News
Top music firms receive Queen’s Award
Rob Hughes Apr 23 2008, 1:34pm
Prime Minister hails winners as “standard-bearers for British business”
A select group of firms from the music world celebrated on Monday, after winning the UK’s most prestigious annual prize for business success – The Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
This year’s Queen’s Awards winning companies include:
2 Entertain – independent video and music publishing group, whose operations include the Demon Music record company.
J & A Beare – restorers and dealers in the finest antique violins and cellos, specialising in those by Stradivari and Guarneri.
The Academy of Contemporary Music – helping students break into the contemporary music industry through close links with music businesses.
Audio Network – supply of 15,000 digitised music tracks and 50,000 sound effects to professional, corporate and home users.
Focusrite Audio Engineering – integrated system for composing modern music using range of music-making software.
In this, the scheme’s 43rd year, Her Majesty The Queen announced 139 business Awards – the second highest total for 10 years. 85 awards are for outstanding achievements in international trade, 42 for innovation and 12 for sustainable development. In addition, eleven outstanding individuals receive The Queen’s Award for enterprise promotion (QAEP) for their inspiring efforts to encourage UK entrepreneurship.
Overall, this year’s winning firms range in size from three firms with only three employees, up to an international giant that employs 106,200 people. 34 percent of winning firms employ less than 50 people and 33 percent are from the service sector.
The business benefits of winning a Queen’s Award include publicity, enhanced recognition and employee pride. In a recent survey of 2007 business winners, 80 percent of respondents believed their Queen’s Award had added commercial value to their firms, and 82 percent reported boosts to staff morale. 55 percent of respondents said it was the most valuable award their business had ever won.
Each winning company receives an engraved crystal bowl and is entitled to use the coveted Queen’s Award Emblem on packaging and marketing materials for 5 years. During the year, winners will benefit from a visit to their premises by a representative of The Queen, and be invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace in the summer.
“Queen’s Award winning companies are standard-bearers for the very best of British business,” noted Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. “These firms embody the spirit of enterprise and innovation that is so vital to the future of Britain’s economy. Whether large or small, every one of this year’s winning organisations has achieved outstanding success in its field. I congratulate them all on their diverse and remarkable achievements.”
“I also congratulate the individuals receiving The Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion,” he continued. “Each of them has played a vital role in helping unlock Britain’s entrepreneurial talent. They have given their time and energy to equip others with the skills, knowledge and attitude to succeed as entrepreneurs. I applaud and admire their efforts.”
The deadline for the 2009 Queen’s Awards is 31st October 2008. Application and nomination forms are now available at www.queensawards.org.uk
