Rob Dickens
Encyclopedia
Rob Dickins, CBE is a member of the music industry, and currently holds a number of trustee and consultant positions in music and the arts in Britain. Dickins established himself at an early age at Warner Music UK
. He is married to Cherry Gillespie of Pan's People fame.
and in the surrounding suburbs. He attended Ilford County High School for Boys
. He took undergraduate studies at Loughborough University
and graduated with an honours degree
in Politics, Sociology, and Russian. Whilst at University was chairman of the Folk Club, the Film Society, and the Entertainments Committee. He served as Social Secretary of the Students Union
, and moved the Union finances from loss to profit during his time there.
, The Sex Pistols, Whitesnake
, and Madness
.
), remained in that role until December 1998. During his term there, he turned the company into one of the most profitable in the UK.
His first signing, Howard Jones
, sold 4 million records, whilst US artists such as Prince
, Foreigner
, ZZ Top
, and Madonna
also contributed to the Warner recovery. Successes such as Tracy Chapman
, Paul Simon
's Graceland, R.E.M.
and Alanis Morissette
broke first in the UK, resulting in multi-million albums. He brought Seal
, Simply Red
, Vangelis
, Mike Oldfield
, Enya
, and Cher
to the UK label and in 1997-98 Warner added Mark Morrison
, Brit Award
winner Shola Ama
, indie group Catatonia
, and teenage girl band Cleopatra
to the UK.
Dickins worked closely with Enya, and was involved in the studio during the recording process. He worked on art direction for five album sleeves and most of her music videos. He is mentioned in the lyrics of Enya's hit "Orinoco Flow
": "We can steer we can near with Rob Dickins at the wheel." He signed William Orbit
as an artist, introducing him to Madonna with a re-mix of Justify My Love
in the early 1990s. Orbit went on to produce and co-write the Madonna album Ray of Light
.
Dickins constructed Cher
's song "Believe
" with six songwriters (who never actually met each other until the award ceremonies that followed) as he honed the perfect vehicle for the launch of Cher's new sound - this led Dickins to a front cover article in The New York Times
Arts and Living section.
Dickins also worked with other Warner acts such as Rod Stewart
, giving him both direction and hit songs such as "Downtown Train
" and Rhythm of My Heart
". His creative work with The Corrs
brought them their most successful album, Talk on Corners
.
Dickins oversaw the building of a classical record division, with a full repertoire of major works by such established names as Nikolaus Harnoncourt
, Daniel Barenboim
and José Carreras
. There was major cross-over success with Górecki's Third Symphony
, The Three Tenors
in Los Angeles, and Agnes Dei (The Choir of New College, Oxford
).
, based in the West End of London. The company's first album release in 2000, How to Steal the World by Helicopter Girl
, was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize album of the year award. He had chart successes with both I Monster
and The Alice Band in the UK and Addis Black Widow
in Scandinavia.
In September 2002, Instant Karma became a completely independent label and achieved a Top 5 single in January 2003 with its release "Mundian To Bach Ke
" by Panjabi MC
– the first hit record in Hindi
.
Dharma Music, his independent music publishing company, achieved chart successes with Cher, Rod Stewart, Girls Aloud
, I Monster
and Amici Forever
. The 1.5 million selling UK No. 1, Pure and Simple by Hear'Say
won the Ivor Novello award. Dharma copyrights have been used in major ad campaigns and TV and movie soundtracks, such as the title music for Shaun of the Dead
.
, where he also is a director of V&A Enterprises, the commercial arm of the museum. Dickins was re-appointed as a Trustee of the V&A Museum in October 2004 for a further term of three years. He was a founding Trustee of Youth Music, a charitable foundation which helps provide access to music-making for young people, particularly in socially deprived areas. This foundation received a £1.3 million contribution from the BRIT Trust due to Dickins' personal major involvement in the fund-raising Abbamania project on TV and record. In July 2002 Dickins was appointed Chairman of the V&A Museum of Childhood
in Bethnal Green
.
