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Miles Copeland III

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For his father, seeMiles Copeland Jr.For the Home and Away character, seeMiles Copeland (Home and Away).

Miles Axe Copeland III(born May 2, 1944) is an American music and entertainment executive and former manager ofthe Police.Copeland later managedSting'smusical and acting career. In 1979, Copeland founded theI.R.S. Recordslabel, producingR.E.M.,the Bangles,Berlin,the Cramps,Dead Kennedys,the Alarm,the Go-Go's,and others.

Miles Copeland III
Born
Miles Axe Copeland III

(1944-05-02)May 2, 1944(age 80)
London,England
NationalityAmerican
EducationBirmingham–Southern College
American University of Beirut
Occupation(s)Music and entertainment executive, band manager
Parents
FamilyIan Copeland(brother)
Stewart Copeland(brother)

Early life, family and education

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Copeland was born inLondon,England,toMiles Axe Copeland Jr.,a USCentral Intelligence Agency(CIA) officer fromBirmingham,Alabama,US; andLorraine Adie,aScottisharchaeologist who worked inBritish intelligence.[1]They had three sons:Ian,Miles, andStewart,and a daughter, Leonora. The family lived in the Washington, D.C. area and throughout theMiddle East,in particularSyria,Egypt,andLebanon.At an early age, Copeland and his brothers were fluent inArabic.

Copeland attendedBirmingham-Southern Collegein Birmingham, Alabama, in 1962. He graduated with a degree in history and political science, as well as a semester atAmerican Universityin Washington, D.C.[1]From 1966 to 1969, Copeland attended theAmerican University of Beirut,earning a degree in economics.

Career

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While attending school inBeirutto earn his economics degree, Copeland promoted his first concert. After college, he moved to London, met twoprogressive rockmusicians at a club, and helped them formWishbone Ash.[1]

BTM and Illegal Records

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In 1974, Copeland founded the management agency and record label BTM (British Talent Management) and signed a number of progressive rock acts such asSqueeze,RenaissanceandCurved Air.In the summer of 1975, he organized a multi-band tour of European music festivals, named Startruckin' 75, which featured several BTM bands as well asSoft Machine,theMahavishnu OrchestraandLou Reed(replaced byIke & Tina Turner).[2]However, Reed's failure to appear at any of the shows and other logistical issues resulted in significant losses for Startruckin 75', and ultimately to the failure of BTM.[3]Copeland filed for bankruptcy and BTM closed down in 1976.[2]

BTM's end coincided with the beginning of the UK's Punk/New Wave movement and led Copeland to co-foundIllegal Records,Deptford Fun City Records,New Bristol Records,[4]and to signthe Cortinas,Chelsea,andthe ModelstoStep Forward Records[5]in 1977.[6]Copeland's office was the headquarters forSniffin' Glue and Other Rock 'N' Roll Habits...,a monthlypunk zinebyMark Perry.[1][6]

The Police

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In 1978, Copeland became manager of his brotherStewart's band,the Police.Copeland shepherded the group to become one of the biggest bands of the 1980s, peaking with a concert for 70,000 people atShea Stadium[7]and the number one single for 1983, "Every Breath You Take".[8]He continued to manageStingthrough seven solo albums. Copeland was not, however, included in the reunion era of the Police, leading to a 2007 interview in which Copeland lamented that money was the issue.[9]

I.R.S. Records

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The success of the Police and the novel methods used to popularize them enabled Copeland to foundI.R.S. Recordsthrough a deal withA&M Records.

Copeland International Arts

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Copeland owns and operates CIA (Copeland International Arts), which includes theBellydance Superstars,Celtic Crossroads,Otros Aires,Zohar,andBeats Antique.Much of the CIA catalog initially included Middle Eastern,world music,Irish, tango, flamenco, and Polynesian styles. The label later signed mainstream artists.[10]

Personal life

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Another of Copeland's brothers,Ian Copeland,was abooking agentwho described much of theNew Waveadventures of Miles,Stewartand himself in his bookWild Thing(1995, Simon & Schuster). The three brothers were honored with the Humanitarian Award fromAMC Cancer Research Centerin 1985.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcde"UM Entertainment Management: Miles Copeland".business.umt.edu.University of Montana.RetrievedNovember 5,2016.
  2. ^abWest, Aaron J. (October 1, 2015).Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps.Rowman & Littlefield. p. 59.ISBN978-0-8108-8491-5.
  3. ^Sutcliffe, Phil; Fielder, Hugh (1981).L'Historia Bandido.London and New York: Proteus Books. pp. 15–16.ISBN0-906071-66-6.
  4. ^"The Pigs - Early UK Punk Rock band".Punk77.co.uk.RetrievedDecember 28,2015.
  5. ^"Record Label Discographies for rare and collectable vinyl records".Vinylnet.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon February 19, 2012.RetrievedDecember 28,2015.
  6. ^ab"Punk in London (1977) - IMDb".IMDb.
  7. ^"Rock: Police Perform for 70,000 at Shea Stadium".The New York Times.August 20, 1983.RetrievedFebruary 1,2017.
  8. ^"Every Breath You Take by The Police".Songfacts.com.RetrievedFebruary 1,2017.
  9. ^"Where's The Police Chief?".The Guardian.September 2, 2007.RetrievedFebruary 1,2017.
  10. ^Stipkovich, Aaron."Recording Company: Copeland International Arts".Performingartsinternational.com.RetrievedDecember 28,2015.
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