2026 Artist & Manager Awards – with The Cure’s Robert Smith, Jordan Rakei and Quietus Management all being recognised and the shortlist for the coveted Manager of the Year being unveiled as Owain Davies, Phoebe Abu-Gold, Emily Braham and Connor Hunnisett. 

They will join previously announced recipients: Portishead, Jamie Cullum & Rockstar Management, and Raw Power Management. 

The event, which celebrates the unique relationship between artists and managers, returns to London’s Bloomsbury Big Top on Wednesday 18th November 2026.  

Tickets are available here with further discounts for MMF and FAC members.

 

The relationship between artists and fans is more than fundamental to the music business. 

Without artists and fans, there simply would not be a music business. 

Our Fan Champion Award celebrates this fact by recognising an individual who has used their platform to both protect their audience and drive positive change. 

And few encapsulate these qualities more than The Cure’s Robert Smith. 

Now 50 years into a career that has seen his band deliver 14 studio albums, more than 40 singles and a handful of live concert films, as well as performing almost 2,000 shows around the world – including 31 European Festival career-spanning headline sets this summer – it is perhaps no surprise that The Cure have nurtured an incredibly dedicated global fanbase. 

This has made Robert’s drive for fairer and more transparent ticketing practices all the more impactful. 

While these issues were hitting the desks of regulators and politicians around the world, his directness and plainspeaking, particularly during the North American leg of The Cure’s 2022-3 ‘Lost World’ tour – stating he was “sickened” by the level of service fees levied on the band’s tickets, and describing dynamic pricing as “a scam” – actually resulted in tangible change, with many fans receiving reimbursements from Ticketmaster. 

More recently, he has also backed the advocacy of the FanFair Alliance campaign, established by the Music Managers Forum in 2016, and joined calls to the UK Government to deliver on a manifesto promise to ban ticket touting and introduce a cap on ticket resale prices. 

These interventions on behalf of consumers have not only helped raise awareness and kickstart positive dialogue around ticketing, they have demonstrated to other artists that they too can use their agency and influence to improve industry practices. 

For this, the FAC and MMF are honoured to recognise Robert as our Fan Champion.

 

Jordan Rakei receives The Artists’ Voice Award in recognition of his thoughtful advocacy and openness about the realities of building a career in music. 

By sharing his experiences of navigating label relationships, financial pressures and the demands of sustaining a creative life, Jordan has helped demystify how the industry works, giving fellow artists valuable insight and encouraging more honest conversations across the sector. Through initiatives such as Rhythm Section’s Future Proof masterclass and online videos opening up his songwriting and production process, he has generously shared both practical knowledge and the lessons of his own career.

His approach is marked by generosity, candour and a constructive spirit. Speaking from personal experience, Jordan raises difficult questions with warmth and consideration, inviting understanding and dialogue. That generosity also extends to championing others: his Late Night Tales compilation showcased artists including Alfa Mist and Moreton, while his Abbey Road residency placed collaboration and widening access at its heart, with the Between Us EP bringing together voices including Jalen Ngonda, Nubya Garcia and Femi Koleoso. 

His willingness to share both the challenges and the lessons of his own journey, alongside his creative knowledge and platform, makes him a powerful advocate for an artist community whose everyday experiences too often go unheard.

David Martin, CEO, Featured Artists Coalition: 

“Both these awards recognise artists who have generously used their platforms for a greater good. 

“Robert’s plainspeaking approach has been a welcome antidote to the controversies that continue to swirl around ticketing and live music – not only successfully standing up for The Cure’s fanbase, but actively changing business practices in the process. His stand against online ticket touting and support of the FanFair Alliance campaign has also been exemplary. We are so pleased to present him with our Fan Champion award.

“In a year where the financial and commercial pressures on artists have multiplied, I am also delighted we can shine a light on Jordan’s candour and honesty. Whether through his social channels or online masterclasses, that drive to provoke discussion and share knowledge has been genuinely empowering, alongside a genuinely collaborative approach to music-making.” 

 

Our 2026 Entrepreneur Award sponsored by Cuffe & Taylor will be received by Quietus Management after becoming the world’s first employee-owned music management business. 

Quietus founder, Ian Grenfell, has long been recognised as a pioneer. In 2000, at the start of an ongoing partnership with Mick Hucknall of Simply Red, he helped the band launch their own independent record label – Simplyred.com Ltd – before releasing the Home album in 2003. It remains the biggest-selling self-released album of all time by any artist, anywhere in the world, with 3.6 million units sold.  

Establishing Quietus Management in 2010 to represent Simply Red, followed soon after by Simple Minds and Suede – the company has since added a raft of other music icons, including The Charlatans, The Pretenders and Bill Wyman. The core team consists of Ian Grenfell, Gemma Reilly Hammond, Didz Hammond, Clementine de Banzie Lampard, Kim Horton, Airi Zdrenka, Joey Read, and Ginny Taub. 

Today, Quietus manages an average of 250 live shows a year across this roster, plus multiple new album releases, catalogue re-releases, documentaries, books and more. Notable recent successes include Suede’s 2026 Mercury Prize nominated album Antidepressants, which the band has toured around the world, including China, and Simple Minds, who are currently preparing for the release of their 19th studio album, Sacrosanct and about to embark on a 50th-anniversary world tour spanning four continents. 

Proving that such long-term commercial success and world-class artist stewardship can go hand-in-hand with progressive corporate governance and fairness, in 2019, Ian began the process of restructuring the business as an Employee Ownership Trust – effectively passing the ownership of Quietus to a trust on behalf of its employees.

At a time when established commercial models of music management are evolving and music managers are looking for new and innovative approaches to secure their long-term future, the MMF and FAC would like to salute Quietus for successfully accomplishing this transition, and receiving recognition and accreditation from the Good Business Charter.

 

Reflecting a year of commercial and creative excellence, the MMF and FAC are also delighted to reveal our Manager Of The Year shortlist. The award for this coveted trophy will be presented on the night. 

2026 Manager Of The Year shortlist: 

• Connor Hunnisett, Jigsaw Music Group – Ren
• Emily Braham, Yo & Co Management – Olivia Dean
• Owain Davies, OD Management – Sam Fender, Ben Howard 
• Phoebe Abu-Gold, Up Close Management – Pinkpantheress

 

Annabella Coldrick, Chief Executive, Music Managers Forum: 

“Over recent years, the MMF has been at the centre of discussions about how music management companies can develop and sustain new types of commercial models. In that context, it feels especially important to recognise the forward-thinking approach of Quietus Management, and their restructuring as an Employee Ownership Trust. Alongside a hugely exciting shortlist for Manager Of The Year, it is further proof that the UK’s management community continues to lead, innovate and succeed.”

Now in its 16th edition, the Artist & Manager Awards remains a unique event in the music industry calendar, celebrating both the excellence of artists who release recordings and perform live and their entrepreneurial partners who help them build businesses. 

As well as full access to the awards ceremony, attendees will also enjoy a red carpet drinks reception, a two-course dinner, live performances and entry to the official after-party. 

Further winners and shortlists will be announced shortly. 

For more information on sponsorship opportunities or tickets, please contact Gary Reid or Jonathan Robinson – gary@thefac.org /  – jonathan@themmf.net.