Within the music industry Dickins has chaired the PR Committee and the Brit Awards Committee, where he was responsible for making the show one of the highlights of the British Record Industry's calendar. Dickins served on the BPI Council from 1983 to 2002, their longest-serving member.
He chaired the BPI Council from 1986 to 1988, dealing with the 1988 Copyright Act
, as well as gaining rights for the industry, particularly within the music video world. It was during this period the Brit School of Performing Arts was initiated. He accepted the Chairmanship of the Council in 1997 and again in 1999, during a period of great challenges such as new delivery systems and piracy. Dickins agreed to a fourth period as Chairman of the BPI (2000–2002); he is the first person to hold the post four times. He is a trustee of the Brit Trust, the record industry's charitable organisation.
Dickins accompanied the then Secretary of State for DCMS
, Chris Smith
, on his 1999 fact-finding mission to China.
In 1999, Dickins was elected Chairman of the BPI Classical Committee. He simplified and made the classical charts more effective, and organised the inaugural Classical BRIT Awards
TV show, which has now been broadcast for five years.
In 2004, he became a Trustee of the Watts Gallery
in Surrey, an organisation dedicated to preserving the heritage of Victorian artist and social campaigner George Frederic Watts
. He donated his collection of books, letters, and Victorian photographs to the Gallery, Two hundred of The Rob Dickins Collection of "Victorian Artists In Photographs" was exhibited at Watts Gallery, Guildhall Art Gallery
in London, Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate, and the Forbes Galleries
in New York.
In October 2007 was appointed Consultant to the British Musical Experience Museum at The O2 (London)
. In 2009 he became Chairman of The Theatres Trust, the National Advisory Public Body for Theatres.
.
In October 2003, he was named as Man Of The Year, receiving the Music Industry Trust Award.
In Spring 2005, Dickins was conferred as Visiting Professor in Music and Popular Culture at the University of the Arts London
. He was appointed a Fellow of The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in March 2007. His second Visiting Professorship was confirmed in June of the same year in Music & Media Management at London Metropolitan University
.
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
. He is married to Cherry Gillespie of Pan's People fame.
Early life and education
Dickins grew up in East HamEast Ham
East Ham is a suburban district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Newham. It is a built-up district located 8 miles east-northeast of Charing Cross...
and in the surrounding suburbs. He attended Ilford County High School for Boys
Ilford County High School
Ilford County High School is a selective boys' secondary grammar school and a specialist science college in the Barkingside area of the London Borough of Redbridge.ICHS is a four-form entry school, each form comprising up to 30 pupils...
. He took undergraduate studies at Loughborough University
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
and graduated with an honours degree
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
in Politics, Sociology, and Russian. Whilst at University was chairman of the Folk Club, the Film Society, and the Entertainments Committee. He served as Social Secretary of the Students Union
Loughborough Students' Union
Loughborough Students' Union is the students' union serving members from Loughborough University, Loughborough College and the RNIB College Loughborough....
, and moved the Union finances from loss to profit during his time there.
Warner Bros. Music Publishing
Following graduation in 1971, Dickins joined Warner Bros Music Publishing and was appointed Managing Director in 1974. During his time there he moved the company from a ranking of eleventh to first, a position it held throughout his tenure. Dickins was appointed International Vice President of the company in 1979. Personal UK signings included VangelisVangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
, The Sex Pistols, Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
, and Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
.
Warner Records
In 1983, Dickins became the Chairman of Warner Music UK (a division of Warner Music GroupWarner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
), remained in that role until December 1998. During his term there, he turned the company into one of the most profitable in the UK.
His first signing, Howard Jones
Howard Jones (musician)
Howard Jones is a musician, singer and songwriter. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live...
, sold 4 million records, whilst US artists such as Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
, ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
, and Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
also contributed to the Warner recovery. Successes such as Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
, Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
's Graceland, R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
and Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
broke first in the UK, resulting in multi-million albums. He brought Seal
Seal (musician)
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an...
, Simply Red
Simply Red
Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
, Vangelis
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
, Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
, Enya
Enya
Enya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue.She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to...
