Former Parlophone execs Nick Burgess and Jack Melhuish have launched independent label Artist Theory in partnership with British indie B-Unique.

Early signings include Sam Ryder, who hit #1 in the U.K. with his 2022 Parlophone debut following success at Eurovision and is working on his sophomore LP. Electronic/R&B/hip-hop collective H.LLS and "Gothic pop queen" Emily Jeffri are also on the roster.

Speaking about their joint vision (in a joint statement), Burgess and Melhuish said, “The label's philosophy is to sign culturally vibrant and diverse artists early in their careers and use our experience to nurture and develop their talent into globally successful artists. Our intention is to build a home for artists with major-label ambition coupled with flexible and artist-friendly deals to empower the best creative talent in the world. We are forward-thinking in our approach to audience engagement but remain true to our belief that everything starts with undeniable artists and outstanding music.”

During a four-year tenure as co-president of Warner’s Parlophone, Burgess signed and developed such artists as PinkPantheress, Ashnikko, Gabriels, S1mba, Dutchavelli, Rachel Chinouriri and The Snuts. Prior to that, he secured Bastille and The Kooks while serving as VP of A&R at Virgin/EMI.

Melhuish was most recently GM and head of marketing at Parlophone, where he devised campaign strategies for Coldplay, Gorillaz, Diplo and David Guetta.

“Launching a label with Nick and Jack is a new, dynamic development for B-Unique," said B-Unique co-founder Mark Lewis. "They both have incredible track records and together with our understanding of how to make it through 20-plus years of independence, Artist Theory really is an exciting proposition.”