{{Short description|British businessman}} {{For|the twentieth century Australian writer who used this name|Martin Boyd}} {{Infobox person | name = Martin Mills | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1949|5|12|df=y}} | birth_place = Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England | years_active = 1973–present | known_for = Beggars Group }} '''Martin Mills''' (born 12 May 1949) is the founder and chairman of the Beggars Group.
==Early life== Mills grew up near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire and comes from an "upper-middle-class English family".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Werde |first=Bill |date=2013-01-24 |title=Billboard to Honor Beggars Group Chairman Martin Mills at MIDEM |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billboard-to-honor-beggars-group-chairman-martin-mills-at-midem-1525930/ |access-date=2022-12-11 |website=Billboard}}</ref> His father worked as a civil servant and his mother was a teacher and headmistress. Mills attended Magdalen College School and Oriel College, Oxford University, where he studied Philosophy, politics and economics, graduating in 1970.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Kelly |first=Liam |title=Martin Mills, founder of Beggars Group: my greatest hits — from rock bottom to Gary Numan and Adele |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/martin-mills-founder-of-beggars-group-my-greatest-hits-from-rock-bottom-to-gary-numan-and-adele-dkn2k8xqc |access-date=2022-12-11 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211119163114/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/martin-mills-founder-of-beggars-group-my-greatest-hits-from-rock-bottom-to-gary-numan-and-adele-dkn2k8xqc |archive-date=2021-11-19 |url-status=live |issn=0140-0460}}</ref>
After graduating from university, Mills worked for the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, writing reports on abortion law reformation and processing abortion statistics; however, the experience left him wanting "to do something completely different".<ref name=":0" /> After leaving, he found a job at the Record and Tape Exchange, a secondhand record shop in Shepherd's Bush, where Mills realised his future was in the music industry.<ref name=":1" /> Eventually, Mills opened a record shop of his own, based on the idea of creating a "new kind of record shop which sold new and second hand records side by side", and began promoting concerts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beggars Group |url=https://www.beggars.com/group/qanda |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=www.beggars.com}}</ref>
==Beggars Group== {{Main|Beggars Group}} The record store was opened initially to re-sell records that he and a friend, Nick Austin, had collected for a mobile disco.<ref name="Loud And Quiet Music Made Me Do It Podcast">{{Cite web |title=Music Made Me Do It: The Label Founder – Beggar's Banquet's Martin Mills |url=https://www.loudandquiet.com/podcasts/music-made-me-do-it-the-label-founder-beggars-banquets-martin-mills/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Loud And Quiet |language=en-US}}</ref> The disco, and then the company, was named after the Rolling Stones' album Beggars Banquet.<ref name="Zeitgeisters">{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 4 - Zeitgeisters, Series 1, Martin Mills |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02xxvbz |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> Mills and Austin had seen an opportunity for a record shop that sold both new and second-hand records. Beggars Banquet soon became a six-shop chain in London, arriving shortly before punk broke through; ''"It turned what we did upside down. We all started being interested in a completely different style of music. The kind of concerts we had been promoting suddenly became completely irrelevant, so we started promoting punk gigs instead. It was an amazing, incredibly exciting sea change."''<ref name="Center Of The Indie Label Universe">{{Cite web |last=dahancb |date=2011-03-15 |title=Beggars Banquet |url=https://indieuniverse.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/beggars-banquet/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Center of the Indie Label Universe |language=en}}</ref>
In the radio show he was quoted as saying that ''The whole point [of independent music publishing] is not giving people what they want but what they are going to want''.<ref name="Zeitgeisters" />
Having served on the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) Council, the governing body of the record industry, from 1987 to 2000, he quit to become the progenitor of the Association of Independent Music in the UK, and similar bodies in Europe (Impala)<ref name="Impala Music">{{Cite web |date=2020-05-08 |title=MARTIN MILLS - IMPALA |url=https://www.impalamusic.org/martin-mills/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.impalamusic.org |language=en-GB}}</ref> and the US (A2IM), and the Worldwide Independent Network.<ref name="Impala Music Article">{{Cite web |date=2018-02-27 |title=WIN APPOINTS MARTIN MILLS AS CHAIR - IMPALA |url=https://www.impalamusic.org/win-appoints-martin-mills-as-chair/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.impalamusic.org |language=en-GB}}</ref>
He also led the establishment of Merlin in 2008,<ref name="Merlin celebrates 5 year Anniversary">{{Cite web |date=2013-06-05 |title=Merlin is 5: a timeline of achievement |url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/merlin-5-timeline-achievement/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Music Business Worldwide |language=en-US}}</ref> the independents’ rights licensing body, which has distributed well over $2 billion to members since launch, and today counts 850 members from 63 countries.