, and Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
to the UK label and in 1997-98 Warner added Mark Morrison
Mark Morrison
Mark Morrison is a British R&B singer. He was the most successful UK R&B singer of the mid-90s and the first black male solo artist to reach number one in the 90s. His single "Return of the Mack" became a #1 or Top 10 hit in several European countries in 1996...
, Brit Award
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
winner Shola Ama
Shola Ama
Shola Ama is an English singer who scored her biggest hit in 1997 with a cover of Turley Richards' "You Might Need Somebody".-Early life and career:...
, indie group Catatonia
Catatonia
Catatonia is a state of neurogenic motor immobility, and behavioral abnormality manifested by stupor. It was first described in 1874: Die Katatonie oder das Spannungsirresein ....
, and teenage girl band Cleopatra
Cleopatra (band)
Cleopatra are a platinum-selling, BRIT Awards and MOBO Awards nominated, R&B/pop girl group from the UK whose members are sisters Cleo, Yonah, and Zainam Higgins.The girls were signed to Madonna's Maverick record label...
to the UK.
Dickins worked closely with Enya, and was involved in the studio during the recording process. He worked on art direction for five album sleeves and most of her music videos. He is mentioned in the lyrics of Enya's hit "Orinoco Flow
Orinoco Flow
"Orinoco Flow " is a 1988 single written and recorded by Enya. It also featured on her second studio album, Watermark.-Background:...
": "We can steer we can near with Rob Dickins at the wheel." He signed William Orbit
William Orbit
William Orbit is an English musician, composer and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album Ray of Light. He has also co-produced several unreleased Madonna songs originally recorded for other albums...
as an artist, introducing him to Madonna with a re-mix of Justify My Love
Justify My Love
"Justify My Love" is the first single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 1990 greatest hits compilation The Immaculate Collection and was released on November 6, 1990, by Sire Records. It caused international controversy due to the accompanying music video which was sexually explicit...
in the early 1990s. Orbit went on to produce and co-write the Madonna album Ray of Light
Ray of Light
Ray of Light is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on March 3, 1998 by Maverick Records and distributed by Warner Bros. Records. After giving birth to her daughter Lourdes, Madonna collaborated with Patrick Leonard and William Orbit in developing the album...
.
Dickins constructed Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
's song "Believe
Believe (Cher song)
"Believe" is a song by American recording artist Cher. It was released on November 24, 1998 as the lead single from her twenty-third studio album of the same name. It was written by Brian Higgins, Stuart McLennen, Paul Barry, Steven Torch, Matthew Gray, and Timothy Powell and produced by Mark...
" with six songwriters (who never actually met each other until the award ceremonies that followed) as he honed the perfect vehicle for the launch of Cher's new sound - this led Dickins to a front cover article in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
Arts and Living section.
Dickins also worked with other Warner acts such as Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, giving him both direction and hit songs such as "Downtown Train
Downtown Train
"Downtown Train" is a song by Tom Waits released on his album Rain Dogs in 1985.The promo video for the song was directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino and features the boxer Jake LaMotta....
" and Rhythm of My Heart
Rhythm of My Heart
"Rhythm of My Heart" is a rock song written by Marc Jordan and John Capek for Rod Stewart's 1991 album Vagabond Heart. The song is the album's opening track, and was released as its first single...
". His creative work with The Corrs
The Corrs
The Corrs are an Irish band which combine pop rock with traditional Celtic folk music. The brother and sisters are from Dundalk, Ireland. The group consists of the Corr siblings: Andrea ; Sharon ; Caroline ; and Jim .The Corrs came to international prominence with their performance at the...
brought them their most successful album, Talk on Corners
Talk on Corners
Talk on Corners is the second album by Irish band The Corrs, released in 1997. The name of the album is derived from a line from the album's song "Queen of Hollywood"....
.
Dickins oversaw the building of a classical record division, with a full repertoire of major works by such established names as Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Nikolaus Harnoncourt is an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music from the Classical era and earlier. Starting out as a classical cellist, he founded his own period instrument ensemble in the 1950s, and became a pioneer of the Early Music movement...
, Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....
and José Carreras
José Carreras
Josep Maria Carreras i Coll , better known as José Carreras , is a Spanish Catalan tenor particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini...
. There was major cross-over success with Górecki's Third Symphony
Symphony No. 3 (Górecki)
The Symphony No. 3, Op. 36, also known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs , is a symphony in three movements composed by Henryk Górecki in Katowice, Poland, between October and December 1976. The work is indicative of the transition between Górecki's dissonant earlier manner and his more tonal...
, The Three Tenors
The Three Tenors
The Three Tenors is a name given to the Spanish singers Plácido Domingo and José Carreras and the Italian singer Luciano Pavarotti who sang in concert under this banner during the 1990s and early 2000s. The trio began their collaboration with a performance at the ancient Baths of Caracalla, in...
in Los Angeles, and Agnes Dei (The Choir of New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
).
Instant Karma and Dharma Music
In 1999, set up his own entertainment company with Sony Music, Instant KarmaInstant Karma (record label)
Instant Karma is an independent record label created by former Warner Music Group chairman and head of the BPI, Rob Dickins, in 1999.The label was founded by Dickins after his resignation from Warner Music, where he gained fame for his track record of signing female vocalists such as Enya and The...
, based in the West End of London. The company's first album release in 2000, How to Steal the World by Helicopter Girl
Helicopter Girl
Helicopter Girl is the stage name of Jackie Joyce, a musician from Perth, Scotland. Her first album was 2000's How to Steal the World, which was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize...
, was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize album of the year award. He had chart successes with both I Monster
I Monster
I Monster are an English electronic music group, composed of the Sheffield based record producers Dean Honer and Jarrod Gosling. They formed in 1997, and released their debut album These Are Our Children in 1998....
and The Alice Band in the UK and Addis Black Widow
Addis Black Widow
Addis Black Widow is a Swedish band. Their songs include "Innocent", "Wait in Summer", and "Goes Around Comes Around", which reached #12 on the Swedish Tracks Chart in 2001....
in Scandinavia.
In September 2002, Instant Karma became a completely independent label and achieved a Top 5 single in January 2003 with its release "Mundian To Bach Ke
Mundian To Bach Ke
"Mundian To Bach Ke" , also titled "Beware of the Boys ", is a bhangra song performed by Punjabi artist Labh Janjua and remixed by Panjabi MC in 2002...
" by Panjabi MC
Panjabi MC
Rajinder Singh Rai , better known by his stage name Panjabi MC is a British Indian musician.-Career:...
– the first hit record in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
.
Dharma Music, his independent music publishing company, achieved chart successes with Cher, Rod Stewart, Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
, I Monster
I Monster
I Monster are an English electronic music group, composed of the Sheffield based record producers Dean Honer and Jarrod Gosling. They formed in 1997, and released their debut album These Are Our Children in 1998....
and Amici Forever
Amici Forever
Amici Forever is a band of four classically trained singers who mix opera with pop music . The band's first album, The Opera Band , reached number one on the Australian classical charts, number two on the United States classical charts and the top 5 in the United Kingdom classical...
. The 1.5 million selling UK No. 1, Pure and Simple by Hear'Say
Hear'Say
Hear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
won the Ivor Novello award. Dharma copyrights have been used in major ad campaigns and TV and movie soundtracks, such as the title music for Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by Pegg and Wright. Pegg plays Shaun, a man attempting to get some kind of focus in his life as he deals with his girlfriend, his mother and stepfather...
.
Appointments in the arts
In July 2000, Dickins was appointed as a trustee of the Victoria and Albert MuseumVictoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, where he also is a director of V&A Enterprises, the commercial arm of the museum. Dickins was re-appointed as a Trustee of the V&A Museum in October 2004 for a further term of three years. He was a founding Trustee of Youth Music, a charitable foundation which helps provide access to music-making for young people, particularly in socially deprived areas. This foundation received a £1.3 million contribution from the BRIT Trust due to Dickins' personal major involvement in the fund-raising Abbamania project on TV and record. In July 2002 Dickins was appointed Chairman of the V&A Museum of Childhood
V&A Museum of Childhood
The V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green in the East End of London is a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum , which is the United Kingdom's national museum of applied arts.-History:...
in Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
.
