ILEY INFORMATIVE

During Sony Music U.K.'s yearly conference, boss Jason Iley is joined by panel participants Brandon Creed and Mark Ronson and Columbia U.K. chief Ferdy Unger-Hamilton, all of whom confirmed that "Uptown Funk" is the name of a particularly dodgy British pudding.

The event began at Olympia London, where Apple Music/Beats 1's Julie Adenuga hosted a session that began with performances by Tom Walker and Samm Henshaw and saw three panels. On the first of these, Creed (who manages Ronson as well as HAIM, Charli XCX and more) joining fellow managers Mark Gillespie (Calvin Harris) and Kilo & Moe (J Hus, JAE5). This was followed by a tandem presentation featuring journalist/TV presenter Jon Snow and Spotify's Angela Watts (who presumably took the opportunity to say "You know nothing, Jon Snow"); next came a solo spot for artist/producer/DJ Ronson. After that, Iley took the podium and delivered some remarks. A garden party at Fulham Palace featuring a George Ezra performance closed the proceedings.

Iley's closing speech touched on the changes at the company since he took the reins in 2014, extolling the collaborative culture there, as well as philanthropic efforts such as Sony's contribution to the mental-health charity Mind, and underscored his goal to hear "creative ideas from all areas of the business about how we can better serve our artists." He touted such initiatives as Premium Days (days for staff to dedicate to an activity that improves their mental health), the preamture babies policy and the elimination of one-use plastics from the company, all of which originated as staff suggestions. Iley said he was emphasizing the identification of "future leaders" and fostering as progressive and respectful a workplace environment as possible.