AIM AWARDS 2025: MARK FROM SCRUFF OF THE NECK ON AGILITY, INDEPENDENCE, AND THE POWER OF GRASSROOTS MUSIC

Scruff of the Neck isn’t just an independent label, they’re a grassroots powerhouse. Based in Manchester, they’ve built a reputation for championing emerging artists, running live shows across the UK and Europe, and winning the AIM Award for Best Small Label in 2019. Their ethos is built on immediacy, collaboration, and cutting through the industry’s red tape. I caught up with Mark, the label’s founder, to talk about independence and what it means to move fast and stay loyal.

Rachel Brown: So obviously, you’re a label how important is independent music in today’s climate?

Mark (Scruff of the Neck): I think independence is crucial, especially for agility. When you’re working with majors and I say this with all due respect it’s such a vast global organisation. There are so many decision-makers, so many layers. But when you’re independent, you want to do something cool, you just do it. It’s one conversation. You love a band, you want to put out a record, you don’t need a boardroom. You just go.

RB: That freedom must shape everything.

Mark: It does. It applies internally how we run our own operation and externally, with collaborations. Like this year, we all came together and said, “Let’s create more platforms through AIM.” That led to our Great Escape stage, with 20 new slots generated for AIM members of NIS. That was all about being agile, making decisions off the cuff. That’s the most important thing about independence: the lack of red tape. The lack of gatekeepers. The lack of gate, full stop.

RB: That’s a powerful line, lack of gate.

Mark: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can support who you want, when you want. You can spotlight someone once, or ten times. You’re not waiting for permission. Organisations like AIM are the lifeblood of that moment giving people the freedom to act, to build, to back each other.

RB: Is there anyone you’re working with right now who’s exciting you?

Mark: We’re buzzing about our friends at Submarine Cat. They’ve got a nomination here, and it’s just great to see. That’s another thing, AIM isn’t just about the artists, it’s about the entities behind them. The labels, the human beings in the background. We were just having a drink with them in the pub, and they’re all looking amazing, all buzzed up. That energy’s infectious.

RB: You’ve lived that moment yourself.

Mark: Totally. I remember when we won the AIM Award for Best Small Label in 2019, it changed our business forever. So now I’m looking for that next band, artist, or label who’ll have their moment. Win something. Change everything. That’s what it’s about.

RB: Thanks for talking to us, Mark.

Mark: Nice one. Appreciate it.

Find out more at the website https://scruffoftheneck.com