He has remained active in other music industry organisations, through his participation in the government’s Music Industry Forum, the Music Business Forum, being on the board of UK Music, and both as a director of PPL and VPL, the industry’s rights licensing bodies. In addition, he was called by the US Senate to Washington in 2012 to be a witness in the hearing on the proposed purchase of EMI Records by Universal Music.<ref name="Beggars Group’s Martin Mills On Testifying at Senate Universal-EMI Hearing/Billboard">{{Cite web |last=Gensler |first=Andy |date=2012-06-20 |title=Exclusive: Beggars Group’s Martin Mills On Testifying at Senate Universal-EMI Hearing |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/exclusive-beggars-groups-martin-mills-on-testifying-at-senate-universal-1093085/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref>
He was awarded an MBE in the 2008 New Year Honours list, as well as outstanding contribution awards from Music Week, Billboard, the Radio Academy, the Featured Artists Coalition, IMPALA, Canadian Music Week, The Music Producers’ Guild, A2IM, Billboard, and the 'Pioneer Award' at the AIM Awards.<ref name="Beggars Group’s Martin Mills On Testifying at Senate Universal-EMI Hearing/Billboard"/>
He has a personal fortune of £230 million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hall |first=James |date=2021-10-15 |title=Adele, Inc: why the music industry is banking on pop’s $1.5 million-a-day woman |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/adele-inc-music-industry-banking-pops-millions-a-day-woman/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-04-30 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> A Beggars Group sale of their stake in Spotify in 2019 earned Mills £8 million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kelly |first=Liam |title=Payday for Beggars Group music pioneer Martin Mills |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/article/payday-for-beggars-group-music-pioneer-martin-mills-zj83cpjp6 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-04-30 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref>
As of 2023, the labels that comprise the Beggars Group are 4AD, Matador Records, Rough Trade Records, XL Recordings and Young.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.beggars.com|title=Beggars Group Homepage| work=Company Website}}</ref>
==Awards and accolades== *1998: The Strat award, Music Week<ref name="Martin Mills receives 1998 Music Week Strat Award">{{Cite web |title=Strat's entertainment: Music Week's history of The Strat award |url=https://www.musicweek.com/media/read/strat-s-entertainment-music-week-s-history-of-the-strat-award/072239 |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.musicweek.com |language=en}}</ref> *2008: Honoured by The Queen with an MBE<ref name="Queen's New Year Honours List 2008">{{Cite web |title=United Kingdom: Queen's New Year Honours List 2008 |url=https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0712/S01265/united-kingdom-queens-new-year-honours-list-2008.htm |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Scoop News}}</ref> *2011: Industry Champion Award at the inaugural Artist & Manager Awards<ref name="Martin Mills honoured at Artist and Manager Awards">{{Cite web |title=Martin Mills and Everybody's honoured at Artist and Manager Awards |url=https://www.recordoftheday.com/news-and-press/martin-mills-and-everybody-s-honoured-at-artist-and-manager-awards |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.recordoftheday.com}}</ref> *2011: The Guardian – Inaugural Music Power 100 list<ref name="Music Power 100 list">{{Cite news |date=2011-05-26 |title=Martin Mills {{!}} No 22 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/26/martin-mills-beggars-group |access-date=2024-03-08 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> *2011: Impala Outstanding Contribution Award<ref name="Impala Honours Martin Mills and Label Love With Outstanding Contribution Awards">{{Cite web |date=2012-02-02 |title=IMPALA HONOURS MARTIN MILLS AND LABEL LOVE WITH OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARDS - IMPALA |url=https://www.impalamusic.org/impala-honours-martin-mills-and-label-love-with-outstanding-contribution-awards/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.impalamusic.org |language=en-GB}}</ref> *2012: Inaugural Lifetime Achievement award by A2IM<ref name="Beggars Group’s Martin Mills To Be Honored At A2IM’s Inaugural Libera