Tyler Brown, founding father of London-based Funfair, cast at Simon Cowell’s Syco, which Brown joined as an A&R assistant in 2008.
He went on to work A&R on One Path alongside Sonny Takhar, earlier than being named managing director of Syco Music in 2016.
After Syco’s days as a label operation led to 2020, Brown struck out on his personal: first constructing Funfair right into a administration, publishing, and recordings enterprise backed by Coran Capshaw, then co-founding rising markets-focused label Heatwave Data with former Extremely Music Publishing A&R exec Harold Serero in 2024.
The successes are beginning to rack up.
James Essien, the primary author signed to Funfair Publishing again in October 2022, co-wrote SWIM, BTS’s Scorching 100-topping comeback single – and the primary music launched in 2026 to go 500 million Spotify streams.
Funfair Publishing consumer Silva Bumpa, in the meantime, landed his first UK Prime 10 single this summer season with On 2nite and offered out his headline present at London’s Roundhouse inside 24 hours.
On the label facet, Brown says Nigerian artist Mavo – whom Funfair co-signed with Nigeria’s Interior Circle – has amassed greater than 500 million streams over the previous 12 months, alongside six Prime 5 data in his dwelling nation.
Right here, MBW speaks with Brown in regards to the ‘World Domination’ WhatsApp group that began all of it, why he’ll by no means return into the key label system, the lesson in loyalty he realized from Simon Cowell, and why songwriters must be taking a share of grasp revenue…
What was the hole available in the market – or the frustration with how issues had been being accomplished – that made you begin this firm?
I began the publishing firm fairly naively, listening to some demos from a songwriter who I assumed was unbelievable – James Essien – and wanting to assist him turn into one of many largest songwriters on the earth. The primary WhatsApp group we began with him and his supervisor was titled ‘World Domination’!
I used to be popping out of the Syco Music system, the place the mission was at all times to interrupt acts internationally; home success wasn’t actually celebrated. James didn’t have many cuts beneath his belt or a lot within the pipeline, however I hadn’t heard a songwriter from the UK earlier than who I genuinely thought may crack the R&B-pop market within the US.
Roll on 4 years, and James has turn into one of many largest songwriters on the earth, co-writing SWIM by BTS – which is the fastest-selling single on the earth in 2026 – plus releases with Giveon, LISA, Sienna Spiro, Joji, Tyla, Chris Brown and plenty of extra.
Funfair isn’t purely a improvement play, although. The place does quantity come into it?
The main focus remains to be on improvement – Silva Bumpa, who we signed practically three years in the past, has had an important 12 months along with his first hit, On 2nite – however I noticed fairly shortly that this must be balanced with quantity in enterprise.
Final 12 months, I seen a spot available in the market within the phonk style. There have been a whole lot of profitable labels, however probably not any publishers who had been specializing in publishing solely. We shortly began signing shares of huge phonk data, which led to signing artists within the house.
Our phonk catalog has streamed effectively over 2 billion [times] within the final 12 months, and we’ve got a number of the largest names within the house signed to us – 2KE, DJ Zarek, n7san7os, DJ Orbital. It’s been a incredible enterprise transfer, and I discovered an A&R who has flourished in his function on this enterprise, which has been an added bonus.
We’ve got additionally been extraordinarily busy within the US rap house, signing producers who’ve had releases with artists resembling A$AP Rocky, Kanye West, Yeat, A$AP Ferg, Kodak Black, Lil Tecca and Zeddy Will.
What’s your long-term ambition – and the way do you get there?
To be acknowledged as one of the vital profitable impartial labels and publishers on the earth. I get there by a mix of signing, growing and breaking quite a lot of long-term profession artists, songwriters and producers, plus making a enterprise that generates important revenue throughout all of our actions.
The important thing to that is constructing a crew who share the identical ambition and fervour for his or her work and for the enterprise at giant. It’s taken me over 5 years to discover a crew that I belief implicitly and again to ship the long-term ambition I’ve described. I imagine it’s the toughest factor to do in enterprise – and once you discover an important younger crew, by no means take them as a right.
I actually solely wish to work with folks I genuinely assume will turn into future enterprise leaders in our {industry}. My function is to try to mentor them in a approach I used to be mentored once I was coming by the system, from the likes [of] Sonny Takhar and notably Simon Cowell, who’s a real maverick and by far the neatest particular person I’ve ever met!
As I grow old, I get a whole lot of satisfaction from seeing youthful executives develop of their roles. Once I was at Syco and having a whole lot of success, an older supervisor tried to get me fired for mainly having morals and sticking to them. I by no means perceive why somebody like that, who’d had a whole lot of success of their profession, would wish to try to squash a youthful government. Fortunately, Simon absolutely had my again, which taught me one other lesson in loyalty!
What’s the factor about working an organization that no one warns you about?
I ran Syco Music for just a few years beneath Simon, and it’s extraordinarily totally different to working your individual impartial firm. At a serious, you will have a lot assist from numerous departments. Now, I perceive recording and publishing contracts again to entrance, and have turn into one million occasions higher at negotiating offers.
The hustle is totally different as effectively. You need to assume extra outdoors the field to generate enterprise, and it’s important to make each pound rely, which creates a brand new vitality which I actually like.
I might by no means return into the label system. I had a good time in it, however there’s a ceiling, notably within the UK, and I don’t really feel that ceiling in any respect in my enterprise. I additionally assume I’m previous having a ‘boss’. With the ability to choose and select what you signal and who you’re employed with is such a privilege, and one I really admire.
