Miles Copeland III#BTM and Illegal Records
{{Short description|American music and entertainment executive}}
{{About||his father|Miles Copeland Jr.|the Home and Away character|Miles Copeland (Home and Away)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Miles Copeland III
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Miles Axe Copeland III
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1944|5|2}}
| birth_place = London, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = American
| other_names =
| occupation = Music and entertainment executive, band manager
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
| education = Birmingham–Southern College
American University of Beirut
| father = Miles Copeland Jr.
| mother = Lorraine Copeland
| family = Ian Copeland (brother)
Stewart Copeland (brother)
}}
Miles Axe Copeland III (born May 2, 1944) is an American music and entertainment executive and former manager of The Police. Copeland later managed Sting's musical and acting career. In 1979, Copeland founded the I.R.S. Records label, producing R.E.M., The Bangles, Berlin, The Cramps, Dead Kennedys, The Alarm, The Go-Go's, and others.
Early life, family and education
Copeland was born in London, England, to Miles Axe Copeland Jr., a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer from Birmingham, Alabama, US; and Lorraine Adie, a Scottish archaeologist who worked in British intelligence. They had three sons: Ian, Miles, and Stewart, and a daughter, Leonora. The family lived in the Washington, D.C. area and throughout the Middle East, in particular Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon.{{cite web |title=Legendary Agent Ian Copeland Dies At 57 |url=https://celebrityaccess.com/caarchive/legendary-agent-ian-copeland-dies-at-57/ |website=CelebrityAccess |publisher=Mediawire |access-date=23 March 2025 |location=Los Angeles |date=24 May 2006}} At an early age, Copeland and his brothers learned and were fluent in Arabic.
Copeland attended Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama. He graduated with a degree in history and political science in 1962. He then attended American University in Washington, D.C. for a semester. From 1966 to 1969, Copeland attended the American University of Beirut, earning a masters degree in economics.{{cite web |last1=Sturgeon |first1=Elizabeth |title='Southern Sounds: Miles A. Copeland |url=https://blog.bsc.edu/index.php/2022/03/04/southern-sounds-miles-a-copeland/ |website=blog.bsc.edu |publisher=Birmingham-Southern College |access-date=23 March 2025 |date=4 March 2022}}
Career
While attending school in Beirut to earn his economics degree, Copeland promoted his first concert. After college, he moved to London, met two progressive rock musicians at a club, and helped them form Wishbone Ash.{{cite web |title=UM Entertainment Management:Guest Instructor Miles Copeland III |url=https://www.umt.edu/um-entertainment-management/instructors/copeland-miles-iii.php | website= umt.edu| publisher= University of Montana |access-date=22 March 2025}}
= BTM and Illegal Records =
In 1974, Copeland founded the management agency and record label BTM (British Talent Management) and signed a number of progressive rock acts such as Squeeze, Renaissance and Curved 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 as Soft Machine, the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Lou Reed (replaced by Ike & Tina Turner).{{Cite book |last=West |first=Aaron J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pfqACgAAQBAJ&pg=PA59 |title=Sting and The Police: Walking in Their Footsteps |date=2015-10-01 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-8108-8491-5 |page=59 |language=en}} However, Reed's failure to appear at any of the shows and other logistical issues resulted in significant losses for Startruckin 75', and ultimately the failure of BTM.{{cite book |last1=Sutcliffe |first1=Phil |last2=Fielder |first2=Hugh |year=1981 |title=L'Historia Bandido |place=London |publisher=Proteus Books |isbn=0-906071-66-6 |pages=15–16}} Copeland filed for bankruptcy and BTM closed down in 1976.
BTM's end coincided with the beginning of the UK's Punk/New Wave movement and led Copeland to co-found Illegal Records, Deptford Fun City Records, New Bristol Records,{{cite web |url=http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/pigs.htm |title=The Pigs - Early UK Punk Rock band |website=Punk77.co.uk |access-date=2015-12-28}} and to sign The Cortinas, Chelsea, and The Models to Step Forward Records in 1977.{{cite web |url= http://www.vinylnet.co.uk/label-discography.asp/label/49/Step-Forward-records-discography.html |title=Record Label Discographies for rare and collectable vinyl records |website=Vinylnet.co.uk |access-date=2015-12-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219194105/http://www.vinylnet.co.uk/label-discography.asp/label/49/Step-Forward-records-discography.html |archive-date=February 19, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079763/fullcredits/ |title = Punk in London (1977) |website= IMDb}} Copeland's office was the headquarters for Sniffin' Glue and Other Rock 'N' Roll Habits..., a monthly punk zine by Mark Perry.
= The Police =
In 1978, Copeland became manager of his brother Stewart'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 at Shea Stadium{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/20/arts/rock-police-perform-for-70000-at-shea-stadium.html |title=Rock: Police Perform for 70,000 at Shea Stadium |work=The New York Times |date=20 August 1983 |access-date=1 February 2017}} and the number one single for 1983, "Every Breath You Take".{{cite web |url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=548 |title=Every Breath You Take by The Police |website= Songfacts.com |access-date=1 February 2017}} He continued to manage Sting through 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/sep/02/popandrock2 |title=Where's The Police Chief? |work=The Guardian |date=2 September 2007 |access-date=1 February 2017}}
= I.R.S. Records =
The success of the Police and the novel methods used to popularize them enabled Copeland to found I.R.S. Records through a deal with A&M Records.
= Copeland International Arts =
Copeland owns and operates CIA (Copeland International Arts), which includes the Bellydance Superstars, Celtic Crossroads, Otros Aires, Zohar, and Beats Antique. Much of the CIA catalog initially included Middle Eastern, world music, Irish, tango, flamenco, and Polynesian styles. The label later signed mainstream artists.{{cite web |first= Aaron |last=Stipkovich |url=http://www.performingartsinternational.com/cia/recording_company.php |title=Recording Company: Copeland International Arts |website=performingartsinternational.com |access-date=2015-12-28}}
Personal life
Another of Copeland's brothers, Ian Copeland, was a booking agent, music promoter, and US Army veteran, who described much of the New Wave adventures of Miles, Stewart, and himself in his book Wild Thing: The Backstage, On the Road, In the Studio, Off the Charts Memoirs of Ian Copeland (1995, Simon & Schuster). The three brothers were honored with the 17th Annual Humanitarian Award from AMC Cancer Research Center on December 7, 1985, at “A Guerilla War on Cancer” dinner in New York City;{{cite journal |last1=Keefe |first1=Thomas |title=AMC and AMC Cancer Research Center: The Unheralded Heir of the Jewish Consumptives' Relief Society |journal=Researchgate |date=4 April 2020 |pages=23–26 |doi=10.13140/RG.2.2.14350.72004 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340418667 |access-date=23 March 2025 |location=Lakewood, Colorado}} they produced an album in support of the event.{{cite web |last1=Eckman |first1=John |title=Various Artists, Live! for Life, 1986 on I.R.S. Records |url=https://goatless.org/2021/12/06/various-artists-live-for-life-1986-on-i-r-s-records |access-date=23 March 2025 |date=6 December 2021}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.copelandinternationalarts.com Official website]
- [https://abc.go.com/primetime/politicallyincorrect/episodes/2001-02/1019.html Transcript of Miles Copeland III] on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher
{{the Police}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:Birmingham–Southern College alumni
Category:American record producers