RICHARD OGDEN BIOGRAPHY

Whilst at The University of Leicester in the late 1960's Richard Ogden discovered that a living could be made in the still-fledgling British Music Industry. Using the contacts he made as Arts Editor of the Student Newspaper “Ripple” and Publisher of his own Fanzine, "Fast & Bulbous" and Freelance writer for “ZigZag” he found his first job as Press Officer at Liberty-United Artists on his graduation in the summer of 1971.

29 years later, after a number of years in senior positions in various Recording and Artist Management Companies, Richard decided it was time to go out again on his own (as he had in 1973) so he set up Richard Ogden Management Ltd.

From 2000 to 2005 Richard Ogden Management Ltd. focused on Artist Management, representing Finnish hip-pop stars The Bomfunk MCs , Polydor UK singer Nerina Pallot, Swedish star MEJA and 18 year old punk-influenced singer/songwriter/guitarist Tatiana De Maria and her band TAT . Other R.O.M. projects during that period included helping  Kevin Rowland to deliver two new singles to EMI and re activate Dexys Midnight Runners , advising Van Morrison on the future structure of Exile Productions and acting as Consultants to Decca International to help create the million+ selling international debut album of New Zealand starlet Hayley Westenra . R . O . M . also specialises in "International Management " , working closely with the local management of superstars Ivete Sangalo and  Sandy & Junior and also as European Consultants to Angelo Medina Productions in Puerto Rico

(Ricky Martin and Mana) .

Prior to setting up RICHARD OGDEN MANAGEMENT Ltd. in 2002, Richard has had a eclectic career in the Music Industry. Starting out as Press Officer at Liberty-United Artists in 1971, Richard soon found an outlet for his catholic musical tastes when he found himself handling a diverse roster of artists ranging from the Legendary Alternative band Hawkwind through Showbiz diva Shirley Bassey. By doing so Richard became an accomplished Music P.R., confident enough - after a brief spell at Atlantic Records during which time he worked on The Rolling Stones 1973 European Tour - to open his own P.R. Agency, the aptly named "Heavy Publicity". Through the 1970's Richard built an impressive client roster which included . Black Sabbath , Aerosmith , Hawkwind , Ted Nugent , The Average White Band , Kansas, Styx, REO Speedwagon, The Tubes, Black Oak Arkansas and Bobby Womack.

In search of another challenge in 1976 Richard decided to combine Artist Management with Publicity and so embarked upon his first career as a Manager, initially co-managing Speed-metal pioneers Motorhead and dj turned soul singer Al Matthews with Hawkwind’s Manager Doug Smith before forming classic British post-punkers The Motors and The Motors' spin-off Bram Tchaikovsky. Later, Richard also managed Richard Jobson and his band The Skids. By 1979 he was doing well enough to be able to give Heavy Publicity to his partners and concentrate solely on Artist Management for the next few years.

In 1982 after a number of simultaneous setbacks to his Management business, Richard felt it was time for another change and became a pioneer in his own right when he became one of the first artist managers to accept a senior role at a Record Company, as Head of International Marketing at Polygram and then from 1985-1987 as Managing Director of Polydor Records. During his time at Polydor Richard worked closely with Paul Weller , Level 42 , Tears for Fears, Bryan Ferry, The Cure and Siouxsie and The Banshees and in 1986 he signed Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical blockbuster Phantom of the Opera  to the label. Shipping double Platinum in the UK, "Phantom" became the only Original Cast Album ever to debut at #1 on the UK Album charts, since when it has gone on to sell an all-time record-breaking 22 Million Units (apparently!).

In 1987, through the late Brian Brolly, M.D. of The Really Useful Group and former Manager of Paul McCartney , Richard met Linda McCartney’s brother, lawyer John Eastman who invited Richard to become Managing Director of the McCartney's Management Company, MPL Communications Ltd. During the six years that Richard managed Paul and the late Linda McCartney , both enjoyed a long period of creative and commercial success which included many "firsts" and #1's , including the first ever " MTV Unplugged " Album in 1991; the #1 US Tour of 1990; the biggest ever paying audience for a single-artiste Concert (Paul McCartney at The Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, April 1990, attended by an estimated 350,000 people); Paul McCartney's last UK #1 Album ("Flowers in the Dirt" 1989); Paul McCartney's best selling album ("All the Best" 1988); the first ever Album by a Western pop artiste recorded exclusively for the Official Russian State Record Label ("The Russian Album" 1991); Paul McCartney's first Classical Album, for his work as Executive Producer on the TV Documentary about which Richard was nominated for an "Emmy" Award; the UK's best selling vegetarian cookery book (Linda McCartney's Vegetarian Cookery) and the launch in 1992 of the late Linda McCartney's eponymous and ground-breaking range of vegetarian frozen food.

By 1993, having himself set a record of six years as the McCartneys' manager, Richard decided it was time to move on and he accepted the position of Senior Vice-President, Marketing at Sony Music Europe, where he stayed until September 2000. During this time Sony enjoyed three years as the #1 European Record Company and created what now looks like an unsurpassable series of sales plateaus with artists like Mariah Carey , Celine Dion , The Fugees, Oasis and Savage Garden, These were marked by Richard's creation, the " IFPI Platinum Europe Award ",the prototype of which Richard had the privilege of presenting to Mariah Carey to mark 7 Million European sales of her album "Music Box" in 1994.

