McCartney Times

Miles Axe Copeland III who is an articulate and charismatic businessman, entrepreneur and influencer, with a track record of being at the forefront of innovation in the music and entertainment industries. His constant focus on evolution and revolution is dominant throughout his varied and successful career, which spans five decades and is littered with household names.

From being at the centre of the British ‘progressive rock’ and ‘punk rock’ scenes in the late sixties and seventies, to launching record labels and managing hugely successful bands and musicians such as The Police, Sting, Squeeze, REM and The Bangles, Miles spent over thirty years working with artists who dominated the charts in the US, the UK and across the world.

His inspiring ability to manage and grow talent, identify and influence changes in the market, and develop highly creative and innovative promotional strategies has resulted in countless hit singles and albums, Grammy® Awards, and Gold and Platinum records, as well as some surprising but hugely successful collaborations. Meanwhile, his latest series of live touring projects has focused on creating a brand that can operate successfully with whatever artists might be available at any given time, creating both ownership and longevity for each concept.

Miles’ entrepreneurial approach has enabled him to find solutions when routes to market were closed, or evolve his business model when the internet fundamentally changed the industry. His experience and vision have led to numerous speaking engagements for companies including Motorola, HSBC Bank, Vanderbilt University, The University of California, The Grammy® Organization and a host of music associated media.

Miles spent his childhood and adolescence moving between the US, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. His mother worked for British intelligence and his father was in US Army counter intelligence as well as being a founder member of the CIA. Miles’ cultural awareness and global outlook have been a common theme throughout his career, which has included boosting the popularity of Arab music and dance in the US, as well as advising the Pentagon on how to ‘win hearts and minds’.

As an author, he penned the cultural 2021 classic book

Here is the author quote from Amazon:

“My real story starts with a disaster, an unmitigated, pull-the-rug-from-under-you, clean-out-the-bank-account disaster. But had it not happened, The Police would never have risen to become the biggest rock band in the world; Jools Holland would not have ended up on TV; The Bangles, The Go-Go’s, R.E.M., and many other music stars might never have made it either. It’s strange how a fluke, a disaster, an unlikely event can lead to incredible results. But that is in essence what happened to me . . .

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back tells the extraordinary story of a maverick manager, promoter, label owner, and all-round legend of the music industry. It opens in the Middle East, where Miles grew up with his father, a CIA agent who was stationed in Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon. It then shifts to London in the late 60s and the beginnings of a career managing bands like Wishbone Ash and Curved Air – only for Miles’s life and work to be turned upside down by a disastrous European tour.

From the ashes of near bankruptcy, Miles entered the world of punk, sharing a building with Malcolm McLaren and Sniffin’ Glue, before shifting gears again as manager of The Police, featuring his brother Stewart on drums. Then, after founding IRS Records, he launched the careers of some of the most potent musical acts of the new wave scene and beyond, from Squeeze and The Go-Go’s to The Bangles and R.E.M.

The story comes full circle as Miles finds himself advising the Pentagon on how to win over hearts and minds in the Middle East and introducing Arabic music to the United States. ‘Never let the truth get in the way of a good story,’ his father would tell him. In the end, though, the truth is what counts – and it’s all in this book.”

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