BASCA Gold Badge Award Recipients for 2017 Announced

44th Gold Badge Awards presented by BASCA and sponsored by PPL and PRS for Music

BASCA (British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors) has announced details of the 2017 Gold Badge Awards, which will take place at the Savoy hotel in London on Monday 2nd October 2017 from 11.30am to 4.30pm.

The 44th Gold Badge Awards are presented by BASCA and sponsored by PPL and PRS for Music. They will be hosted by Guy Fletcher OBE and celebrate the unique contribution of twelve individuals who have supported or inspired the UK songwriting and composing community.

The ceremony will acknowledge contributions to the worlds of jazz, contemporary classical, film & television music, and songwriting. Each individual receiving an award is a game changer and has made a lasting contribution to the professional lives of the community BASCA represents.

Launched in 1974 to acknowledge those in the music industry who support or promote the work of songwriters and composers The Gold Badge Awards have recognised over 500 outstanding individuals to date.

Gold Badge recipients for 2017 will include:

A member of the seminal Jazz Warriors in the 1980s, bassist Gary Crosby OBE has supported hundreds of aspiring jazz artists in fulfiling their potential, as founder and artistic director of Tomorrow’s Warriors. Composer and musician Michael Gibbs has also been a major influence on British jazz, both for his compositions and arrangements and as an educator.

Susanna Eastburn has fostered a thriving creative environment through her leadership of new music charity Sound and Music. The latest in a line of positions she’s held at organisations promoting new music. Conductor and Festival Director George Vass has commissioned countless contemporary classical composers, championing their work and bringing it to a wide audience.

Independent publisher Sarah Liversedge is recognised for the support of her composers’ catalogues and encouragement of emerging songwriters and artists. Paulette Long OBE is also recognised for her work within music publishing and her advocacy across the industry in terms of equality and diversity. 

Industry veteran Jon Webster, former President of the Music Managers Forum and founder of the Mercury Music Prize, and Music Business Worldwide founder and former Music Week editor Tim Ingham are honoured. Both of whom have contributed to the debate around creator remuneration in the digital era and championed the creator’s contribution to the UK music industry.

Within the world of media composition BASCA recognises engineer and studio owner Steve Parr who has recorded and mixed over 500 film scores and pioneered surround sound mixing, conducting seminars all over Europe and the USA. And Maggie Rodford, who is collecting the Gold Badge Award sponsored by PRS for Music.  Managing Director of Air-Edel Group, Maggie not only represents a host of internationally renowned composers but has worked as music supervisor and score coordinator on countless Hollywood blockbusters and award winning independent films.

BRIT, Ivor Novello Award and MOBO Award-winning artist and songwriter Emeli Sandé MBE is collecting the Gold Badge Award sponsored by PPL. Long Live the Angels, the follow up to her seven times platinum Our Version of Events was released in November 2016 to critical acclaim. A truly unique artist and songwriter, Sandé was appointed an MBE in 2017 for her services to music.

Founding member of The Human League, Heaven 17 and British Electric Foundation, Martyn Ware is recognised for his major influence. Martyn has produced records totalling over 50 million sales worldwide and pioneered a unique three-dimensional sound technology practice, teaching and lecturing at many leading universities to foster a new generation of sound artists and composers. 

The full list of 2017 Gold Badge recipients is as follows:

• Gary Crosby OBE
• Susanna Eastburn
• Michael Gibbs
• Tim Ingham
• Sarah Liversedge
• Paulette Long OBE
• Steve Parr
• Maggie Rodford – this award is presented in association with PRS for Music
• Emeli Sandé MBE – this award is presented in association with PPL
• George Vass
• Martyn Ware
• Jon Webster

Music is rarely created only by Musicians, just as Musicians rarely create only Music. At the 2017 Gold Badge Awards, BASCA is honoured to recognise these exceptional individuals whose talent, taste, protection and purpose is an inspiration to all in British Music writing and whose unique contribution to British Music deserves to be celebrated.

For more information on this year’s Gold Badge Awards visit www.goldbadgeawards.com or follow @BASCA_UK

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For further information please contact:
Andy Saunders
Velocity Communications 
Tel : 0207 060 9111
Mobile : 07939 133050
andy@velocitypr.co.uk

Notes to Editors: 

More information About all the Recipients

Gary Crosby OBE

Gary Crosby has consistently been at the forefront of the British jazz scene throughout a career that so far spans more than 40 years. He was a founder member of the seminal Jazz Warriors in the 1980s. As founder of the award-winning bands, Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop and Jazz Jamaica, he has earned a reputation as one of the UK’s most respected bassists and band leaders whilst, as founder and Artistic Director of Tomorrow’s Warriors, he has supported hundreds of aspiring young jazz artists to fulfil their potential.

