Music guru who has worked with Culture Club and Simple Minds named boss of Scottish Music Industry Association

Music business guru Ronnie Gurr has been named chief executive of membership organisation the Scottish Music Industry Association.

The former journalist and music consultant has worked in the music industry since the 1970s. As a teenager, he produced his own punk fanzine, Hanging Around, before going on to write for the NME and Record Mirror. He joined Virgin Records as a press officer in 1982 where he orchestrated the launch of Boy George and Culture Club.

Gurr also worked in press and as an A&R manager with Simple Minds, Danny Wilson, The Blue Nile, The Big Dish, Endgames and XTC.

He established the Hanging Around Books publishing business in 2017 to work with photographers and their archives in releasing rare and previously unseen images through an ongoing series of music-related photozine titles.

Sharon Mair, vice chair of the Scottish Music Industry Association, said: “Ronnie brings a wealth of experience along with a strong passion for Scotland’s music sector. We look forward to him working with our membership and partners on strengthening, empowering and uniting our industry, to drive recovery and growth in a post-Covid landscape.”

Gurr, who begins work with immediate effect, said: “I’m delighted and honoured to be asked to lead the Scottish Music Industry Association. I look forward to helping shape our future activities and to working with both artists and colleagues across all of Scotland’s music businesses to assist collective progress and growth in challenging times."

The SMIA has a membership of more than 3,500 industry professionals.