Saturday 11th June 2011 – Tony Wadsworth, Chairman of The BPI has been awarded the CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List today in recognition of his services to the British Music Industry.
On hearing the news, Tony said ‘I feel both delighted and humbled to be recognised for my work in an industry that I so passionately believe in and where I have enjoyed the privilege of working with some of the world's most inspiring creative talents.’
BIOG:
Tony Wadsworth is Chairman of The BPI – the trade association which represents the interests of British record labels. Tony, 54, was the longest serving Chairman and CEO of EMI Music UK & Ireland from 1998 to 2008. In a 26-year career with the UK based company, he held many roles including Managing Director of Parlophone, the label he relaunched in the 1990’s, achieving sustained hits with artists such as Blur, Radiohead, Crowded House, Pet Shop Boys , Tina Turner and Queen.
His subsequent elevation to the responsibility for all of EMI’s UK labels saw a sustained period of global success with artists such as Robbie Williams, Coldplay, Gorillaz, Lily Allen, Kylie Minogue, Rolling Stones and The Beatles.
Prior to joining EMI, Tony gained a degree in Economics from Newcastle University and spent the following three years playing in a band with his college friends. He later worked for various record labels before joining EMI.
Tony is currently Chairman of both BPI, BRIT Awards Ltd, and Julies Bicycle; a BRIT Trustee and a BRIT School Governor. He is a trustee of the EMI Music Sound Foundation, a charity devoted to improving young people's access to music, and a trustee of the EMI Archive Trust. He has an honorary Doctorate in music from the University of Gloucestershire and holds the post of Visiting Professor in the music and business schools at his old university in Newcastle. At the 2008 Music Week Awards he received the Strat Award, one of the most coveted in the UK music industry in recognition of his outstanding leadership.
Tony lives in South East London with his wife Sue and two children, Ben and Alice.