Many of today’s most celebrated jazz artists owe much of their early career success to Crosby’s willingness to put not only his faith but also his time, energy and resources into giving them time and space to develop. He was also the producer of Denys Baptiste’s Mercury-nominated album, Be Where You Are (Dune Records, 1999). Crosby’s exemplary work has been acknowledged with numerous UK and international awards for Best Ensemble (Nu Troop/Jazz Jamaica All Stars) from the BBC, the UK Parliament, the Ocho Rios Jazz Festival, Jamaica for Consistent Contribution To Jamaican Music; an OBE for Services to Music in 2009; and in 2012, the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Music Education.

Susanna Eastburn

Susanna Eastburn took up the role of Chief Executive of Sound and Music in September 2012.  This is the latest senior appointment in a career that has included being Director, Music at Arts Council England from 2008 to 2012. 

Her background and particular interest is in new music and in supporting composers at different times in their career. Her first job was in music publishing, working at Music Sales Ltd with a number of leading composers including Judith Weir, Kaija Saariaho and Esa-Pekka Salonen. At the age of 32 she was appointed as Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, a role she fulfilled between 2000 and 2004, when she was selected to be a Youth Music Fellow on the inaugural year of the Clore Leadership Programme, an initiative to identify and develop leadership in the cultural sector.

In September 2013 she was elected to the Board of the International Association of Music Information Centres, where she was also President until October 2016. She is on the Board of Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and a Trustee of Trinity College London, as well as being a member of The Queen’s Medal for Music Committee. 

Michael Gibbs

After studying in the US Michael Gibbs settled in England, playing trombone for Graham Collier and John Dankworth and subsequently recording a series of highly acclaimed and influential albums featuring many of the most prominent British-based players who were beginning to flirt with jazz/rock; (Kenny Wheeler, Henry Lowther, Chris Pyne, Harry Beckett, Alan Skidmore, Chris Spedding, Roy Babbington, John Marshall, Ray Warleigh and Frank Ricotti.) In the early 70's he won several Melody Maker Awards, including First Composer, Best Big Band, Musician of the Year, First Arranger and his own album In the Public Interest was voted Best Album of 1974.

Gibbs returned to Berklee College of Music where he’d studied, as a tutor and composer-in-residence from 1974-83. In 1983 he left to freelance as an arranger and producer, and worked with Michael Mantler, Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Whitney Houston, Peter Gabriel, and Sister Sledge among many others.

He has been an enormous influence on British jazz as a composer, arranger and educator. He celebrates his 80th birthday in September 2017.

Tim Ingham

Tim Ingham founded Music Business Worldwide (MBW) in 2015. The site's news, insight and analysis have quickly developed into essential reading for professionals across the global music industry - from those in studios to those in executive corner offices.

Tim is a well-known music industry commentator and was editor of UK trade title Music Week for four years before stepping down in late 2014. He has written about the music industry for the likes of The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer, The Daily Mail and NME.

In 2014, Tim was named one of the world’s 500 Most Influential Britons – and one of the 20 most influential British music execs – by The Sunday Times & Debrett’s. Outside of MBW, Tim is a Non-Exec Director of IMPEL (Independent Music Publishers e-Licensing), which enables independent music publishers to collectively license their Anglo-American mechanical digital rights on a pan-European basis.

Sarah Liversedge

Sarah Liversedge left BBC Worldwide in 2014 to set up her own independent music publishing company, BDi Music. She is also Director of A&R at Bucks Music Group as well as Co-Director of The Movement London, a co-venture publishing company with multiplatinum selling producer, Jake Gosling.

Sarah develops the careers of unbeatable, innovative and creative artists, producers and songwriters most notably, Amy Wadge, Jake Gosling, comedian Ricky Gervais, Laura Mvula’s producer Troy Miller, indie pop sensations, The Magic Gang, rising artist, Novo Amor and Irish songstress, Ailbhe Reddy. 

Sarah is a member of the Music Publishers Association's Pop Publisher's Committee and is one of the key industry advisers on the PRS Foundation Momentum Fund. In 2014 she was elected onto the Roll of Honour of Music Week’s Women In Music Awards. As a publisher Sarah has collected two ASCAP awards – in 2013 as exclusive publisher of Ed Sheeran’s Lego House, co-written by Jake Gosling and as Amy Wadge’s exclusive publisher, who co-wrote Ed Sheeran’s global hit Thinking Out Loud.

