James Palumbo
Encyclopedia
James 'Jamie' Palumbo is the co-founder and Chairman of Ministry of Sound
Group, the international music and nightclub business.
He was born in London
on June 6 1963, and educated at Eton College
(1976-81) and Worcester College, Oxford
(1981- 84). He was listed in the Sunday Times Rich List 2011 in 467th place with an estimated fortune of £150 million.
(1984-86), Morgan Grenfell (1986-90),Hambro Magan (1990-92) - Palumbo opened the Ministry of Sound nightclub in South London in September 1991 with school friend Humphrey Waterhouse and DJ Justin Berkmann.
The club, modelled on the Paradise Garage
in New York
, had a 24 hour licence and rode the wave of dance music then popular in the UK. However, Palumbo lost control of the club to drug dealers. A fight to regain control followed.
Since its inception Ministry of Sound has expanded into a number of areas including; music, live events, bars, consumer electronics, merchandise, beauty and other lifestyle products.
The business has also acquired a number of other brands including HedKandi, acquired in 2006 from the Guardian Media Group
for an undisclosed sum.
Ministry of Sound has offices or operates venues in Germany
, Australia
, USA, Egypt
, Malaysia and Spain
.
Its touring operations comprise over 2,000 events per annum in over 30 countries.
Ministry of Sound Recordings has sold over 50 million albums to date, and is the largest independent music company in the world. Its artists include; Example
, Wretch 32
, Eric Prydz
, Fedde Le Grand
and Yasmin
.
Millions interact through Ministry of Sound’s digital channels including its websites and social networks Facebook
and Twitter
. Ministry of Sound is also the largest supplier of dance music through Apple’s global iTunes service.
In 2001 Palumbo sold 16% of the business to 3i for £24 million. In 2008 Lohan Presencer became Chief Executive, Palumbo remains Chairman of the Group.
.
In 1994 he launched legal proceedings with his sister Annabella Adams claiming his father had mismanaged the family Trust, set up by his grandfather Rudolph, a successful property developer. In 1997 his father stepped down as a Trustee and new Trustees were appointed to manage the family affairs.
In 2010 new proceedings were launched relating to another family Trust, this time with Annabella Adams and his younger sister Laura Tikoo. The outcome of these proceedings is pending.
cabinet minister, to whom he loaned a chauffeur-driven car during the 1997 Election campaign, Simon Hughes
, the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats
, who he has supported since 1991 and Tom Sackville, the Conservative Home Office Minister with whom he worked on the Drugs Misuse Act 1994.
in July 2009.
“Absolutely amazing” Stephen Fry
“I loved it” Claudia Winkleman
“Either mad or genius or both” Rory Bremner
“As grotesque as it is gripping” Niall Ferguson
"Should be on the long list for the Man-Booker prize" Peter James
"Savage satire of the highest calibre" Monocle
His second novel, TANCREDI, was published by Marlborough Press in September 2011.
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
Group, the international music and nightclub business.
He was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on June 6 1963, and educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
(1976-81) and Worcester College, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
(1981- 84). He was listed in the Sunday Times Rich List 2011 in 467th place with an estimated fortune of £150 million.
Ministry of Sound
After working in the City – Merrill LynchMerrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
(1984-86), Morgan Grenfell (1986-90),Hambro Magan (1990-92) - Palumbo opened the Ministry of Sound nightclub in South London in September 1991 with school friend Humphrey Waterhouse and DJ Justin Berkmann.
The club, modelled on the Paradise Garage
Paradise Garage
The Paradise Garage was a discotheque notable in the history of modern gay and nightclub cultures and in dance and pop music. It was founded by Michael Brody, its sole proprietor, and was located at 84 King Street, in the Hudson Square neighborhood of New York City. It operated from 1976 to 1987...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, had a 24 hour licence and rode the wave of dance music then popular in the UK. However, Palumbo lost control of the club to drug dealers. A fight to regain control followed.
