Tenant Talk with New Champion Management
Chalk, Lemonade Shoelace, Joshua Burnside, Lemoncello. Four very different artists with one thing in common; New Champion.
Founded in 2019 by Benjamin Magee, New Champion Management aims to represent the best artists in Ireland with bespoke strategy and unwavering passion. From its HQ here in Oh Yeah, New Champion artists have achieved 80+ million streams across the globe, with live performances in over 20 countries.
I caught up with the man behind it all to ask what local music he’s loving right now, how New Champion began and what makes him take notice.
Why did you set up New Champion Management?
New Champion is a direct response to the cultural drain we feel in the North. So many of our most talented artists and industry officials end up leaving their homes due to a perceived lack of opportunity or career progression/path. I was always a huge lover of the music that we created and wanted to make sure that our artists had the type of industry support they needed to take their careers to a global level without leaving their support systems behind.
Why did you set up in Oh Yeah?
I previously worked for the former tenant of my current unit, and took over the office when I officially started New Champion. Oh Yeah can be such an excellent hotbed of creativity and networking. There aren't too many places like it in Ireland, so when I had the chance to make it my base of operations, I jumped at the chance.
Oh Yeah is such hotbed of creativity and networking.
Was music management always something you wanted to do?
Not at all, but it's the part of the industry that I have come to love the most. I didn't know what I wanted to do when I started, but I found I had a skill for organising, negotiating, making things happen - and I loved how hard it was. I still do.
The brutal hours, the painstaking attention to detail needed, the endless admin and planning for new releases, tours etc. I leap out of bed in the morning to go to work.
What is it about an artist that makes you sit up and listen?
Quality songwriting and authenticity. It sounds like such an easy or simple answer, but the honest truth is that if the songwriting isn't at a level where I feel that I can take it on a global stage, then I'll not be able to get behind any artist. And that doesn't mean I love artists who only write about things that have happened to them. I actually find songwriters like that really boring! I want to see how good you are as a storyteller, whether it is a "true" story or a "good" story.
I love artists that think in moods, feelings and places rather than rigid story lines. I also love live performances, most of my clients earn their bread and butter by playing shows, so if an artist or band can really blow me away live, that's a sure fire way to grab my attention.
I love artists that think in moods, feelings and places rather than rigid story lines.
What local music are you loving at the minute?
I've been a huge fan of TRAMP since their first single and loved seeing them pick up "BBC Introducing Artist of the Year" at the NI Music Prize. It's also been great to see an act like Esmerelda Road get their flowers in their recent shows with Liam Gallagher.
Outside of that, I'm really falling in love with the electronic and dance music we're producing. REGER is someone I've been a huge fan of since I first heard of him. Kem, Optmst and Body Clinic are all names that I've been loving too, bringing that really authentic joy and party feeling to festivals and shows every time I've seen them.
You can check out New Champion Management here https://newchampion.net/home-1
