The latest edition of music-inspired endurance event Music Mudder raised more than £75,000 for UK music therapy charity Nordoff and Robbins.

Organised by talent agency Wasserman Music in partnership with the charity, Music Mudder 2024 saw 540 people across 56 teams – covering the breadth of the music industry – take on over 40 obstacles at the Camelot Events ‘Nuts Challenge’ course in Dorking, Surrey, on Friday 13 September.

Promoter Oscar Tuttiett, who competed on the ‘AEG Winners 2023 A’ team, completed the 7km course in the fastest individual time of 49 minutes 21 seconds. Team Atlantic took the top spot as the fastest overall team, with an average time of 1 hour 18 minutes and 38 seconds.

ASM Global won the top prize for fundraising, with over £8,000 raised through the Enthuse platform and match funding.

“It was incredible to see so much team spirit on display at this year’s Music Mudder, with everyone encouraging each other to keep going and break through that finish line covered head to toe in mud,” says Wasserman Music agent Lucy Putman. “The atmosphere was awesome and we’re so happy to have raised over £75,000 and counting for Nordoff and Robbins. We’ve loved seeing Music Mudder go from strength to strength over the last few years and can’t wait for the fifth anniversary event in 2025, so register now and get ready to take on the challenge next September.”

“Events like this are so important in helping our amazing music therapists continue to support some of the most vulnerable people in our society through the power of music”

The event also featured a prize draw, which included Oasis tickets, NFL London tickets, the chance to climb Up at The O2 and a night’s stay at exclusive London lifestyle hotel Sea Containers, helping to raise £5,000 on the day.

“We’re so grateful to the hundreds of music industry execs who took part in Music Mudder 2024 and raised so much money for Nordoff and Robbins’ vital music therapy services,” adds Sandy Trappitt, deputy director of fundraising, Nordoff and Robbins. “Events like this are so important in helping our amazing music therapists continue to support some of the most vulnerable people in our society through the power of music.

“Our thanks go out to Wasserman Music for partnering with us on this special event and to all the companies and individuals who generously gave up their time and resources to make it a success.”

The list of teams taking part comprised 4th Floor Creative, Absolute Label Services, Accenture, AEG, Anglo Management Music Ltd, Anjunabeats/Anjunadeep, ASM Global, Atlantic Records UK, CAA, CC Young & Co, Demon Music Group, Dice, Festival Republic, Gelfand Rennert & Feldman, Hard Rock Cafe, Hardwick and Morris, Huntress, ILMC, InterTalent AC Ltd and Lee & Thompson LLP.

Other participants included Live Nation, MEATliquor, Mercury, MSE Business Management LLP, One Fiinix Live, Only Helix, Prager Metis, RCA, Round Marketing, Russells, September Management Ltd, Sheridans, Sony Music, Sony Music Publishing, Superstruct Entertainment Limited, The Other Songs & Another Rhythm, Ticketmaster, Tysers Live, Universal Music Group, UTA, Wasserman Music, WME and YMU Business Management Ltd.

Registrations are now open for next year’s Music Mudder, which is scheduled for Friday 19 September 2025.

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The 2024 edition of the O2 Silver Clef Awards has so far raised £760,000 and counting for Nordoff and Robbins, the UK’s largest music therapy charity.

The 48th instalment of the event took place last Friday (5 July) at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane, presented by Scottish radio DJ and television presenter Edith Bowman.

The likes of Blur, AC/DC, Chaka Khan, Mark Knopfler, Jessie Ware, Loyle Carner, Texas, The 1975, Ezra Collective, Jacob Collier, Cat Burns and Young Fathers were among the award winners.

Blur were honoured with the flagship O2 Silver Clef Award, AC/DC won the Legend Award, Chaka Khan walked away with the Global Impact Award and Mark Knopfler received the Music Icon Award.

Jessie Ware won Best Female, Loyle Carner took home the Best Male Award, The 1975 were crowned Best Group and Texas received the Outstanding Achievement Award.

