Behind the Music miniseries: Festival boss Jason Carter on experiencing the mad demands of Madonna, JAY Z and Eminem

What does a festival organiser do when there's a bomb threat beneath the main stage and a royal in the crowd? How to cope when Madonna's manager is shouting at you down the phone, when JAY Z threatens to pull out of your event, or when Eminem starts being a diva? 

This week, over a couple of whiskeys, BBC Introducing and GetOnMusic founder Jason Carter gives Straight Up the skinny on what working with the stars (and their entourage) is really like.  Also in this episode, Jason talks about booking a then unknown Ed Sheeran to play the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury, how the BBC Sound Of lists get drawn up and why Radio 1Xtra was launched, and the time a manager tried to bribe him to get his artist on the radio.  

Keep listening until the end to hear Kathleen and Eleanor chat about interviewing Stormzy and Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne's problematic new album and the queer narrative around Harry Styles. Enjoy!

To listen to all the music discussed on Straight Up and the songs we've got on repeat, follow our Straight Up playlist on Spotify.

Enjoyed this episode of Straight Up? Have any suggestions for our next episode? Are you a brand wanting to chat to us about sponsorship opportunities? We'd love to hear from you: hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Straight Up's music and editing is by Marlon Percy: @marlonpercy

Straight Up was recorded at club and co-working space The Ministry by Chris Bailey of The Boy in the Corner @cornerHQ

Straight Up is sponsored by online spirits specialist Master of Malt, where you can buy a bottle of Jason's Ardberg single malt. 

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