Awards">{{Cite web |last=Christman |first=Ed |date=2012-05-30 |title=Beggars Group’s Martin Mills To Be Honored At A2IM’s Inaugural Libera Awards |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/beggars-groups-martin-mills-to-be-honored-at-a2ims-inaugural-libera-1095307/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2012: Music Producers Guild Outstanding Contribution to UK Music Award<ref name="Martin Mills honoured by Music Producers Guild">[https://audiomediainternational.com/martin-mills-honoured-by-music-producers-guild/ Audio Media International: Martin Mills honoured by Music Producers Guild, 4 Jan 2012]</ref> *2013: Billboard - Industry Icon award<ref name="Martin Mills Receives Billboard’s Industry Icon Award (2013)">{{Cite web |last=Hampp |first=Andrew |date=2013-01-27 |title=Martin Mills Receives Billboard’s Industry Icon Award |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/martin-mills-receives-billboards-industry-icon-award-1533684/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2013: Billboard - Power 100<ref name="Billboard Power 100 (2013)">{{Cite web |last=Duffy |first=Thom |date=2013-02-02 |title=Billboard Power 100: Martin Mills |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billboard-power-100-martin-mills-1538068/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2014: The Inaugural Global Impact Award at Canadian Music Week<ref name="Beggars Group Founder Martin Mills to Receive Inaugural CMW Global Impact Award at Canadian Music Week 2014">{{Cite web |title=Beggars Group Founder Martin Mills to Receive Inaugural CMW Global Impact Award at Canadian Music Week 2014 |url=https://cmw.net/press-releases/beggars-group-founder-martin-mills-to-receive-inaugural-cmw-global-impact-award-at-canadian-music-week-2014/174220/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |language=en-US}}</ref> *2014: Pioneer Award at the AIM Independent Music Awards<ref name="Martin Mills To Receive AIM Pioneer Award (2014)">{{Cite web |title=Martin Mills to receive AIM Pioneer Award |url=https://www.prsformusic.com/m-magazine/news/martin-mills-receive-aim-pioneer-award |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=www.prsformusic.com |language=en}}</ref> *2014: Billboard - International Power Player<ref name="Billboard International Power Players (2014)">{{Cite web |last=Duffy |first=Thom |date=2014-01-30 |title=Billboard’s 2014 International Power Players List |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billboards-2014-international-power-players-list-5885522/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2014: Billboard - Power 100 *2015: Billboard - Power 100 *2016: Billboard - Power 100<ref name="Billboard Power 100 (2016)">{{Cite web |author=Billboard Staff |date=2016-02-13 |title=Billboard’s 2016 Power 100 List Revealed |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billboards-2016-power-100-list-revealed-6874816/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2017: Billboard - Power 100<ref name="Billboard Power 100 (2017)">{{Cite web |author=Billboard Staff |date=2017-02-09 |title=No. 64: Martin Mills {{!}} Power 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/no-64-martin-mills-power-100-7685054/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2017: Billboard - Indie Power Player<ref name="Billboard Indie Power Players (2017)">{{Cite web |author=Billboard Staff |date=2017-08-14 |title=Revealed: Billboard’s 2017 Indie Power Players, Led by Big Machine’s Scott Borchetta |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/2017-indie-music-business-executives-power-list-independents/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2018: Billboard - Indie Power Player<ref name="Billboard Indie Power Players (2018)">{{Cite web |author=Billboard Staff |date=2018-08-27 |title=Revealed: Billboard’s 2018 Indie Power Players |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billboard-indie-power-players-list-2018-8471904/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2018: Variety International Music Leader<ref name="Variety International Music Leaders (2018)">{{Cite web |author=Variety Staff |date=2018-06-04 |title=International Music Leaders of 2018 |url=https://variety.com/gallery/international-music-industry-leaders-2018/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> *2019: Billboard - Power 100<ref name="Billboard Power 100 (2019)">{{Cite web |author=Billboard Staff |date=2019-02-08 |title=Billboard’s 2019 Power 100 List Revealed |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billboard-2019-power-100-list-8496601/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2019: Billboard - Indie Power Player<ref name="Billboard Indie Power Players (2019)">{{Cite web |author=Billboard Staff |date=2019-06-17 |title=Billboard’s 2019 Indie Power Players: The Execs Behind Drake, John Prine, Lauren Daigle and BTS |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/billboard-indie-power-players-list-2019/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2019: Variety - International Music Leader<ref name="Variety International Music Leaders (2019)">{{Cite web |author=Variety Staff |date=2019-05-30 |title=Variety International Music Impact Report |url=https://variety.com/gallery/international-music-impact-report/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> *2020: Billboard - Indie Power Player<ref name="Billboard Indie Power Players (2020)">{{Cite web |author=Billboard Staff |date=2020-06-15 |title=Revealed: Billboard’s 2020 Indie Power Players |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billboard-indie-power-players-executives-list-2020-9400400/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2020: Billboard - Power 100<ref name="Billboard Power 100 (2020)">{{Cite web |author=Billboard Staff |date=2020-01-24 |title=The 2020 Billboard Power List Revealed |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billboard-2020-power-list-8548429/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2021: Billboard - Indie Power Player<ref name="Billboard Indie Power Players (2021)">{{Cite web |author=Billboard Staff |date=2021-06-07 |title=Revealed: Billboard’s 2021 Indie Power Players |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billboard-indie-power-players-executives-list-2021-9583016/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2022: Billboard - Indie Power Player<ref name="Billboard Indie Power Players(2022)">{{Cite web |author=Billboard Staff |date=2022-06-06 |title=Revealed: 2022 Indie Power Players |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/billboard-indie-power-players-executives-list-2022/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2022: Billboard - Power List <ref name="2022 Billboard Power list">{{Cite web |author=Billboard Staff |date=2022-01-26 |title=The 2022 Billboard Power List Revealed |url=https://www.billboard.com/business/business-news/billboard-2022-power-list-1235022798/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2022: Variety - Variety 500 <ref name="2022 Variety 500">{{Cite web |last=Eriksen |first=Kaare |date=2015-08-22 |title=Martin Mills |url=https://variety.com/exec/martin-mills/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Variety |language=en}}</ref> *2023: Billboard - Power 100 <ref name="Billboard Power 100 list (2023)">{{Cite web |last=DiGiacomo |first=Frank |date=2023-02-02 |title=Billboard’s 2023 Power 100: Executives List Revealed |url=https://www.billboard.com/h/billboard-2023-power-100-executives-list/ |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2024: Billboard - Indie Power Player <ref name="Billboard Indie Power Players (2024)">{{Cite web |title=Billboard Indie Power Players 2024 |url=https://www.billboard.com/h/indie-power-players-2024/ |access-date=2025-06-07 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> *2025: Billboard - Global Power Player <ref name="Billboard Global Power Players (2025)">{{Cite web |last=Duffy |first=Thom |date=2025-05-19 |title=Billboard’s 2025 Global Power Players Revealed |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/billboard-global-power-players-2025-list/ |access-date=2025-06-07 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Commentary== In June 2013, Mills was described in a BBC Radio 4 portrait as looking "remarkably unremarkable" but being "like a wise old fisherman watching minnows waiting to catch a really big fish".<ref name="Zeitgeisters" />
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20181006195014/https://www.musictank.co.uk/resources/speaker-biographies/martin-mills-chairman-beggars-group/ Martin Mills biography on Music Tank website]
{{Beggars Group}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Use British English|date=September 2015}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Martin}} Category:1949 births Category:Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Category:Beggars Group Category:British music industry executives Category:Living people