Eamonn Forde, Author at Music Ally

Behind The Campaign: La Rvfleuze

Eamonn Forde — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000

French drill rapper La Rvfleuze released his debut album, ‘Numéro d’écrou’, in March 2026. He had begun by releasing tracks via DistroKid in 2022 but was later jailed for burglary and eventually released in 2025. During his time in prison, tracks were leaking and going viral. He signed with Warner Music France, via La Triade and Serrure Records, last year, having released a flurry of tracks throughout 2025. Shaï Sadoun (project manager, Warner Music France) explains how the label built on the public and media interest in La Rvfleuze, why football-centric posts on TikTok helped accelerate his rise (despite him not actually being on TikTok), where a Colors session helped change the narrative around him, and how his album release strategy had to be structured with a pause during Ramadan.

Behind The Campaign: Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here

Eamonn Forde — Wed, 06 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Pink Floyd’s ninth studio album, Wish You Were Here, turned 50 on 12 September 2025. In late 2024, in a deal estimated at $400 million, Sony Music acquired the band’s full catalogue, as well as their name and likeness – a deal which brought everything under one roof globally.

Behind The Campaign: Fcukers

Eamonn Forde — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:50:00 +0000

Fcukers are a New York-based electronic duo made up of Shanny Wise and Jackson Walker Lewis. They formed in 2022 and their first EP, Baggy$$, was released by Ninja Tune in September 2024. Manager Simon Parsons met Jackson when they both worked at the Pianos venue in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and he went to their first show. Simon partnered with Danny Rogers to manage the band, building up to the release of Ö, their debut album, on 27 March.

Behind The Campaign: Breathe

Eamonn Forde — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Australian electronic duo Breathe released their debut album, For Your Darkest Days, on 30 October. Except they were originally planning to just release singles; so the project shifted in the early stages to become both a catalogue campaign and a new album campaign with the involvement of music distribution and global artist services company Group Speed. Adrian Burke (Group Speed GM) and Jon Winchester (director of artist and label marketing) explain where they were able to swing into a full album campaign, why the goal of doubling their audience was about a doubling down on Spotify, where short-form video content set up long-form content, and how streaming algorithms were “hacked” and turned to their advantage.

Behind The Campaign: Alex Warren

Eamonn Forde — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000

US singer-songwriter Alex Warren first came to prominence as a founding member of The Hype House, the TikTok-centric creator group based in Los Angeles. From here he started releasing music and signed with Atlantic Records. Torsten Luth (EVP of international at Atlantic Music Group) and Hope Bozzo (senior marketing manager, EMEA regional marketing at Warner Music Group) explain how the Nordics became a trigger territory, where a steady run of singles built momentum into the global success of ‘Ordinary’, and why content was based around personalisation and localisation.

Behind the campaign: Foreigner

Eamonn Forde — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000

US rock band Foreigner are marking their 50th anniversary in a slightly different way, treating two specific moments (their formation and the release of their debut album) as constituting their half century, seeing it run from 2026 into 2027. Their manager Phil Carson explains how a legacy band can find new audiences through streaming and strategic sync placements, as well as through different live iterations. Ian Brenchley, CEO of Vertigo Live, explains how their performance at Ellis Island in 2025 will be turned into a variety of content pieces and formats to reach the broadest audiences possible.

Downtown Music CTO, Tom Allen: “People are running scared from AI”

Eamonn Forde — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 07:36:00 +0000

Eamonn Forde Meets… – each month, the veteran music business journalist speaks to a senior industry figure about the topics that really matter – and gets the opinions of the people who make the decisions that count.

Behind The Campaign: Jade

Eamonn Forde — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 15:00:00 +0000

Jade Thirlwall was a member of British pop group Little Mix (who released six albums between 2012 and 2020). Operating under the mononym Jade, she released her first solo single, ‘Angel Of My Dreams’, in July 2024, building to her debut solo album, That’s Showbiz Baby!, in September 2025. Will Stevens, head of marketing at RCA Records, and Holly Stevens, head of digital at RCA Records, explain how news of new music was “leaked” under an alias, why a fluid release strategy mixing focus singles and other tracks showcased the breadth of the album, where a variety of collaborations opened up new audiences, and why balancing the expected with the unexpected was the underpinning philosophy of the campaign.

Behind The Campaign: Big Thief

Eamonn Forde — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 15:00:00 +0000

US indie-folk band Big Thief released Double Infinity, their sixth studio album, on 5 September. It was their first new album in over five years, although various solo projects helped bridge that gap. Will Tompsett (US label head & global marketing head at 4AD), Emma Toney (marketing and audience development manager), Casper Mills (international product manager and artist relations) explain how:

Partner at Fox Rothschild, Cynthia Katz: “Any and all revenue streams related to music have turned into an asset class”

Eamonn Forde — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 06:02:00 +0000

Behind The Campaign: Barry Can’t Swim

Eamonn Forde — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Scottish electronic DJ and producer Barry Can’t Swim (real name: Joshua Mainnie) released Loner, his second album, in July 2025, coming after his debut, When Will We Land?, in October 2023. There was no real break between the campaigns, with live performances of new music working to bridge the two albums.

Key Production founder and CEO, Karen Emanuel: “I’ve always found it really odd that people don’t value their staff”

Eamonn Forde — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 06:05:00 +0000

Bandcamp artist and label relations lead, Aly Gillani: “If we don’t all buy each other’s records, the whole thing falls apart”

Eamonn Forde — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Behind The Campaign: Bon Iver – SABLE, fABLE

Eamonn Forde — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 14:00:00 +0000

SABLE, fABLE, the fifth studio album by indie folk act Bon Iver (led by Justin Vernon), was released on 11 April and came almost six years after the i,i album. Ali Murphy (senior international marketing director at Secretly Group), Robby Morris (VP of creative marketing at Secretly Group) and Rachel Bolland (European project manager at Secretly Group) explain how his return was plotted out, where it bifurcated between a set-up EP and an album with distinct aesthetics and colour themes, why he was more open to interviews on this campaign and therefore unlocked more opportunities, how al fresco listening parties became real-world fan meet ups and what will follow the album release when there is no tour to slipstream.

Deezer CEO, Alexis Lanternier: “More customisation, more control and more connections”

Eamonn Forde — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 06:00:00 +0000