Stephen Hughes is a Scottish born, US based entrepreneur who is the founder of TTIKR , a new app that guarantees absolute security of content through multi patented technology which in turn enables the creator to monetise at a higher rate than existing platforms. Announced by the award-winning music producer Poo Bear, TTIKR will roll out during the summer of 2026.
Official Charts delivers the data behind music’s decisions. The most comprehensive research panel of its kind, the Official Charts Company tracks complete physical sales, digital downloads, and streaming data to compile the official music and home entertainment charts for the UK, Ireland and France, as trusted by BBC Radio 1, Music Week,RTE, Canal Plus, and more.
Tracking every major high street retailer, independent store, supermarket, digital outlet and streaming platform, Official Charts captures over 99% of all UK music consumption, 98% of albums and 90%+ of DVD sales, offering an unrivalled snapshot of how the nation listens, watches and buys music and video.
Official Charts is a joint venture between record labels’ body the BPI and ERA, the Entertainment Retailers Association.
Kim Bayley is Chief Executive of ERA, the digital entertainment and retail association, whose members include virtually every significant digital service and retailer selling music, video and games in the UK. She is a powerful advocate for the unique value digital services and retailers add to the music industry, curating and promoting music to bridge the gap between creators and fans.
After qualifying as a lawyer at Hogan Lovells, Kim spent almost ten years in investment banking, where she was an Associate Director in the TMT Team at WestLB Panmure responsible for advising a variety of UK and German clients in TV, Publishing, Music and Technology.
She joined ERA in 2002 as Director of Development before taking on the top job at the association in 2004. Over the past 20 years, she has turned a little-known trade org representing physical record stores into the UK’s, and possibly the world’s, only advocacy group which brings together digital giants – including Spotify, Amazon and YouTube – High Street names such as such as HMV, Rough Trade and Game, together with the smallest of indie record shops.
It was Bayley who stepped in 14 years ago to offer admin and logistical support to a handful of indie stores who had dreamed up the idea of a day celebrating record shops. Under her guidance Record Store Day has become an annual fixture in the music industry calendar attracting star ambassadors such as Sir Elton John and The 1975, sponsored by BBC Sounds and a string of commercial partners. RSD was instrumental in helping indie record shop numbers reach a 12 year high in 2025. 2025 saw the most successful Record Store Day to date, delivering a £10m boost to the sector.
A tireless advocate for digital services and retailers, Bayley has appeared on virtually every mainstream media outlet and does not shy from the 4.30am start required to appear on BBC Five Live’s early morning Wake Up To Money.
She has displayed her skills as a lobbyist over a three year period in which music streaming companies have faced scrutiny from the DCMS Select Committee, the Intellectual Property Office and the Competition & Markets Authority, winning people over with her transparent communication style and commitment to finding collaborative solutions to complicated situations.
More than 20 years in as CEO of digital entertainment and retail association ERA, Kim Bayley is still innovating, launching the organisation’s Retail Champion Awards and Summer Party in 2023 and a Future Leaders Programme in 2024.
I’m Mark Burgess, CEO of Flashback Records and I’ll be hosting the Retail and Distribution Panel at MiCannes. I’m super excited about this as it will provide a unique opportunity for Industry and Record Shops to meet and discuss the often neglected relationship between the two. With expert panellists Kim Bayley, CEO of ERA, the trade body representing Entertainment Retailers, Chris Austin from the Official Charts Co and Garry Elwood, Operations Director of Lasgo Worldwide Media, the global distribution Company, there will be a wealth and depth of knowledge abut the issues raised and I look forward to an energetic and lively debate!
After graduating from Cambridge University, Burgess worked in several record shops before opening Flashback Records in 1997.
Under his leadership, Flashback has grown into one of the largest independent record shop chains in London, with three locations across the city. The company specialises in new and second-hand vinyl, CDs, and DVDs spanning a wide range of genres. Flashback also hosts and curates gigs and cultural events in the local area, including album launches, artist signings, book launches, and regularly promotes live music at nearby venues.
Burgess is widely regarded as an expert in second-hand records and has chaired panels discussing the continued relevance of vinyl, including events hosted by KEF Loudspeakers. His recent social media collaborations with Discogs, where he explains how to identify original pressings of classic albums, have proven particularly popular with collectors and music fans.
In addition to his work in retail and music culture, Burgess designed and continues to maintain Flashback’s custom stock database and point-of-sale system, giving the company significant flexibility when responding to new challenges in the industry.
Outside of his business activities, Burgess is a keen musician and plays bass in the post-punk band Bona Rays, alongside a number of other musical projects.