Stringer was raised in the town of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, and attended Aylesbury Grammar School. Growing up in Aylesbury, Stringer had the opportunity to see a number of touring bands. In 1976, at the age of 14, he saw The Clash at one of their earliest shows. He went on to spend his teenage years watching punk bands at Aylesbury’s rock venue Friars where he got a job during his school holidays. The job furnished him with the opportunity to “sneak in to watch the soundchecks”, and he would later say of his time at the club that he “saw the cultural side, but the business side rubbed off on me too.” After leaving school, Stringer studied sociology at Goldsmith's College in South London; he was also a student entertainment manager.
Career (1985-2017)
During school holidays, Stringer visited his brother Howard in New York, which resulted in the opportunity to assist with CBS television coverage at Republican and Democrat conventions in the 1980 and 1984 elections. In 1985, Stringer joined CBS Records as a graduate trainee. Stringer’s progression in the music industry continued with roles at Epic Records and Sony Music UK. At the latter, Stringer had a role in signing Welsh rockers the Manic Street Preachers. Stringer, who remains close with the band, said: "I speak to all of them at least once a week and have done for 15 years. We've had lots of ups and downs." He went on to work at Columbia Records, with artists signed during Stringer’s tenure at Columbia including MGMT, One Direction and Adele.
After a decade at Columbia Records, Stringer became the CEO of Sony Music succeeding Doug Morris in April 2017. In his first year as CEO, Stringer oversaw a 12.2% increase in recorded music. This included an improvement of streaming revenues, which went up 37.3% to $1.8bn, and improvements in physical sales, which increased by just under $10m.
Honours
Stringer was awarded the UJA-Federation of New York’s Music Visionary of the Year Award in 2013 and Music Week’s Strat Award in 2014. In 2017, he received the Music Industry Trusts Award, which was presented by close friendNicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers.
Personal life
Stringer is married, has two children and lives in New York. He is a lifelong Luton Town supporter and is a vice president at the club.