In addition, Jacob Collier picked up the Innovation in Music Award, Cat Burns received the Best New Music Award, Ezra Collective won the Contemporary Music Award and Young Fathers received Best Live Act.

Guest award presenters included Mica Paris, Clara Amfo, Jamie Cullum, Chris Evans, Annie Mac, Athian Akec and SJM Concerts’ Simon Moran.

Money raised from the O2 Silver Clef Awards will support Nordoff and Robbins’ trained music therapists in reaching those living with autism, dementia, learning difficulties, brain injuries, life-limiting illnesses, mental health challenges, grief and trauma; helping them to connect and communicate through music.

“Music really does heal”

Earlier this year, CAA’s Emma Banks was appointed chair of Nordoff and Robbins, with AEG Presents’ Lucy Noble supporting her as vice chair.

Banks told IQ: “It felt great on Friday to be in the room for the 02 Silver Clef Awards – we had changed the format a little and I think it landed well. Importantly we ended the day at about £760,000 and should be able to improve a bit by the time we close the books. I loved the passion that our award honourees brought to the event – such great, heartfelt speeches from people who totally understand our important mission and are so willing to help us.”

Gareth Griffiths, director, O2, adds: “We are incredibly proud of the money raised at this year’s O2 Silver Clef Awards. What a day celebrating the outstanding achievements of all the talented artists recognised this year. A special congratulations to blur for receiving the well-deserved O2 Silver Clef Award. Their contributions to the music industry have been nothing short of extraordinary, and we are honoured to be part of this momentous occasion. At O2, we are committed to supporting the music industry and look forward to continuing our partnership with Nordoff and Robbins to support more people through their incredible music therapy efforts across the nation.”

Alex James, Blur, says: “Making music with my brothers in blur has been one of the great gifts of my life. We are absolutely chuffed to receive the O2 Silver Clef Award and help raise awareness for Nordoff and Robbins, a brilliant organisation.”

Brian Johnson, AC/DC, adds: “We’re over the moon to receive the Amazon Music Legend Award. As a band, we’ve been dishing out our own brand of music therapy for the past five decades, so to hear all about how Nordoff and Robbins helps the young and the old with the power of music is something that we understand and salute. Thank you for this honour.”

Chaka Khan, comments: “Music has always been my solace, my strength, my voice, a gift. I’m grateful for this beautiful honour to be part of the Nordoff and Robbins creative community, where the power of music is used to transform, inspire, and bring love to the world. Music really does heal.”

Since 1976, the Silver Clef Awards have raised over £13.5 million for Nordoff and Robbins’ music therapy services and honoured some of the world’s biggest artists.

Stormzy, David Bowie, Ed Sheeran, Roger Waters, Paul McCartney, George Michael, Annie Lennox, Dame Shirley Bassey, Kylie Minogue, The Rolling Stones, Oasis and Coldplay are among previous award winners.

Next year’s edition of the O2 Silver Clef Awards will take place on a Wednesday (2 July 2025) for the first time.

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WME global head of contemporary music and touring Lucy Dickins collected the 2023 Music Industry Trust Award at a star-studded ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House.

Last night’s event, which raised funds for The Brit Trust and music therapy charity Nordoff & Robbins, was attended by around 1,000 music business executives, many of whom had flown in from Europe and the United States to honour Dickins.

Video tributes from the likes of Adele, Mahalia, Little Simz, Ben Lovett, Rex Orange County, Denis Desmond, Jason Isley, Kelly Chappel, Emma Banks, Matt Wooliscroft, Ben Mortimer, Marc Geiger, Rob Stringer, David Joseph, Simon Moran and Pete Tong were screened, while artists Loyle Carner and Hot Chip provided the live entertainment, along with an ensemble of students from The Brit School, which directly benefits from the fundraising gala.

“I grew up watching some of my favourite people and idols winning this, so it’s incredible to be here”

Dedicating the award to her children Ezra and Audrey, Dickins received the award from her artist manager brother Jonathan, and stated, “I grew up watching some of my favourite people and idols winning this, so it’s incredible to be here.