On reaching his own half-century at the Millenium, Richard set up Richard Ogden Management Ltd. in September 2000.

RESUMO eM PORTUGUÊS

Em 1968, ainda estudante, Richard Ogden começou a trabalhar na área de musica como jornalista. De 1971 a 1974 Richard trabalhou como Assessor de Imprensa na Liberty-United Artists Records e depois na Atlantic Records , ambas em Londres. Durante esse tempo, seu trabalho envolveu cuidar de grupos como The ROLLING STONES, HALL and OATES, SLIM WHITMAN, E.L.O, DR. FEELGOOD, SHIRLEY BASSEY e The FOUR TOPS.

Em 1974, Richard fundou sua própria empresa de Assessoria de Imprensa, e teve como clients as bandas mais famosas de rock da época, incluindo BLACK SABBATH, AEROSMITH, TED NUGENT, STYX, KANSAS, BLACK OAK ARKANSAS and REO SPEEDWAGON. Mais para o final da década de 70, Richard começou também a empresariar artistas e representava três bandas Inglesas “post punk” de sucesso: The Motors, The Skids e Bram Tchaikovsky, com quem ele fez longas tournês nos Estados Unidos.

Em 1982, Richard voltou a trabalhar em gravadoras. Primeiro na Polygram Records, como Diretor de Marketing Internacional e depois na Polydor Records, como Diretor Geral para o Reino Unido.

Durante sua gestão, tiveram alguns artistas com os quais Richard teve um relacionamento especialmente importante, dentre eles destacam-se LEVEL 42, PAUL WELLER; The CURE; BRYAN FERRY. Além disso, sua participação foi decisiva na contratação e gravação de um dos maiores Musicais de todos os tempos: o “FANTASMA DA ÓPERA” de Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Em 1987, quando Richard já estava à 5 anos como Diretor Geral da Polygram UK, ele foi convidado para ser o Empresário de PAUL & LINDA McCARTNEY e, ao mesmo tempo para assumir a Diretoria da MPL Communications (que são as empresas de Paul McCartney). Foi durante esta época que Richard teve a oportunidade de vir ao Brasil pela primeira vez, trazendo o ex-Beatle para fazer dois Concertos Históricos no Estádio do Maracanã no Rio de Janeiro, em abril de 1990. O Especial de Televisão deste evento, entitulado “From Rio to Liverpool”, lhe rendeu o primeiro dos seus três Prêmios “ACE” (American Cable Exhibitors) e em 1992, o Documentário intitulado “Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio”, co-produzido com a BBC, rendeu-lhe uma nominação para o EMMY, na categoria de “Melhor Documentário de Televisão”

Após 6 anos como Empresário dos McCartney, Richard deixou a MPL para se tornar Sênior Vice-Presidente da Sony Music Entertainment Europa, aonde trabalhou com artistas como Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Jamiroquai, Jean Michel Jarre, Oasis, Ricky Martin, Shakira, The Fugees e as Dixie Chicks.

Em 2000, após 7 anos de SONY, Richard decidiu sair e fundar sua própria empresa de Produção e Empresariamento de Artistas: a Richard Ogden Management Ltd ( ROM ). Algum tempo depois, juntamente com sua sócia (e esposa) Thelma , que é brasileira, a ROM adquiriu a representação internacional de duas das maiores estrelas da música brasileira: SANDY E JÚNIOR e IVETE SANGALO.

Desde 2005, a ROM se especializou em prover serviços de Consultoria na área de Shows (Live Music Industry), adquirindo clientes em vários países ao redor do mundo, incluindo Reino Unido, Brasil, Polônia, Portugal, Alemanha, Suiça, Rússia e Porto Rico.

Na Polônia, ROM tem a exclusividade de representação da Fundação Beneficente do Movimento Solidariedade cujo Presidente Vitalício é o famoso Líder Trabalista LECH WALENSA do Sindicato dos Trabalhadores de Gdansk, com a responsabilidade de contratar as atrações internacionais para o Concerto Anual do Solidariedade, que já incluiram a contratação de Super-estrelas internacionais como JEAN MICHEL JARRE (2005), DAVID GILMOUR do Pink Floyd (2006) e ROD STEWART (2007).

Outro dos grandes projetos de Richard Ogden e da ROM na área de Shows, tem sido a organização do Programa Oficial de Música para a FIFA durante tres Copas do Mundo. Em 1998, as atrações negociadas e contratadas foram RICKY MARTIN, YOUSSOU N’DOUR e JEAN MICHEL JARRE. Em 2002, foram ANASTACIA e VANGELIS e em 2006, SHAKIRA e Il DIVO.

Ainda continuando com o historico da ROM, outros shows recentes cuja contratação dos artistas foram feitos pela ROM, incluem: Shows em Portugal com 50 CENT, BRYAN FERRY, ROXY MUSIC, SEAL, SIMPLE MINDS, RIHANNA, JUANES e THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS. Na Suica, shows de JULIETA VENEGAS; na Polonia shows de VAN MORRISON, BLONDIE, CRAIG DAVID e KATIE MELUA; na Russia, shows de ATOMIC KITTEN e AVRIL LAVIGNE, alem da Tourne Europeia de IVETE SANGALO e MANA.