Senior Lecturer in Music and Communications
Gareth Thomas is year and unit lead across the Music Business and Management and Events and Festivals Management courses, both part of the Cultural and Business Management cluster (BSCI).
Bio
Before joining UCA, Gareth worked for a number of years in music and media; as producer at TV channel Euronews in France, news reporter for BBC East and ITV in the UK and as news editor at KLFM Radio in King's Lynn.
He was a music journalist for over ten years in London; as staff music editor at Billboard and then as freelance for a number of titles including Q, What's On In London, Viewlondon, Audience, Echoes, Media Week, The Daily Mirror, IQ and The Londoner, interviewing industry executives and artists including Paolo Nutini, Alicia Keys, Noel Gallagher, Mary J Blige, Sia, Jack Bruce and Norah Jones.
In the 2000s Gareth managed a band, Steranko, and oversaw their European and Korean tours. He also did PR for girl band Bananarama, as well as side-lining as a deejay and live music promoter.
Gareth joined UCA in 2009 and in the following years launched the radio unit, the live music unit, set up the sound studio, developed the video unit and created in-house agency, The Wave.
He was appointed interim course leader for Fashion Journalism in 2012-13, in charge of six members of staff.
Gareth joined the Business School for the Creative Industries in 2016 as Senior Lecturer on the Music Business and Management course, where he has taught and supervised third-year degree work, as well as leading on units such as Music & Brands, Promotion of Live Events, Professional Placement, Live Music Industry Music and Media and Festivals and Cultures.
In his time at UCA, Gareth has set up a number of industry-student collaborations, including with Glastonbury, the International Live Music Conference and the Mama Group/Great Escape Festival.
Gareth is a member of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) and is External Examiner for the Media & Communications course at the University of West London.
He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Research statement
Gareth presented a paper on “The New Journalism” at the ICCMS XII International Conference on Communication and Media Studies in 2014 in Venice. The paper was published in the Volume 8, Number 11 of the International Science Index Journal.
In 2016 he was commissioned by Penguin to write a children’s book for their Puffin brand on the 1960s to coincide with the V&A exhibition ‘You Say You Want A Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966-1970’.
He has written a chapter on music business education for the book “Creative Business Education; Exploring the Contours of Pedagogical Praxis” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022).
Gareth contributed to and consulted for the hip hop/graffiti exhibition ‘Beyond The Streets’ held at the Saatchi Gallery in Spring 2023.
Gareth is looking into research into Italo-American music as well as exploring the psychogeography of music in London and the reasons behind the historic popularity of Afro-American music in the UK.
Gareth is a member of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM).
He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and External Examiner for the Media & Communications course at the University of West London.
External Examiner for the Media & Communications course at the University of West London.
In 2003, as consultant and advisory board member for Lily Icos’ Music For Two initiative, Gareth compiled a report into the music market for the mature consumer. The report was widely publicised and gave birth to the expression “the £50 man”.
In 2016, Penguin commissioned Gareth to write a children’s book on the 1960s to coincide with the V&A exhibition, ‘You Say You Want A Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966-1970’. The book is available in the Puffin series.
Gareth contributed to and consulted to the international hip hop/graffiti exhibition Beyond The Streets held at the Saatchi Gallery in Spring 2023.