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UK Music tell government: “It’s over to you”
By CMU Editorial | Published on Tuesday 30 March 2010
“You asked us to speak with a united voice”, the boss of UK Music Feargal Sharkey told the political community last night, “well, now we are, so over to you”.
Sharkey was speaking at the launch of the previously reported UK Music report ‘Liberating Creativity’, which looks at the next decade of the music industry, and particularly how government can help ensure its success and growth. Since taking over UK Music, or British Music Rights as it was, Sharkey has, of course, tried to transform what was a rather useless communications body for the music publishing sector into a high profile voice for the wider music industry.
Or, more accurately, the music rights industry. Sharkey has successfully brought together, in the main, an alliance of music rights holders, though the live sector remains outside the UK Music camp. The featured artist community, via their Coalition, also reserve the right to shout loudly in opposition to any consensus reached by the rest of the music rights business, should it run contrary to the interests of the average pop star. Expect to see that come into effect when the extension of the sound recording copyright term is back on the agenda.
But, for now, it is easier for political types to get a viewpoint from the wider music rights industry, safe in the knowledge said viewpoint won’t be too skewed towards the interests of the major labels, which was always a fear among more savvy politicians in the past. Sharkey’s implication last night was that, because of UK Music, once the next government is in place in May, politicians won’t be able to use the excuse of “confused messages” from within the music business as an excuse for not taking proactive measures to support the music community.
As previously reported, Sharkey has set out seven areas in which he wants specific government support for the music and wider creative industries. These include the creation of a creative industries ‘cabinet committee’ that reports direct to the Prime Minister, the launch of government-backed programmes that support investment in new talent, a swift implementation of the copyright provisions in the Digital Economy Bill (assuming it is passed), more clarity on how public-sector initiatives and organisations support the music community, the removal of complicated licensing rules for small grass roots gigs, support and funding for music business apprenticeship schemes, and a better strategy for the teaching of music in secondary schools. Nifty.
With the political community about to return to their constituencies to be kicked by the increasingly pissed off electorate, following last night’s launch of the UK Music report at the Houses Of Parliament, presumably it will now be a few months before political types properly respond to the specific demands in Feargal’s grand plan.
