[1] Preston started his career with Bruce's Record Shops in Scotland, then joined EMI in 1977.
[2] Preston was the managing director of RCA Records UK from 1985 to 1989, and chairman of BMG from 1989 to 1998.
[1] Preston chaired the UK Labour Party's Rock the Vote campaign for Tony Blair.
[1] Preston worked with musicians including Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, M People and Take That.
[2] Music industry people he gave early career opportunities to include Simon Cowell, Hugh Goldsmith, David Joseph, Jeremy Marsh and Korda Marshall, and he was the first chairman of a record company to promote two women to the level of label managing director, Lisa Anderson at RCA, and Diana Graham at Arista.