This Is Music announces Lisa Marxen as its new managing director

19 July 2022 - Press release

London based management company, This Is Music, announces the promotion of Lisa Marxen to the role of managing director.

2022 has seen some changes within the company's leadership team. After 15 years as MD, Oli Isaacs hands over the reins to Marxen to recognise and reward the key operational role already undertaken by her both in the day to day running of the company but also within the leadership team. This will allow the evolution of Lisa's role empowering her to affect change to help grow the business whilst Isaacs continues to oversee all clients projects he will renew his focus on business development and strategy. 

Lisa Marxen says: "The opportunity to lead This Is Music is a great privilege. Since joining the companies' leadership team in 2016, working closely alongside Oli Isaacs and our co-director Luke Williams, we've been able to strengthen the company and our team despite the challenges of Covid and the rapidly changing digital music ecosystem. 

We have taken time to cultivate what makes This Is Music special and I feel both proud and honoured by the trust being put in me to continue building the company, the community around it and the artist projects upon which that community is founded.

This Is Music has a rich 15 year history of delivering value to our clients as they evolve. Our team of managers is as talented as it is experienced and I have huge confidence in an exciting future for the business." 

This Is Music 15th Anniversary achievements
The announcement coincides with the 15th anniversary of the company. This Is Music Ltd was established in 2007 building its client base upon Founder Oli Isaacs music law practice including artists such as future BBC Sound Poll winner Little Boots and super producer James Ford (Arctic Monkeys/Depeche Mode) as well as seminal electronic act Simian Mobile Disco. 15 years later the boutique management firm looks back on a first phase of development in which it truly honed a specialist service managing producers and artists in the electronic underground to crossover space now including the likes of Bicep, Roosevelt, Ross From Friends and Jayda G. Not only have This Is Music's long standing mainstay of independent minded clients evolved alongside their management company but a new breed of artists have flocked to the business as well as new manager Greg Wells who looks after artists such as Anish Kumar and Sofia Kourtesis. 

James Ford says: "I've been working with Oli and Luke for over 16 years,  ever since I started producing other artists, before This Is Music was even a thing. We've grown together, through my career with Simian Mobile Disco and as a producer so it's great seeing them evolving. As managers they are consummate professionals and trusted advisors but importantly over the years they have also become really good friends."

Fittingly in the company's 15th year, This Is Music was recognised by the Music Managers' Forum who awarded them their prized Innovation Award marking the company's evolution from a two person start up operating from one shared desk in Hackney's The Premises, where producer James Ford and Simian Mobile Disco had their recording studio, to a well resourced nine person team. Having developed numerous acts from scratch to relative maturity the company is now heading into its second phase of life brimming with confidence. They are understood to be leaders in their niche having achieved a number 2 album, three Brixton Academy and two Alexandra Palace sell outs and UK festival headlines with their client Bicep.

Ambitions of the company
Oli Isaacs says: "The ambitions of the company are two fold. On a simplistic level we want to be known as experts in our niche, we want to do the best work possible in terms of the advice we give our clients on strategy and we need to execute those strategies to deliver outcomes which advance the clients' businesses in line with their creative goals. Long term though we want to evolve a cutting edge style of creator management which thrives on independence, rights ownership and direct to fan community building."  

The recent MMF Award for innovation, which recognised the company's work with Bicep around their second album campaign has led to a higher profile within the business as a whole including involvement in industry conferences such as AVA and IMS. It's a recognition of 15 years plus of experience and expertise that has motivated them to want to not just add new creator clients but also new manager deals such as that with talented radio plugger Greg Wells who joined the company in 2022.

Oli Isaacs continues: "We have had the realisation that whilst we are definitely a small boutique we can also grow through partnering with like minded managers who would benefit from a home like This Is  Music". 

Announcing new signings, collaborating with label services
During the pandemic This Is Music doubled down on its commitment to developing new artists, signing a batch of exciting artist producers who are all releasing significant records this year. 

Cambridge University student Anish Kumar signed his debut EP to AWAL who beat off strong competition from a number of other labels. Producer and composer Matt Phelan's "Mafro" project debuts on Virgin Music and talented soulful dance artist Flaurese will be releasing a string of singles via Ingrooves. Simon Gold and Sasha Richards, the managers behind Bicep, Ross From Friends and Jayda G, are also developing new projects, with RFF member Cameo Blush and highly regarded underground Bristolian techno artist Manami both of whom will be putting out records in 2022.