This is a good article. Click here for more information.

First Access Entertainment

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

First Access Entertainment
TypePrivate
IndustryEntertainment
Founded2015; 6 years ago (2015)
Founder
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Sarah Stennett (CEO)
  • Stephen John Hendry (Director)
  • Len Blavatnik (investor)
  • Rodger Garfinkel (CFO)
  • Le'Roy Benros (SVP of A&R)
  • Oscar Scivier (VP of A&R)
Services
ParentAccess Industries
Divisions
  • Access Records
  • First Access Publishing
  • First Access Sports
SubsidiariesFund by First Access Entertainment LLC
Websitefirstaccessent.com

First Access Entertainment (FAE) is a joint venture entertainment company between Sarah Stennett and owner of Access Industries and Warner Music Group, Len Blavatnik, with offices in London, New York City and Los Angeles. It launched in 2015 and is the successor to Stennett's first company Turn First Artists, which was absorbed into the new venture. Since then, the activities of the company have evolved to include a record label (Access Records), publishing (First Access Publishing), Sports Management (First Access Sports), and a seed funding venture called "Fund by First Access Entertainment".

The company is most known for managing recording artists Iggy Azalea, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, Rita Ora, Madison Beer Prior to his death in 2017, then upcoming-rapper Lil Peep was managed through a joint-venture with FAE. His music has since been released posthumously through the company and Peep's estate. Also in 2019, American burlesque-come-recording group the Pussycat Dolls reformed and released new music with Access Records.

History[]

First Access Entertainment's origins can be traced back to an earlier company, Turn First Artists, an artist management and development agency based out of West London, founded by music manager Sarah Stennett. With the agency, Stennett has been responsible for launching the careers of artists including Iggy Azalea, Rita Ora, Ellie Goulding, Zayn and Jessie J.[1][2] Stennett also co-founded law firm SSB, which represents Adele, alongside setting up the Grammy Award-winning songwriting and production team the Invisible Men that includes her husband George Astasio.[3]

In October 2015, Turn First was absorbed into a new joint venture launched by Stennett and Len Blavatnik's Access Industries, a privately held industrial group with major holdings in the music, media and telecommunications sectors. The new venture would be called First Access Entertainment (FEA) and encompassed both artist management and label services.[4] Founded in 2015, the company offers services across artist and model management, recorded music, music publishing, strategic brand partnerships, TV/film development and sports management.[5][6] It has offices in London, Los Angeles and New York.[7] In 2017, Oscar Scivier joined Access Records as their vice president of A&R from Ultra Records.[8]

Blavatnik would resign as a company director in October 2019 and was replaced with Stephen John Hendry.[9] Upon announcing their reformation, American burlesque group-come recording group the Pussycat Dolls confirmed in 2020 that they would be releasing new music, including the song "React", through Access Records. "React" is their first independent release, as well as the group's first release in a decade.[10] Scherzinger told Rap-Up that being "able to release our music independently at this moment in time feels incredibly empowering".[11]

Access Records and artist management services[]

Roster[]

As of 2021, First Access Entertainment is home to a range of acts including, but not limited to:[12]

Former clients[]

Digital tours[]

a woman with blonde curly hair performs on stage
Lion Babe are one of First Access' clients and took part in one of the digital tours during the COVID-19 pandemic.

FEA has also worked on several digital tours in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2020 feature in the Los Angeles Times covered senior VP of A&R at First Access Records, Le'Roy Benros, and how he oversaw "geofenced digital tours" for the artists Lion Babe and Kwamie Liv. Explaining the concept, Benros said "the economy has taken a big hit, and brands are trying to find creative and effective ways to reach their demographic. Brands also know that a main source of an independent artist's revenue stream has been depleted. I think it's a mutually beneficial partnership as long as it doesn't compromise the integrity and aesthetic of the artist." Benros explained that geofencing meant that free tickets available only to fans in the area where the artists would have performed anyway. Benros noted that in future, he would expect fans to pay for such opportunities.[23]

Other ventures[]

First Access Publishing[]

Following its first 18 months in service, FAE signed a joint agreement with publishing company Warner/Chappell to provide global support for FAE's "publishing roster for synchronization in film, TV, advertising, games and other media, as well as provide global copyright administration." Warner/Chappell CEO Jon Platt said of the venture, "we're very pleased to partner with the terrific team at First Access Entertainment." Platt noted that the venture would utilise skills at both companies and build "long, successful careers for diverse and accomplished songwriters, now and in the future."[5] Stennett also commented on the venture during a press release, saying "I'm very much looking forward to working hand-in-hand with the incredible team at Warner/Chappell on developing and maximising the full scope of our artist's repertoire across a broad range of media and entertainment platforms."[24]

First Access Sports[]