Since its inception Ministry of Sound has expanded into a number of areas including; music, live events, bars, consumer electronics, merchandise, beauty and other lifestyle products.
The business has also acquired a number of other brands including HedKandi, acquired in 2006 from the Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group plc is a company of the United Kingdom owning various mass media operations including The Guardian and The Observer. The Group is owned by the Scott Trust. It was founded as the Manchester Guardian Ltd in 1907 when C. P. Scott bought the Manchester Guardian from the estate of...
for an undisclosed sum.
Ministry of Sound has offices or operates venues in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, USA, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Malaysia and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Its touring operations comprise over 2,000 events per annum in over 30 countries.
Ministry of Sound Recordings has sold over 50 million albums to date, and is the largest independent music company in the world. Its artists include; Example
Example
An example is a demonstration with the aim of informing others of how a task should be performed. It is often abbreviated to e.g.Example may also refer to:* Example , a British musician...
, Wretch 32
Wretch 32
Jermaine Scott , better known by his stage name Wretch 32 , is a Black British rapper and former Grime MC from Tottenham, London where he grew up the son of a local reggae DJ in the Tiverton Estate. He was a member of the grime collective "Combination Chain Gang", before forming The Movement with...
, Eric Prydz
Eric Prydz
Eric Sheridan Prydz is a Swedish DJ and producer based in London, United Kingdom. The pronunciation of his surname is often questioned; it is pronounced "prids", but when under his alias, Pryda, it is pronounced "pride-ah"...
, Fedde Le Grand
Fedde le Grand
Fedde le Grand is a Dutch house DJ and producer whose single "Put Your Hands Up For Detroit" / "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit" reached number one on the UK's singles and the top 5 in the Dutch singles chart, and spent five weeks in the Spanish dance chart...
and Yasmin
Yasmin
-Etymology:Yasmin is the name in Persian for a flowering plant, and from which the name Jasmine derives.The pronunciation of Yasmin is often parallel with the English Jasmine, but in Arabic, Persian and Turkish, the "s" is not taken as a "z", and so is often pronounced as .-Yasemin:* Yasemin...
.
Millions interact through Ministry of Sound’s digital channels including its websites and social networks Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. Ministry of Sound is also the largest supplier of dance music through Apple’s global iTunes service.
In 2001 Palumbo sold 16% of the business to 3i for £24 million. In 2008 Lohan Presencer became Chief Executive, Palumbo remains Chairman of the Group.
Legal Case
Palumbo was estranged at an early age from his father Lord Palumbo, the Conservative peer and former Chairman of the Arts CouncilArts council
An arts council is a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing events at home and abroad...
.
In 1994 he launched legal proceedings with his sister Annabella Adams claiming his father had mismanaged the family Trust, set up by his grandfather Rudolph, a successful property developer. In 1997 his father stepped down as a Trustee and new Trustees were appointed to manage the family affairs.
In 2010 new proceedings were launched relating to another family Trust, this time with Annabella Adams and his younger sister Laura Tikoo. The outcome of these proceedings is pending.
Politics
Palumbo has a number of friends in politics. These include Lord Mandelson, the former LabourLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
cabinet minister, to whom he loaned a chauffeur-driven car during the 1997 Election campaign, Simon Hughes
Simon Hughes
Simon Henry Ward Hughes is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until 2008 he was President of the Liberal Democrats...
, the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
, who he has supported since 1991 and Tom Sackville, the Conservative Home Office Minister with whom he worked on the Drugs Misuse Act 1994.
Writing
Palumbo’s debut novel, TOMAS, about greed and corruption in the modern world was published by QuartetQuartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
in July 2009.
“Absolutely amazing” Stephen Fry
“I loved it” Claudia Winkleman
“Either mad or genius or both” Rory Bremner
“As grotesque as it is gripping” Niall Ferguson
"Should be on the long list for the Man-Booker prize" Peter James
"Savage satire of the highest calibre" Monocle
His second novel, TANCREDI, was published by Marlborough Press in September 2011.