Credited with breaking Jay Sean, Craig David and Mis-Teeq among others to mainstream audiences, Billy Grant and Rob Stuart gained a reputation for being able to create effective strategies for exposing so called “niche” markets to a mainstream audience.
“2Point9 have done for black and asian music in the UK what Def Jam did for hip hop in the US” - The Guardian newspaper
After leaving Telstar Records in 2003, they formed 2Point9 seamlessly combining management, record label, music publishing, live agency and consultancy. It quickly established itself as the No 1 record label for contemporary crossover South Asian-Western crossover music not only in the UK but worldwide. Signing producer Rishi Rich and artists Jay Sean, Juggy D, Veronica and Mentor, 2Point9 quickly developed a sound which was to represent the new generation of young western South Asian youth. Ricky Martin and Britney Spears were just two of the international artists who benefited from the 2Point9 sound.
2Point9’s first signing, Jay Sean went onto sell over 300,000 copies of his debut album ‘Me Against Myself’, going multi-platinum in India, a territory where 2Point9 have enjoyed huge success. As a result, he became the leading icon for South Asian youth around the world.
“A very professional company with experienced management and a strong roster of artist … providing cutting edge quality material” - George Ergatoudis, Head of Music - BBC Radio 1
Getting involved in movies and commercials, 2Point9 also produced tracks for TV ads for a number of brands including McDonald and Sharwoods. They also were responsible for a number of Bollywood smashes including the title track for Hum Tum - one of the biggest Bollywood movies. Jay Sean’s track “Ride it” was featured in the western movie “Fishtank” which got rave reviews at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
2Point9 also placed and then produced a weekly show on Kiss FM London for three years with Jay Sean being one of the main presenters. The 2Point9 co-ordinator for the show, Neve, going on to gain a daytime radio slot on the station.
From the outset, 2Point9 took an innovative approach, building an impressive fan base in the UK by targeting the previously untapped British-Asian youth market, then exporting the artists, including Sean, to music fans around the world through extensive touring, a vibrant interactive digital campaign and clever positioning of the artist.
They quickly established the company as the No 1 for contemporary crossover Asian-Western music with the artists touring in over 100 cities in 4 continents around the world.
“2Point9 show tenacity, creative commitment and professionalism to garner ever increasing success for their clients” - Dave Woolf, Manager-Beverly Knight
2007 saw 2Point9 refocus their business, making a decision to re-enter the UK urban market. 2Point9 had turned the traditional label model on its head initially signing Sean to both management and label deals. However, they then went even further creating a joint venture, Jayded Records, with the artist, through which his second album ‘My Own Way’ was released.
The success of the campaign is phenomenal. Sean is an icon in India, SE Asia and the Middle East. In 2009, his album ‘My Own Way’ entered the UK album charts at No 6 and was licensed by Jayded to US independent Cash Money Records. He broke into the US market, with his first single – ‘Down’ featuring lil Wayne– going triple platinum selling over 5 million units and peaking at No.1 in the US Billboard Top 100.
The company has always focussed on thinking out of the box and ways to survive as an independent by creating new models of working. Billy and Rob were cited in a Guardian newspaper ‘Power List’ as one of the Top 30 most important ethnic minority figures in the media industry