Paulette Long OBE

Paulette Long joined Westbury Music in 1988 working within all areas of publishing. She also set up Long Term Management representing 2B3 Productions and became a director of Westbury Music in 2003.

In an advocacy and advisory capacity Paulette contributes to numerous boards throughout the music industry. She has sat on the Board of the Music Publishers Association since 2004; took up the role of Trustee of the PRS Foundation in 2005, serving as Vice Chair from 2012 to 2016 and is now a PRS Foundation Amabassador. In 2008 Paulette was elected to the Board of PRS, and since 2014 has been a Trustee of the PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund.

She is a founding member of ADMM (The Alliance for Diversity in Music and Media) who successfully created the UK music industry’s first Diversity Charter (formally adopted by UK Music). She is Deputy Chair of the UK Music Diversity Task Force and is Co-chair of the BPI Diversity Committee (specifically focussed on the Brits). In 2016 Paulette received an OBE for services to the music industry.

Steve Parr

Steve Parr was sound producer for Concert for Nelson Mandela at Wembley in 1988 and John Lennon 50th Anniversary in Liverpool in 1990, both live television broadcasts. He was also producer of albums for The Secret Policeman's Ball for Amnesty International.

In 1990 he founded studio Hear No Evil in West Kensington. During this time he earned a solid reputation as a pioneer of music surround sound holding seminars in Europe & USA and winning industry awards for his mixes including one for his live 96k/6.1 recording Reich at the Roxy. He has recorded and mixed over 500 scores for film and television, many of them in surround including his mix of Who Are You which was used as the title music for US crime series CSI.

Steve has been a regular contributor to Sound on Sound and Studio Sound magazines and in 2005 was elected Vice Chairman of the Music Producer’s Guild. In January 2011 Steve closed Hear No Evil but continues to work on film, television, theatre and contemporary dance productions.

Maggie Rodford

This award is sponsored by PRS for Music

Maggie Rodford is Managing Director of the Air-Edel Group, incorporating one of the world’s leading music publishing and production companies, representing composers worldwide.

Maggie works closely with composers, negotiating contracts, producing, music supervising and co-ordinating music recordings.  She has worked as music producer, co-ordinator and supervisor on many high profile projects including 100’s of commercials and games, film and tv scores including Murder On The Orient Express, Darkest Hour, The Emoji Movie, Kubo and the Two Strings, Denial, A United Kingdom, Everest, Cinderella, The Boxtrolls, Belle, Anna Karenina, Brave, Thor, Jane Eyre, W.E., The King’s Speech, The First Grader, Atonement, Gosford Park, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Pride & Prejudice, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Tutankhamun, Puppeteer.

Maggie served as a PRS Director for many years and was an active member of the PRS Executive Board. Maggie was a member of the BAFTA Film committee for four years and is currently the Chairman of the BAFTA Archive, Heritage & Exhibitions Committee. In 2004, Maggie was presented with The Malaika Award in recognition of her work with the African Children’s Choir and in 2012 Maggie was awarded an APRS Fellowship.

Emeli Sandé MBE

This award is sponsored by PPL

Emeli Sandé released her debut record, Our Version Of Events, in 2012. Not only was it the biggest selling album of 2012 and second biggest selling album of 2013, but it was also certified 7x platinum, spent seven non-consecutive weeks at No.1 and exceeded The Beatles' previous record by spending 63 consecutive weeks in the top 10 and selling over 4.6 million copies worldwide. Sandé has won numerous accolades including four BRIT Awards and two Ivor Novello Awards.

The multi-instrumentalist initially made her mark as a songwriter in the UK urban scene via acts such as Wiley, Wretch 32 and Chip, later becoming a highly sought-after writer for a wide array of international acts including Alicia Keys, Rihanna and Katy Perry.

Sandé returned last November with Long Live the Angels, the critically acclaimed album that achieved the biggest week one sales for a British female solo artist in 2016. At the 2017 BRIT Awards she gave a stunning performance of Hurts and received her fourth BRIT award for Best Female Solo Artist, the second time she’s won the award.

George Vass

George Vass made his professional conducting debut at St John’s Smith Square in 1979. As artistic director of the Regent Sinfonia of London and Orchestra Nova, he has appeared at many of the UK’s major concert halls and festivals. He has broadcast for BBC Radio 3 and Channel 4 and made over thirty commercial recordings.

Over the last twenty-five years he has commissioned and premiered new work from such eminent composers as Sally Beamish, Martin Butler, Gabriel Jackson, Paweł Łukaszewski, David Matthews, John McCabe, Cecilia McDowall, Paul Patterson, Joseph Phibbs, Robert Saxton, Peter Sculthorpe, Huw Watkins, Adrian Williams and Hugh Wood.

