AJ Joshi

AJ Joshi is credited as a pioneering entrepreneur within the UK music industry. He founded Major Fm, the first dedicated internet radio station in the UK and the first Grime radio station (before it was even named, while they were debating what to call it) giving a platform to a worldwide audience for artists well before mainstream social media existed other than myspace. Many of those artists are now recognised globally and have gone on to become superstars within their own right. He has been at the forefront with innovation before it's time conducting video interviews and podcasts with A list artists from Beyonce, Russell Simmons to UK's very own JME, Skepta, Jammer and many more several years before YouTube or podcasts were even founded. He streamed the media directly via the website using windows media player. He later founded UKRecordShop.com, an online record store and distribution company. It went on to become the largest independent online record store in the UK, they powered the BBC urban music chart and signed exclusive deals on over 100 albums. They were pinnacle to the Grime genre helping fund artists with advances without tying them into record deals ensuring they remain independent and free to pursue their art. -- This was the mission, ethos and company objective set by both AJ Joshi and DJ Adz, the founders who were motivated to help "push the scene forward" rather than lock artists into lengthy record deals, limiting their freedom and capitalising on the industry. Independence was at the forefront thus all deals were on a AdHoc basis and all artists were free to work with whoever they wanted to. They took the ethical approach and ensured all artists owned their own publishing and masters making sure all royalties went back to all artists. They worked with over 90% (estimated) of all releases within the industry at the time and were the leading distributer to all the mainstream record stores. Many artists are quoted saying if it wasn't for UKRecordShop.com believing in them, at a time when record labels shunned the genre and closed the door, the industry would not be where it is today. They are credited on over 140 albums as the exclusive store, label and/or distributer, AJ Joshi personally worked on over 100 albums, signing, marketing and distribution. AJ later went on to form Boy Better Know Mobile with Grime artist JME. AJ remains good friends with many of the artists he worked with, he is now working on various disruptive projects within the tech industry.