Jason Iley

LONDON – Jason Iley, the long-serving chairman/CEO of Sony Music U.K. and Ireland, has been announced as this year’s recipient of the U.K.’s Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS) in recognition of his contribution to the British record business.
Iley, who was named head of Sony Music U.K. in 2014 following a brief stint as president of Roc Nation Records in New York City, will receive the award on Nov. 4 at a gala ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. The event will benefit U.K. charities the BRIT Trust, which is a key founder of The BRIT School, and music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins.

In a statement, Iley said he was honored to be recognized by the MITS award committee and paid credit to “the talented artists I have been lucky enough to work with throughout my career.”

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MITS Award committee co-chair Toby Leighton-Pope said Iley’s “influence on the music industry is exceptional.” Co-chair Dan Chalmers said the widely respected executive has long deserved the MITS Award.  

“As the longest-standing chair of Sony Music U.K., he has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest British acts of all time. His innovative leadership and steadfast commitment, his incredible work with the BRIT Awards, and overall passion for this industry make him a truly deserving honouree,” said Chalmers. 

Previous recipients of the annual MITS award include Lucian Grainge, Ahmet Ertegun, Simon Cowell, Glastonbury festival founder Michael Eavis, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Annie Lennox, Roger Daltrey, Rob Stringer, Emma Banks and broadcaster and DJ Pete Tong. 

Last year’s MITS award was given to Lucy Dickins, global head of contemporary music and touring at William Morris Endeavor (WME) and agent to Adele, Mumford & Sons and Olivia Rodrigo. 

Over three decades in the record business, Iley has served in senior roles at Polydor, Island Records and Mercury Records, where he was president from 2005 to 2013 and worked closely with U2, Jay-Z, Elton John, Rihanna, Paul McCartney, Kanye West and Mariah Carey, among others.  

In 2013, Iley took over as president of New York-based Roc Nation before returning to the U.K. and Sony Music, the label where he started his career in 1994, the following year. 

Since then, Iley has led the U.K. arm of Sony Music to sustained chart success and oversaw the company’s acquisition of leading independent electronic music label Ministry of Sound Records in 2016, as well as last year’s relaunch of Epic Records U.K. (the imprint where Iley started his music career) as a front-line label. 

In 2023, Sony Music-signed or affiliated artists topped the U.K. Official Singles chart for a combined 28 weeks, including Miley Cyrus’ 10 weeks at No. 1 with “Flowers” — the top song in the United Kingdom last year with 198 million streams, according to the Official Charts Company. 

Other artists on the company’s roster include homegrown acts Calvin Harris, Paloma Faith, Mark Ronson, George Ezra, Robbie Williams and Central Cee, as well as internationally signed artists Beyoncé, Adele, Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, SZA, Pink and Foo Fighters.

Sony Music U.K. initiatives pioneered under Iley’s leadership include a female-focused A&R Academy and a childcare support scheme aimed at increasing the proportion of women in senior roles. In addition, all senior executives at the company have been trained in managing mental health issues. 

In 2020, Iley was awarded an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his contributions to music and charity — an honor that he called a career highlight “beyond any expectation I could have had.”