ADA MD Howard Corner and GM Alice Frost paint quite the picture of the company in the latest edition of Music Week.
As well as delving into the campaign secrets behind acts such as EsDeeKid, The K’s, Sonny Fodera and more, the duo offered up their insight into what running an artist and label services business actually entails in 2026. Our interview got to the heart of what makes their offering appealing to potential partners in a crowded marketplace where it can be a real struggle to stand out.
“The philosophy is to work with great people,” Corner told us. “It’s also about employing great people, uncovering commercial opportunities and sustaining great relationships.”
“ADA is about longer-term success,” added Frost. “We work with a lot of labels whose artists you may not have heard of, but they’re some of our most successful because they export globally and have that longevity. It doesn’t go straight into the Top 100, but when you look at the streaming figures, the sustainability is there. The streams just tick over, year after year.”
Frost highlighted neoclassical label Aemeralds to illustrate her point.
“They’re super-smart and innovative with their way of working
and their marketing,” she said. “The music they put out is brilliant, but it’s not your typical classical music. It appeals to a newer audience and is taking classical to a younger demographic. Their focus is very much on short-form content, TikTok especially. They’re not focused on a particular market; they’re quite broad. And, as I say, it’s not like they’re having these chart hits, but when you check the streaming figures, they’re huge.”
Here, we bring you the second excerpt from our in-depth interview with ADA – who are shortlisted at the Music Week Awards 2026 – which you can read in full in the new issue of Music Week.
What does it mean to you, on an emotional level, to find a label partner, make some tweaks and watch it work out?
Howard Corner: “Without getting too nostalgic and telling my life story, in the 1990s I worked in distribution as a label manager. The buzz for me was bringing in these labels that were a lot more genre- or culture-led, particularly in electronic music at that time. They’d be run by aficionados who weren’t music industry people, necessarily. But you know what? What I worked out was that with my own passion and enthusiasm, by going in and getting to know these people, you could really help build something, move the dial and help them grow their business. It hasn’t changed. I’ve yet to meet someone – be it an artist, manager or label head – who doesn’t value help and input. It’s what I always say when people join us: it’s about finding the lane where you can bring value. That’s the buzz.”
At a time when there is so much choice, how is ADA unique?
AF: “We work with independent artists, and I think a big reason they remain independent is because they want that creative freedom. They are the artists, they make the music, they have the vision. But if there is a creative gap, then we’re here to offer advice if it’s needed. Campaign-wise, we will work with them across the strategy, but when it comes to the creative, they often have something in their head. We can riff with them on how that might come to life, right down to what the artwork or videos might look like. Every artist is different, every label is different: some of them know exactly what they want to do, and some of them just need a bit more support.”
We work with independent artists, and I think a big reason they remain independent is because they want that creative freedom
Alice Frost, ADA
How do you, as a team, assess that and build that kind of flexibility into your work?
AF: “That’s a good question. You have to be flexible in this part of the business because everybody is so different. And the team, they’re amazing at it, they’re very intuitive. We start with a meeting, informally getting to know a team and understanding exactly how they like to work and what they might need from us. Then we use our experience to see where we can plug in.”
HC: “It’s about identifying where you can bring value. It doesn’t happen overnight; you need to build rapport and trust. Alice said it exactly right: everyone’s different and what people need is a little bit different. But what we do – and this is really important to me – is that we give everybody agency. You need to encourage your staff to build and own relationships. I loathe micromanagement. People can always turn around and ask for advice or help, but you have to give them the space to develop.”
Dance music has also long been a pillar of your success – can you divulge the key to success across different genres?
HC: “It really comes back to the fact that we’re not a hits business; we’re a partnerships business. Look, everyone wants to have successful records and do as well as possible. That’s the name of the game: to help people get as much of their great music from their great acts out to as many fans as possible. But your business doesn’t need to be predicated on hits. And with independents, I think you can work in genres and cultures that you know and build communities. And we’ll always want to be part of that. We’re in dance, we’re in hard rock, we’re in rap, we’re in reggae, we’re in classical. In relation to dance specifically, it is always going to be around, and there’s a lot of dance fans in the business, myself included. It’s very dynamic, innovative and fast-moving. There are always new genres coming along, new producers, new innovations, new tactics, new ways of doing things. There’s a great infrastructure around it with live, writing and remixes.”
Everyone wants to have successful records and do as well as possible, that’s the name of the game, but your business doesn’t need to be predicated on hits.
Howard Corner, ADA
What is your overarching vision for ADA?
HC: “It is what I want it to be. It’s a great culture where people have autonomy. A company can be hierarchical based on experience, responsibility and accountability. It’s only a little company, ADA UK – there are only 20 of us and it’s been like that for a while. I think that everyone has an equal share of voice when it comes to contributing their ideas on how and what they think should be done. My job is to take that feedback and input, unpick problems, prevent problems from happening, fix whatever needs fixing, and keep things moving forward.”
And finally, what does the future hold for the company?
AF: “It’s not just about frontline, which is potentially the more exciting, sexy part of the business. We’re also focused on the labels that are more about music by lesser-known artists and their catalogue, which is so important. I think by trying to optimise our labels’ catalogues, we can continue to offer such huge value.”
HC: “The industry is really interesting, and I try and retain a bird’s eye view of the ebb and flow of things. Sometimes you’re hot, and then you’re not. But the key is to make sure you’re doing the best work possible. And, as the market changes and consumer habits change, you’ve got to adapt and keep moving…”
Subscribers can read the full ADA interview here.
PHOTO: Paul Harries