Vass has been artistic director of the Presteigne Festival since 1992, having also directed the Hampstead and Highgate Festival (2004-09). He is currently Music Director of Bushey Symphony Orchestra and St Albans Choral Society, having held similar positions with the City of Canterbury Chamber Choir, Dartford Symphony Orchestra and Middlesex Bach Choir. He is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music and, in 2014, became chair of the British Arts Festivals Association.

Martyn Ware

Martyn Ware founded The Human League in 1977 and formed production company/label British Electric Foundation and Heaven 17 in 1980.

He has written, performed and produced two Human League, five BEF and nine Heaven 17 studio albums. As record producer and artist he has featured on recordings totalling over 50 million sales worldwide - producing Tina Turner, Terence Trent D’Arby, Chaka Khan, Erasure, Marc Almond and Mavis Staples.

Ware founded Illustrious Co. Ltd with Vince Clarke in 2000 to exploit the creative and commercial possibilities of their unique three-dimensional sound technology practice in collaboration with fine artists, the performing arts and corporate clients around the world. He also lectures extensively on music production, technology, and creativity at universities and colleges across the world. He has just been appointed the first ambassador for the international NGO In Place Of War, and is a board member and trustee for the charity Street Sports Hope in Sierra Leone. Ware is proud to be a supporter of artist’s rights, and is also a proud socialist and international activist. He has also recently been appointed as Principal of Tileyard Education.

Jon Webster

Jon Webster spent the early part of his career at Richard Branson’s Virgin Group initially Virgin Retail where he researched the Virgin Megastore concept before its launch in London. In 1981 Jon moved to the record label working in sales, marketing and international before becoming Managing Director in 1988. He worked with world famous acts such as Mike Oldfield, Genesis, Culture Club, Simple Minds, Phil Collins, The Human League, Simple Minds and UB40. 

Jon was instrumental in the founding of the Now! That’s What I Call Music brand which has sold over 100 million units worldwide. After the sale to EMI in 1992 he became a consultant working with many of the acts above with whom he had developed a great working relationship. He has been a manager, founded the Mercury Music Prize, and worked for the BPI, before leaving in 2007 to take up the role of CEO of the Music Managers Forum. Jon was elected President in 2016 and stepped down in May 2017 to pursue a number of external projects.

About the Gold Badge Awards

BASCA created the Gold Badge Awards in 1974 to acknowledge those within in the UK music industry who have supported, protected or inspired songwriters and composers. Over 43 years BASCA has presented more than 500 awards to acknowledge the diversity of contribution, dedication and talent that exists within the music industry. The Gold Badge Awards USP is that professional members of the organisation nominate awardees, choosing recipients who have made a demonstrable contribution to the professional lives of working songwriters and composers.

About BASCA

BASCA [British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors] is the voice for music writers; the independent professional association representing music creators in all genres, from songwriting, through to media, contemporary classical and jazz and can trace our history back over 70 years. Whilst we are well known for putting on the British Composer Awards, the Gold Badge Awards and The Ivors every year, there is far more to us than these events.  

BASCA campaigns in the UK, Europe and throughout the world in order to protect the professional interests of our members. We count on the best songwriting and composing talent in order to do this important work and are entirely self-funding, relying on the continuing support of our members, who include Paul McCartney, Dizzee Rascal, Michael Nyman, Gary Barlow, David Arnold, Elton John, Imogen Heap, Howard Goodall, John Powell, Kate Bush, Chris Martin, and many more.

About PPL

Founded in 1934, PPL is the UK music industry’s collective management organisation (CMO) for tens of thousands of performers and record companies. We license recorded music in the UK when it is played in public (shops, bars, nightclubs, offices etc.) or broadcast (BBC, commercial radio, commercial TV etc.) and ensure that revenue flows back to our members. These include both independent and major record companies, together with performers ranging from emerging grassroots artists through to established session musicians and influential festival headliners.

PPL has a market-leading international collections business, with 84 agreements in place across 40 countries, helping members to maximise their revenue when their repertoire is played overseas. We collected £212.1 million in the UK and internationally in 2016 and paid over 92,000 performers and record companies.

About PRS for Music

PRS for Music is a world-leading music collective management organisation representing the rights of more than 165,000 talented songwriters, composers and music publishers around the globe. Headquartered in the UK, it works diligently on behalf of its members to grow and protect the value of their rights. With a focus on innovation and integrity, PRS for Music is redefining the global standard for music royalties to ensure creators are paid whenever their musical compositions and songs are streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed and played in public. In 2022, PRS for Music collected £964m and paid out £836.2m in royalties. prsformusic.com