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SIMON COWELL IS HONOURED WITH THE 24TH MUSIC INDUSTRY TRUSTS AWARD
18 June 2015: Simon Cowell, record company executive, television and film producer and global TV icon, is to be honoured with the 24th Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS). This prestigious annual music award is presented to Simon in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the music and entertainment industry and many charitable causes. The Award will be presented on Monday 2 November at a gala ceremony in aid of Nordoff Robbins and the BRIT Trust.
David Munns OBE, chairman of the MITS Award committee, said: “We are delighted to honour Simon Cowell with the Music Industry Trusts Award for 2015. We are proud to recognise his outstanding contributions to the UK music and entertainment industries and his personal support of many charitable causes. The creativity and excitement of The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, for example, have left an indelible impression on our contemporary culture whilst his record label Syco has proven itself a world leader in the development and success of inspiring, talented artists. Simon Cowell is a well deserving honouree.”
The Music Industry Trusts Award, now in its 24th year, has raised over £5 million for Nordoff Robbins and the BRIT Trust. It has earned its respected place in the entertainment industry due to the great names that have held this honour: Sir George Martin, Ahmet Ertegun, Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Lucian Grainge CBE, John Barry OBE, Sir Michael Parkinson CBE, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Tom Jones, Kylie Minogue OBE, Sir Harvey Goldsmith, Jools Holland OBE, Gary Barlow OBE, Annie Lennox OBE and Michael Eavis CBE. The Award was founded to recognise outstanding achievement in the UK music industry as well as to benefit the charitable work of Nordoff Robbins and the BRIT Trust.
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Simon Cowell has completely transformed popular culture through his entertainment enterprise. Simon’s joint venture with Sony Music, Syco Entertainment, is one of the world’s leading global music, film, and TV production companies and is responsible for some of the most successful global music and TV franchises. Syco’s artists signed to Syco Music include One Direction, Little Mix, Susan Boyle, Ella Henderson, Il Divo, Labrinth, Fifth Harmony, and Collabro. While Syco’s television assets include two worldwide record-breaking shows: The X Factor and Got Talent, amongst many others.
The Music Industry Trusts Award is sponsored by Spotify, PPL, Ingenious Media and SJM.
The Award is unique because it recognises the contribution that an individual has made to the industry across a range of activities: record producer, film music composer, broadcaster, artist, music executive, songwriter and concert impresario. The Award evening has become renowned for its magic moments, with unique live performances that have a special resonance for the recipient. www.mitsaward.co.uk #MITsAward #HonouringSimonCowell
-ends- Notes to editors: Syco Music is the No. 1 A&R label in the UK for both singles and albums. Currently, One Direction is the biggest band in the world. They have sold more than 50 million records and have headlined four sold-out world tours. Artists discovered by The X Factor have sold more than 200 million records worldwide, including 200 No. 1s, and 380 Top 10 records. In total, Simon Cowell has worked with artists who have sold more than 350 million records to date.
Before starting Syco Entertainment, Simon Cowell was an established record label executive. He first appeared on television as a judge on the UK talent show Pop Idol, before leading the judging panel on American Idol and eventually starting his own show, The X Factor. In addition to becoming one for Britain’s most popular and enduring TV programmes, The X Factor is now produced in 56 territories and airs in 168 countries around the world.
Cowell is the creator and is currently a judge on Britain’s Got Talent. This year, the season finale had a peak audience of 13.4 million, making it the biggest UK show in 2015. The Got Talent format officially holds the Guinness Book of World Records title for highest number of adaptations, making it the ‘Worlds Most Successful Reality TV
**NEWS** EMBARGOED UNTIL 00.01, 18.5.2015 format.’ America’s Got Talent was nominated for a Primetime Emmy and currently airs in 193 counties with original versions of the format being produced in 66 territories worldwide. In total, over 1 billion people tune in every year to watch Got Talent.
Nordoff Robbins is a music therapy charity, dedicated to transforming the lives of vulnerable children and adults. They work with people with a range of challenges such as autism, dementia, depression and physical and learning disabilities. They carry out their work in their own music therapy centres, in schools, community centres, hospitals and care homes. Nordoff Robbins is a small organisation but needs to raise £3 million every year to continue to provide music therapy to all those who desperately need it. www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk
The BRIT School is the UK’s leading performing arts and technology state school, providing an unique and free education for 1,200 pupils aged between 14 and 19, from a wide range of backgrounds and academic abilities. 'BRIT' stands for the British Record Industry Trust, which is the charity whose mission is to 'support young people in music and education'. The BRIT School is very different to normal vocational schools, with a very diverse intake of talented kids who would otherwise not have the opportunities to develop their potential in music, musical theatre, dance, digital arts, theatre, media, art and design or technical theatre (production). It is a unique place with a history of success and innovation. www.brittrust.co.uk
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