Digital entertainment and retail association ERA kicked off entertainment’s autumn term in grand style last night, honouring seven Entertainment Champions and two Rising Stars at its third annual Summer Party. Just days after the official end of the summer holidays, digital services, retailers, suppliers and friends gathered at a packed London record store-themed venue Eastcheap Records to celebrate outstanding contributions to the UK entertainment business. ERA’s Entertainment Champion Awards aim to recognise the backroom staff who play a direct, but often hidden, role in bringing entertainment to UK fans. ERA Chair Linda Walker said, “What a fantastic night! There were tears, laughter, reminiscence and future ambition aplenty. ERA’s Entertainment Champions prove beyond doubt that just as much magic takes place behind-the-scenes in the entertainment business as front-of-house.” This year’s honorees were: Lou Jackson , co-owner of Bury independent record store Wax & Beans - which offers the very winning combination of vinyl and coffee – who was recognised for her work to standardise data for physical product; Magali Clapier , Director, Licensing of Spotify, who led ERA’s work in the metadata project run by the Intellectual Property Office to ensure artists, labels, songwriters and publishers get paid as quickly and accurately as possible; Warner Music Independent sales reps Ben Edwards and Dave Murray , singled out for their long-time support and advocacy for indie retail and Record Store Day; Official Charts Company Director of Operations Chris Austin , honoured for his contribution across the music and video sectors and his central role in the development of the Official Charts Company’s new online platform; Indie label pioneer Iain McNay of Cherry Red Records, honoured as a key creator of the joint ERA-BPI promotion National Album Week; Retail veteran, former ERA co-Chair and now commercial director of home delivery specialists Rarewaves Rudy Osorio, honoured for his wide-ranging service to the music, video and games sectors since he began his career in entertainment as a shop assistant at HMV’s legendary Oxford Street London store 35 years ago. The evening’s proceedings also included the presentation of two Rising Star Awards to Laura Wainwright, Vendor Manager at Amazon Prime Video and Morgan Coates, Music Partnerships manager at IYK. ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “The digital entertainment and retail sector has emerged as the biggest single driver of growth and innovation in entertainment. It is therefore appropriate that we recognise the people driving those developments. We congratulate all of our winners – and especially our Rising Stars, the champions of the future.”