Jon Webster
Director Independent Member Services, BPI
Jon “Webbo” Webster has worked for 2 people most of his life – himself and Richard Branson. Most of his career was spent at Virgin – both Retail, where he started as a shop assistant in 1975, and on Virgin Records in 1981. He started as Sales Manager and progressed to various posts before being appointed Managing Director in 1988. He was a member of the BPI Council from 1985 – 1992. Instrumental in devising the Now! That’s What I Call Music brand, founder of the Mercury Music Prize and writer of the “Webbo” column for Music Week, Webbo left corporate life in 1992 and set up his own company working with Virgin acts (Genesis, Peter Gabriel, UB40, Mike and the Mechanics) and others. From 2000 he moved to management with D*Note and Francis Dunnery whose small internet sales album Aquarian Nation he still runs. In May 2005, after 13 years of working for himself, he was appointed Director, Independent Member Services at the BPI, the UK record industry trade body.