- Music Research Group
About me
University of Westminster MA Music Business Management
London School of Economics B.Sc Economics
Graham Ball is active in the music industry as both an academic and a practitioner.
I started my career running London’s better nightclubs, staging events and managing artists older than myself (I was 19). By the mid 1980’s the Westworld brand of events was highly regarded and featured in Simon Parkes book “Life At The Brixton Academy” https://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-At-Brixton-Academy-business/dp/1846689554
During rave and Acid House I continued to stage high profile events (see Sheryl Garratt “Adventures In Wonderland” https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Wonderland-Decade-Club-Culture/dp/0747258465
At this point I was employed by Virgin Records initially in promotions and soon after in Marketing.I became Head of Special Projects a global team coordinating international releases of the labels leading artists include The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson , Lenny Kravitz and Simple Minds.
In parallel to this I consulted on various major London club projects including Ministry of Sound and The Met Ball (short-lived but “cool Britannia” London hang out) .
Thereafter I worked for Sony Music UK, initially as Label Manager for Higher Ground (Leftfield), then Head of Marketing for Columbia, Managing Director of INCredible Records and subsequently as consultant on various projects including the Guilty Pleasures club brand and Life On Mars OST.
I picked up again with academic life, gained my Masters with a Distinction and combine a booking agency for corporate events with teaching and learning.
Teaching
Senior Lecturer University of Westminster
Visiting Senior Lecturer Berklee College of Music -Valencia Campus