“I’d like to thank each and every one of you for this moment. May we continue to nurture, support and empower great talent and may we continue to live and love in music. I’m truly humbled to receive this award tonight and I hope that in some small way I’ve inspired the next generation of women in music, which translates into the live music business in the future.

“Life in this industry, as you know, is extremely busy. But being a working mother is another beast altogether. I have so much respect for you mothers who are fighting the fight because it is not easy. We’re constantly feeling that we’re sacrificing one part of our life for another… So whatever way you look at it, you have guilt… And it’s really, really hard to balance it all and often people say “I don’t know how you do it all”. But you absolutely can’t do it all.. All you can do is just do your best. That’s what I tell everyone.”

“I have a newfound respect for what it means to be a working mum”

Dickins, who joined WME in 2019 and is a member of Endeavor’s Diversity and Inclusion working group, began her career working as a junior product manager for an independent UK record label PWL before joining International Booking Talent (ITB) as an assistant in the early 1990s and rising through the ranks at the agency.

Her grandfather, Percy Dickins, founded legendary music weekly the New Musical Express (NME), while her father, Barry, formed ITB in 1978. Her uncle Rob was longtime head of Warner Music in the UK, and her brother Jonathan heads up management company September Management with a roster that includes Adele.

Before presenting her with the award, Jonathan Dickins told the crowd: “I’m really proud because I think I’ve learnt one thing, and that is that I have a newfound respect for what it means to be a working mum. Anybody that holds a career, and especially the level that she does, and happens to be a present parent is… I’m in awe of that. And that, to me, goes well beyond any achievements in music.

“She’s a fierce negotiator, strategic, loyal, and most importantly, the greatest sister I could possibly ever have.”

“I started going on about being a singer and I whipped a demo right out of my bag and I said, ‘You’re gonna be my agent'”

Adele, meanwhile, recalled the time she and Lucy met: “I started going on about being a singer and I whipped a demo right out of my bag and I said, ‘You’re gonna be my agent.’ I didn’t hear back from her for quite a while and my details were on the demo. But I told my manager, who I was newly managed by, I told him that I found my agent. And he was like ‘Great, what’s their name?’ and I was like ‘Lucy Dickins’ and he said ‘That’s my sister!’ So, we met separately and they’ve both worked with me since I was 18 years old.”

Dickins joins the ranks of previous MITS recipients including Annie Lennox, Kylie Minogue, Emma Banks, Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Gary Barlow, Simon Cowell, Rob Stringer, Sir Lucian Grainge and Michael Eavis.

Revisit IQ’s 2022 feature on Dickins, looking back on her first 25 years in the music industry, here.

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Music Mudder 2023, the music-inspired endurance event organised by Wasserman Music in partnership with Nordoff and Robbins, successfully raised over £61,000 for the charity.

Hosted by Capital’s Kemi Rodgers, the event saw more than 400 competitors across 52 teams from across the industry tackle over 40 obstacles at the legendary Camelot Events ‘Nuts Challenge’ course in Dorking, Surrey, on 15 September.

Oscar Tuttiett, competing on the AEG Presents B team, completed the 7km course in the fastest individual time in 53 minutes 34 seconds, helping the full AEG Presents B team take the top spot as the fastest overall team, with an average time of 1 hour, 3 minutes and 20 seconds.

Live Nation won the top prize for fundraising, with over £4,700 donated via their JustGiving page.

“The atmosphere across the day was buzzing and it was so great to see such camaraderie”

Sandy Trappitt, deputy director of fundraising, Nordoff and Robbins, says: “Music Mudder 2023 was incredible, with hundreds of people facing the mud head-on to help raise vital funds for Nordoff and Robbins. A huge thank you to everyone who took part and donated, and to Wasserman Music for partnering with us once again as we encourage the next generation of industry leaders to engage with our mission. All money raised from Music Mudder goes directly towards providing music therapy across the UK, helping people to connect and communicate through the power of music.”

