As soon as they took the decision to bring the massive event to Dundee, Radio 1 chiefs made a beeline for the office of Lesley Larg, a Partner in the business law department at Thorntons Solicitors, to help organise educational and fringe events involving DJs, experts from Radio and TV and concert promoters.
Over the past five years, as part of the company’s intellectual property team, Lesley has been largely responsible for raising the company profile throughout the UK as specialists in music law, so it was no surprise when Radio 1 came knocking at her door.
``A few months ago we were approached by Radio 1,'' Lesley said.
``They were keen to do something similar to the education events we had previously organised here along with the Performing Rights Society (PRS).
``As well as being involved in the organisation of the fringe seminars and pulling together the panels, we helped set up meetings with key contacts in the area such as music promoters and venue owners and suggesting local bands to play at the fringe.''
From her tiny office overlooking Castle Street, Lesley wheels and deals with some of the biggest names in the UK music industry, including DF Concerts, organisers of T in the Park, as well as looking after the legal side of events like Edinburgh and Glasgow’s Hogmanay parties.
It’s doubtful if she stands five-feet tall, but Lesley regularly goes head to head with some of the giants in the British and international music industry, bouts which have seen her winning a handsome royalties settlement with Madonna’s lawyer in New York and sealing a highly lucrative licensing deal with Japanese games publisher Namco.
Dundee born and bred, she was a pupil at Dens Road Primary School and Rockwell High School before studying law at Edinburgh University.
After graduating with honours, she did her traineeship with a firm in Edinburgh, gaining her diploma then spending a less-than-exciting year working largely on commercial property.
But her career almost ended before it really began, as Lesley decided to quit law and take a different career path.
``I hated the work so I came back to Dundee to work for Thorntons. I was seriously thinking of giving up law but Stewart Brymer (senior partner with Thorntons) suggested I try doing intellectual property work, which involves copyright, patents, music contracts and so on.
``I loved it right from the start. The difference is the kind of people you work with, the clients are all at the creative edge, either in music, technology or are inventing new products.
``The enthusiasm from them is great and everything is brand new. I’m really lucky because Thorntons has given me the space and time to develop that side of the business over the past five years and the job has grown because of that.
``Having Stuart Clumpas (founder of DF Concerts) as a client way back in the time of the Dance Factory in Dundee helped hugely and obviously working with T in the Park is a huge thing for us.
``Apart from T in the Park, the most enjoyable deal I’ve worked on was for an 84-year-old woman from the west coast who found out her late husband’s music was being used by Madonna on her last tour.
``Her husband, who died about 20 years ago, was a world-class piper who composed tunes and somebody close to Paul McCartney told her about Madonna, who was hiring a piper to play live but not putting the music on her PRS set list.
``Although she is over 80 she is one of the sharpest, most switched-on people I have ever dealt with and was an absolute joy to work with. She negotiated really well with them and we got a fantastic deal with Madonna’s attorney. I had to negotiate with him in New York over the phone and it was a fascinating insight into the corporate world of US lawyers.
``Another fascinating deal was with a big games company in Japan. I was making calls at odd hours of the day to a team of 12 Japanese lawyers through an Australian translator.
``They would go and discuss things and he would translate everything back to me. At one point the client was calling me from a rooftop in Spain so he could get a phone signal. It was surreal.
``The buzz you get from T in the Park though is amazing. Seeing all the work you put in for months coming together on the weekend is fantastic and, of course, you get to hear all the music as well!''
Despite her high-flying deals and high-powered negotiations, Lesley remains as down to earth as you can possibly imagine. Especially at events like T in the Park where you have to rough it with the rest of the 70,000 people and of course are at the mercy of the elements.
``I remember one year it was absolutely pouring on the Sunday and I drove through with a couple of guys. At the end we had to trudge through the mud to get back to the car and I got completely drenched and covered in mud so I had to drive home in my underwear!
``And this weekend will be absolutely wonderful, it’s such a huge event for Dundee.''