I just like the stress it comes with as effectively. You successfully ‘eat what you kill’; there aren’t any present grasp catalogs to fall again on. It’s the right here and now which counts, which retains you in your toes!
How have you ever funded the corporate’s progress to date?
We’ve taken outdoors funding for Funfair and Heatwave. Sadly, I didn’t have just a few million kilos spare to plonk into the companies.
We’ve got nice companions in Crimson Gentle / Co:Model for Funfair and Too Misplaced for Heatwave. It’s been nice to see Too Misplaced go from energy to energy. Their founder, Gregory Hirschhorn, is tremendous sensible – I’ve been very impressed by my interactions with him.
Would you ever promote?
I might at all times promote on the proper value, however I’m probably not occupied with that at this stage. I really feel like we’ve laid some good foundations, but it surely’s simply the beginning actually.
I’ve at all times preferred collaboration, and discover it way more enjoyable to create or work on one thing with a accomplice that may add worth and convey a distinct skillset to the celebration. I’ve by no means been notably valuable about defending ‘my share’, and have at all times simply needed no matter I’ve labored on to turn into as huge as potential, regardless of how we get there!
I might somewhat have 1% of a success report than 100% of a report that wasn’t. Success breeds success, and I believe as an government or as a enterprise you at all times need to be concerned in ‘sizzling’ songs/artists, it doesn’t matter what your share is. That’s successfully your forex, and it’s the very best magnet for future enterprise.
What’s essentially the most significant piece of enterprise recommendation – music {industry} or in any other case – you’ve ever been given, and who handed on the knowledge?
Simon at all times mentioned, ‘Play by your individual guidelines.’ I utterly obtained what he meant within the grand scheme of issues, and I’m nonetheless attempting to implement that mentality into my very own routine to get the very best out of myself day by day.
You may waste a whole lot of time attempting to appease creatives or fellow executives, and I realized in a while in my profession that it’s higher to be trustworthy somewhat than inform folks what they wish to hear. They are going to such as you within the brief time period should you do this, however received’t respect you in the long run.
The opposite piece of recommendation I’ve acquired from numerous folks is: at all times belief your intuition. The second you begin second-guessing your intuition within the music {industry}, it is best to go and do one thing else. Probably the most profitable folks in any {industry} are those with the very best intuition – you both have it otherwise you don’t. Fortunately, I believe mine is fairly good as a rule.
What’s one thing most individuals within the music enterprise imagine that you just assume is incorrect?
I believe folks’s perspective to AI is usually very detrimental. It could actually positively be a pressure for good within the music {industry} if utilized in the appropriate approach.
Every time there’s a technological change, folks get anxious and push again. It’s human nature. I keep in mind when streaming first got here into the market and lots of people tried to withstand it – it may well make you look very foolish. AI goes to alter life as we all know it, and the sensible folks will perceive that except they embrace it, they are going to be left prior to now.
I don’t assume there’s a single particular person within the music {industry} advocating for AI artists to switch actual artists. True artists won’t ever get replaced; human emotion and storytelling will at all times shine by and be essentially the most relatable types of music. Nonetheless, if AI can enhance processes within the studio or within the day-to-day working of a label or publishing firm, I actually don’t see any challenge.
Apart from your self (obvs), who’s essentially the most gifted music government working within the world music {industry}?
I’ve by no means met him, however what Ghazi Shami has constructed at EMPIRE is extraordinarily spectacular. They’re considerably greater than the majors now in Africa, and I hear they’re doing nice enterprise within the Center East, which might be the subsequent territory to emerge.
That firm is certainly an enormous inspiration for our enterprise, Heatwave. We’ve had hits throughout all of South America, in Nigeria, Indonesia, Philippines and Chile, however not with the consistency that EMPIRE have had but – that’s what we’re aiming for.
I’d additionally like to offer a shout-out to a future star of the music {industry}, Caleb Oyolola, who’s the founding father of Interior Circle Leisure, based mostly in Nigeria. We’ve had large success over there with Caleb on the Fido and Mavo tasks. He’s essentially the most gifted younger operator I’ve met in a few years, and is little doubt gonna be a world energy participant within the not-too-distant future.
If we may provide you with a magic wand to alter one factor in regards to the music enterprise proper right here and now, what would it not be – and why?
I don’t assume songwriters get the respect they deserve. I’ve at all times valued songwriters as a lot as I’ve valued artists; the 2 have at all times gone hand in hand for me. If I look again at my profession, the vast majority of my successes have come from having sturdy and long-lasting relationships with songwriters, which have led to hit data!
It’s so onerous to make a dwelling now as a songwriter in case you are simply beginning out. Once I entered the {industry} in 2008, a songwriter may make a dwelling out of album tracks – not essentially on tasks that had been globally profitable, both. These days, notably within the UK, that’s unimaginable. You need to have commercially profitable singles from day one, which is totally unrealistic.
There’s little doubt we’re shedding a whole lot of probably excellent songwriters from the {industry} as a result of they’ll’t afford to proceed. Songwriting is a craft. You don’t turn into Max Martin in a single day, and a few very profitable songwriters having hits now took time to flourish and discover their confidence. The main publishers are being far more selective now as effectively, in order that route has shrunk too.
So what’s the repair?
Songwriters must be taking a share of grasp revenue on songs they assist create. I do know that is beginning to occur, but it surely must be an industry-wide stance.
It additionally bugs me when songs are nominated at award reveals and the songwriters aren’t invited to rejoice within the success. I do know it rightfully upsets the songwriters as effectively – one other instance of the {industry} not exhibiting sufficient respect.
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