Chris Butler

Chris Butler has worked in the music publishing industry since leaving Durham University with a music degree in 1984. He held a succession of positions at Chappell Music (later Warner Chappell), before joining Novello in 1989. Four years at the classical independent ended when Novello was acquired by the Music Sales Group in 1993. Over the past 25 years the Music Sales Group has become one of the world’s largest independent music publishers with offices in London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Madrid, Berlin, Copenhagen, Sydney and Tokyo.

In tandem with being the leading player in the business of printed music, Music Sales owns and administers an extensive portfolio of copyrights through a network of wholly owned companies throughout the world. In addition to Novello these include J & W Chester, G. Schirmer, Edition Wilhelm Hansen, Union Musicales Ediciones, Editions Alphonse Leduc, Bosworth & Co, Sparta Florida and Campbell Connelly. The Music Sales Group currently has an active roster of over one hundred living composers creating new music in all genres.

Chris first joined the MPA board in 1992. In 2011 he was appointed as a director of the MCPS and Chair of the MPA Board which he stepped down from in 2015 to be replaced by Jackie Alway.