In 2018, FAE further diversified its operations, launching a sports management agency to represent sports stars from all fields. First Access Sports focusses on services aimed at young athletes. Stennett expanded on the company's purpose during an interview with Music Week, where she recognised youth athletes as "youth culture stars" and as being "powerful individuals", with "enormous cultural presence and influence." She said: "our mission is to create the foundations for exemplary performance within the scope of their core discipline and to enhance their visibility and ancillary value." Co-CEO Len Blavatnik agreed noting that FEA has foundations and previous successes in attracting, retaining and representing talent, he said: "FEA has a proven track record in talent discovery and representation. We have a team in place that can push the boundaries of traditional sports management."[6]

Fund by Access Entertainment[]

Also in 2018, the company joined forces with Simon Tikhman to launch "Fund by Access Entertainment," a seed funding initiative for entrepreneurs launching ventures centred around youth culture. Of the venture, Tikhman said, "This is a natural next step – by seeding, incubating and giving aspiring companies access to the extensive global infrastructure of First Access Entertainment, they will have all the tools they need to take their ideas to the next level."[25]

The Qube[]

First Access was also a founding investor in "The Qube", a "first of its kind venue and community for music professionals to connect and collaborate." The flagship West London venue is a 22,000 square-foot premise designed by Munro Acoustics, featuring 30 state of the art soundproofed recording studios, breakout spaces, and a tranquil garden terrace is due to open in January 2020. Other partners in the venture include; Riz Ahmed, Krept & Konan, Rudimental's Amir Amor, Mixcloud co-founder Nikhil Shah, and Concord Music.[26]

References[]

  1. ^ Gensler, Andy (6 December 2014). "Iggy Azalea, Rita Ora, Ellie Goulding's Turn First Mgmt Company Run By 'Lionesses'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 1 November 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b Eckardt, Stephanie (17 April 2018). "Is Zayn Malik Really a 'Challenging' Diva? Not So Fast". W. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  3. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (1 December 2013). "Rita Ora on Sarah Stennett: 'She's got balls, and she's from Liverpool'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  4. ^ Gensler, Andy (28 October 2015). "Exclusive: Zayn Malik Manager Sarah Stennett, Access Industries Formally Announce Joint Venture". Billboard. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  5. ^ a b "First Access Entertainment inks global admin deal with Warner/Chappell". Music Business Worldwide. 14 June 2017. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  6. ^ a b Paine, Andre (15 November 2018). "First Access Entertainment launches sports division". Music Week.
  7. ^ "About First Access Entertainment". First Access Entertainment. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  8. ^ Jones, Rhian (9 March 2017). "First Access names Ultra Records exec Oscar Scivier VP of A&R". Music Business Worldwide. Archived from the original on 11 March 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  9. ^ "First Access Entertainment Limited – Officers". Companies House. 2020. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  10. ^ Copsey, Robert (27 January 2020). "Pussycat Dolls confirm comeback song React release date". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  11. ^ "The Pussycat Dolls Return With New Single 'React'". Rap-Up. 7 February 2020. Archived from the original on 8 February 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  12. ^ "First Access Entertainment Roster". firstaccessent.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross release their first single". Pressparty. 7 September 2018. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  14. ^ a b Rendon, Francisco (4 October 2018). "Q's With Adam Mersel Of First Access Entertainment: How The Young Manager Is Taking Bebe Rexha To Pop Stardom". Pollstar. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  15. ^ Ingham, Tim (6 January 2020). "First Access lawyers warn that Lil Peep lawsuit could leave music companies as 'full-time babysitters for artists'". Music Business Worldwide. Archived from the original on 8 January 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  16. ^ Deen, Khyle (18 February 2020). "Madison Beer unveils music video for new track titled Selfish > New Music > Music | Purple Revolver". Purple Revolver. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  17. ^ Homewood, Ben (7 May 2020). "Inside the making of Rita Ora's new album". Music Week. Archived from the original on 1 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  18. ^ "Charles Hamilton Is Officially Back, Signs Deal With Republic Records". Complex. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  19. ^ "Charles Hamilton Signs With Republic Records, New Single With Rita Ora To Debut On "Empire"". Hotnewhiphop.com. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  20. ^ ""Empire" Set To Spark Charles Hamilton's Long-Awaited Comeback – SOHH.com". Sohh.com. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  21. ^ Copsey, Robert (27 January 2020). "Pussycat Dolls confirm comeback song React release date". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  22. ^ Bang Showbiz (15 January 2021). "The Pussycat Dolls in talks to 'sign new management deal'". The List. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  23. ^ Brown, August (15 May 2020). "Concert tours are on hold. But sponsored livestreams can save musicians' paychecks". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  24. ^ Gumble, Daniel (14 July 2017). "First Access Entertainment inks global publishing deal with Warner/Chappell". Music Week. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  25. ^ Holland, Andrea (27 February 2018). "First Access Entertainment Launches Seed Fund to Tap Into Youth Market". Business Wire. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  26. ^ Garner, George (13 December 2019). "'It's a home for a new generation of creators': New West London musical space The Qube set to launch in January". Music Week. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
Retrieved from ""