Fiona McGugan

Fiona is currently a trainee solicitor in the music department of SMB and assists on advising artists, songwriters, producers, managers, labels, publishers, music executives and international music companies on their commercial and corporate activities.

Prior to joining SMB in 2019, Fiona worked in the music industry for over 12 years in a wide range of advocacy based roles. She was the Director of Strategy and Operations at the trade association, Music Managers Forum, representing over 700 managers and advocating for transparency and accountability in the music business.

Fiona completed an Entertainment Law masters degree in 2017 and has authored published research on the making available right and streaming economics. She has been vocal about mental health issues and initiatives in music since writing and launching the Mental Health Guide for managers in 2016, has written articles on the value of music managers (MBW) and mental health in music (Guardian) and recently became a trustee of the Point One Project, a mental health fund launching in 2021/22. She also founded the Accelerator Programme for Music Managers in 2018, in partnership with YouTube Music, an annual funding, training and mentoring initiative for music managers, which is still running today.

Fiona worked closely with the Featured Artists Coalition for a number of years campaigning for the protection of featured artist’s rights alongside the board of musicians and was the executive producer for the Artist and Manager Awards for 8 years. She has also worked in tour management and on the festival circuit and still occasionally nurtures her addiction to live music by running festival stages on the odd summer weekend.

Fiona is also on the Global Music Advisory Board for In Place of War and a proud member of the Cat’s Mother, a voluntary consultancy for young women embarking on their music careers.