Earache boss gets industry honour

Earache Records founder Digby Pearson is to receive the Pioneer Award by the Association of Independent Music.

The industry veteran will be honoured by the AIM for his work with Clutch, Napalm Death, Rival Sons, Carcass and many others since opening the label in 1986.

The presentation takes place at The Brewery, Clerkenwell, London, on September 8.

Pearson says: “It’s an honour to be given AIM’s Pioneer award. Cheers to all the voting panel. If you’re dedicated and tenacious enough, it’s pleasing to know that hard work can pay off in terms of respect from industry peers.”

Alison Wenham, CEO of AIM, adds: “The heavy music world is often under-represented in mainstream media and other industry awards, so our judges selecting Digby as the Pioneer recipient this year is very exciting.

“Digby and Earache’s influence and innovation is undeniable. We look forward to celebrating his achievements in September.”

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.