John Boyden

John Boyden (14 September 1936 – 21 September 2021) was a British classical music executive. After completing national service in Malaya, he joined the staff of the HMV store on Oxford Street. Boyden later founded his own business, Philharmonic Records, in Richmond, as well as the record label John Boyden Recordings. By 1967 he was working with Paul Hamlyn at the Music for Pleasure joint venture with EMI, where he established the Classics for Pleasure sub-label.

In April 1975 Boyden was appointed managing director of the London Symphony Orchestra. He was dismissed in October after part of the board unsuccessfully attempted to remove chief conductor André Previn. Boyden subsequently wrote for Private Eye as its music correspondent under the pseudonym Lunchtime O'Boulez. In 1976 he launched the Enigma Classics record label with Peter Whiteside, which was sold to WEA two years later. Disillusioned with the extent of post-production editing in classical music, Boyden later founded the New Queen's Hall Orchestra to promote performances aligned with his musical ideals.