Lucy Putman, agent, Wasserman Music, adds: “This year’s Music Mudder was the biggest, toughest and muddiest one yet! The atmosphere across the day was buzzing and it was so great to see such camaraderie as the teams took on slides, tunnels, trenches, scramble nets, mud lakes and more in the name of music therapy. We’re so happy to have raised over £61,000 for Nordoff and Robbins and we’re already planning for Music Mudder 2024, so register now to take on this unique challenge, raising money for an amazing cause whilst entering into some friendly, muddy competition with your peers.”

Nordoff and Robbins is the UK’s largest music therapy charity. The charity’s trained music therapists help break through the barriers caused by life-limiting illness, disability and social isolation, creating space for people to express themselves and find connection in society.

Registrations are now open for Music Mudder 2024, taking place on Friday 13 September 2024, at music-mudder.com.

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WME’s global head of contemporary music and touring Lucy Dickins is to be honoured with this year’s Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS).

The leading agent, who works with artists such as Adele, Mumford & Sons, Stormzy, Sault, Cleo Sol, Little Simz, James Blake and Jamie T, will be presented with the award at a gala ceremony on Monday 6 November in recognition of her contribution to the music industry.

The event will take place at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel in aid of two UK music charities: The BRIT Trust and Nordoff & Robbins.

“I’m truly humbled by this recognition and honoured by the many colleagues and clients I’ve gotten to work with throughout my career and at WME,” says Dickins. “The live music industry has faced many challenges but we always come back stronger because of the artists and their fans who are at the core of what we do.

“It’s been an opportunity of a lifetime to grow in this industry and serve our clients and their teams and I look forward to coming together to celebrate with the people who have been central to my journey.”

Dickins’ roster also includes Hot Chip, Bryan Ferry, Laura Marling, Rex Orange County and Mabel, as well as rising actst Reneé Rapp , David Kushner and Katie Gregson-MacLeod.

Dickins, who joined WME in 2019 and is a member of Endeavor’s Diversity and Inclusion working group, began her career working as a junior product manager for an independent UK record label PWL before joining International Booking Talent (ITB) as an assistant in the early 1990s and rising through the ranks at the agency.

Her grandfather, Percy Dickins, founded legendary music weekly the New Musical Express (NME), while her father, Barry, formed ITB in 1978. Her uncle Rob was longtime head of Warner Music in the UK, and her brother Jonathan heads up management company September Management with a roster that includes Adele.

“Lucy is a force to be reckoned with within our music industry”

“Lucy’s track record speaks for itself,” says co-chair of the MITS Award committee, Toby Leighton-Pope. “Adele, Olivia Rodrigo, Mumford and Sons, Laura Marling and so many others, all with whom she’s achieved extraordinary acclaim and success. That kind of impact on the industry is undeniable and her contributions continue to shape the industry landscape.

“I’ve known Lucy for more than 25 years and she is above all else one of the nicest people you will ever meet. She is truly deserving of the recognition of her MITS Award. Congratulations, Lucy.”

Dickins will join the ranks of previous MITS recipients including Annie Lennox, Kylie Minogue, Emma Banks, Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Rob Stringer, Sir Lucian Grainge and Michael Eavis. Last year’s ceremony was held in honour of the late music pioneer Jamal Edwards MBE, the first posthumous award given in the history of the MITS.

“Lucy is a force to be reckoned with within our music industry,” adds Dan Chalmers, co-chair of the MITS Award committee. “She has always had an innate ability to spot talent and nurture it, she was one of the first to meet an unknown Adele at the time and take her CD and we all know where that led!

“Lucy is extremely popular and it’s those strong industry relationships, unwavering dedication to her clients and fierce reputation that makes her one of the most sought-after agents of all time. It’s clear that her clients trust her implicitly, she always goes above and beyond to ensure their success, and that’s why she is so deserving of her MITS Award.”

Celebrating its 32nd year this year, the MITS Award is sponsored by PPL, SJM Concerts, Voly Music and YouTube.

Revisit IQ’s 2022 feature on Dickins, looking back on her first 25 years in the music industry, here.

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