photo_cameraAnnabella Coldrick & Duncan Ellis
Artist Reps
MMF appoints Duncan Ellis to board
The UK’s Music Managers Forum (MMF) has appointed Atlas Artists founder Duncan Ellis to its board, following the organisation’s Annual General Meeting in London.
Ellis replaces Ellie Giles, who is stepping down after nine years and three terms as an MMF director.
He founded Atlas Artists in 2014 and works with artists including Celeste and Rachel Chinouriri. The company operates across management, A&R, recording and artist development and entered a joint venture with Warner Music’s Parlophone Records in 2021.
Kerry Harvey Piper of Red Grape Music, Ray Black of Craft Management, Sumit Bothra of SB3 Management and Vicky Dowdall of VDM Music were also re-elected as board directors.
MMF Chief Executive Annabella Coldrick said:
“I am absolutely delighted to welcome Duncan to the MMF board. As well as representing some incredible talent, Atlas Artists is reflective of the kind of innovative, multi-faceted management companies that are pushing boundaries in the UK. I also want to pay tribute to Ellie Giles, who has served the MMF with incredible commitment and generosity over the past nine years.”
The AGM also marked Coldrick’s tenth year as chief executive. She highlighted the growing recognition of the role of music managers, alongside the MMF’s work on professional development, including its industry-recognised manager certification and the Hyperdrive programme developed with YouTube Music and Arts Council England.
According to the MMF, its membership has grown from around 400 managers when Coldrick took over in 2016 to more than three times that level today. The organisation says music managers now contribute £714 million to the wider UK music industry.
The AGM followed the MMF’s sold-out Manager Summit at 10 Union Street, which attracted more than 120 industry professionals.
This year’s event focused on audience building and artist development in an increasingly algorithm-driven music business, with sessions covering artificial intelligence, catalogue development, live experiences, marketing and fan engagement.
Speakers included Pophouse President and CEO Jessica Koravos, Per Sundin and SB3 Management’s Sumit Bothra, who discussed projects including ABBA Voyage and opportunities around established artist catalogues such as KISS and Iron Maiden.
Further contributors came from Universal Music UK, BPI, Rough Trade Retail, YouTube Music, Wildlife Entertainment and a range of management, technology and music-business companies.