What is British Music Rights?

British Music Rights was established in 1996 to speak on behalf of the UK’s vibrant and diverse songwriting, composing and music publishing community.  Our four member organisations are: the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters, the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS), the Music Publishers Association (MPA) and the Performing Right Society (PRS).  We act as a single consensus voice for more than 50,000 composers, songwriters, music publishers, and their UK collecting societies, representing them where appropriate to Government, the media, industry and the public.
 
Our core goals are to promote awareness and understanding of:

• The interests of British music creators and publishers at all levels;
• The value of music – to society, culture and the economy;
• Intellectual property rights and how they protect and promote creativity;
• The opportunities and challenges for music creators in the digital age.

British Music Rights is a team of legal, communications and public affairs specialists.  We work in a number of ways, including lobbying, research, education, and PR, to raise awareness about issues that affect British music creators and publishers, both in the UK and abroad.

Our member organisations: British Academy of Composers & Songwriters (BAC&S); Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS); Performing Right Society (PRS); Music Publishers Association (MPA)

Policy and Government Relations

We engage in policy development on issues of relevance to our membership at UK, EU and international levels, particularly where measures are proposed that would have an impact on music creators and publishers. We aim to ensure that their voice is heard and that policymakers continue to recognise the important cultural, social and economic contribution that creative people make to Britain and the world.

Creative Music Education

The creative industries will become increasingly vital to the future success of Britain. Encouraging young people to be aware of the value of creativity and develop a respect for creators’ rights is an important part of this new landscape. Equally important is equipping them with the right mix of business and enterprise skills to ensure a vibrant and healthy music sector in the UK in the future. We are at the heart of discussions on creative education and skills development, and are involved in a number of education and awareness initiatives.

Awareness

We also run an ongoing media campaign, under our ‘Respect the Value of Music’ banner, and participate in various events, such as trade fairs, seminars, conferences and music showcases, to communicate the cultural, social and economic importance of music to a variety of audiences.

“British Music Rights provides a necessary and vital voice for music creators.  It delivers messages to relevant audiences on current issues which will have an impact on the creative community and its future livelihood.  Without British Music Rights acting on our behalf, songwriters and composers would be without a collective voice and would be exposed to a world which doesn't always appreciate that without the creators, there would be no music industry."
David Arnold, Composer and Producer