Within the music industry Dickins has chaired the PR Committee and the Brit Awards Committee, where he was responsible for making the show one of the highlights of the British Record Industry's calendar. Dickins served on the BPI Council from 1983 to 2002, their longest-serving member.
He chaired the BPI Council from 1986 to 1988, dealing with the 1988 Copyright Act
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 , also known as the CDPA, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which received Royal Assent on 15 November 1988. It reformulates almost completely the statutory basis of copyright law in the United Kingdom, which had, until then, been...
, as well as gaining rights for the industry, particularly within the music video world. It was during this period the Brit School of Performing Arts was initiated. He accepted the Chairmanship of the Council in 1997 and again in 1999, during a period of great challenges such as new delivery systems and piracy. Dickins agreed to a fourth period as Chairman of the BPI (2000–2002); he is the first person to hold the post four times. He is a trustee of the Brit Trust, the record industry's charitable organisation.
Dickins accompanied the then Secretary of State for DCMS
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
, Chris Smith
Chris Smith
- Politics :*Chris Smith , Florida State Senator*Chris Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury , former British Member of Parliament and government minister*Chris Smith , U.S...
, on his 1999 fact-finding mission to China.
In 1999, Dickins was elected Chairman of the BPI Classical Committee. He simplified and made the classical charts more effective, and organised the inaugural Classical BRIT Awards
Classical Brit Awards
The Classic BRIT Awards are an annual awards ceremony held in the United Kingdom covering aspects of classical music, and are the classical equivalent of pop music's BRIT Awards....
TV show, which has now been broadcast for five years.
In 2004, he became a Trustee of the Watts Gallery
Watts Gallery
Watts Gallery is an art gallery in the village of Compton, near Guildford in Surrey. It is dedicated to the work of Victorian era painter and sculptor George Frederic Watts....
in Surrey, an organisation dedicated to preserving the heritage of Victorian artist and social campaigner George Frederic Watts
George Frederic Watts
George Frederic Watts, OM was a popular English Victorian painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolist movement. Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical works, such as Hope and Love and Life...
. He donated his collection of books, letters, and Victorian photographs to the Gallery, Two hundred of The Rob Dickins Collection of "Victorian Artists In Photographs" was exhibited at Watts Gallery, Guildhall Art Gallery
Guildhall Art Gallery
The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the art collection of the City of London, England. It occupies a building that was completed in 1999 to replace an earlier building destroyed in The Blitz in 1941...
in London, Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate, and the Forbes Galleries
Forbes Galleries
The Forbes Galleries, housed within the Forbes Building on Fifth Avenue between West 12th and 13th Streets in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, is the home of Malcolm Forbes' collection, which the Forbes family has continued to exhibit following his death...
in New York.
In October 2007 was appointed Consultant to the British Musical Experience Museum at The O2 (London)
The O2 (London)
The O2, visually typeset in branding as The O2, is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars and restaurants...
. In 2009 he became Chairman of The Theatres Trust, the National Advisory Public Body for Theatres.
Honours
Dickins was awarded an Commander of the British Empire for services to the music industry in the Queen's Jubilee Birthday Honours List, and on 15 July 2002 received an Honorary Doctorate from his alma mater Loughborough UniversityLoughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
.
In October 2003, he was named as Man Of The Year, receiving the Music Industry Trust Award.
In Spring 2005, Dickins was conferred as Visiting Professor in Music and Popular Culture at the University of the Arts London
University of the Arts London
The University of the Arts London, formerly known as the London Institute, is a collegiate university comprising six internationally recognised art, design, fashion and media colleges in London, England...
. He was appointed a Fellow of The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in March 2007. His second Visiting Professorship was confirmed in June of the same year in Music & Media Management at London Metropolitan University
London Metropolitan University
London Metropolitan University , located in London, England, was formed on 1 August 2002 by the amalgamation of the University of North London and the London Guildhall University . The University has campuses in the City of London and in the London Borough of Islington.The University operates its...
.