British Music Rights (BMR) today announces the resignation of Chief Executive Emma Pike, who is taking up a new role at Sony BMG as Vice President, Communications & Artist Relations.
Since taking up the role in September 2004, Emma has been the voice of the composing, songwriting and publishing community on issues ranging from piracy to pan-EU licensing. In that time, British Music Rights’s reputation and credibility as a first port of call for policy makers seeking a view on music and copyright issues has been established.

The organisation has pioneered a new approach to copyright education and awareness – starting with the ‘Respect the Value of Music’ lesson plans, launched in secondary schools in November 2004 – and continuing with BMR’s involvement in the “Young Enterprise QuickStart Music Programme” which provides 14-19 year olds with the resources to set up and run their own music companies within schools.

As Co-Chair of the Music Business Forum and the Value Recognition Strategy Group, Emma has been a leading voice calling for open debate across the industry on copyright and licensing in the digital age.

Emma Pike said “It has been an enormous privilege to lead a fantastic team at British Music Rights over the past 3 years and to represent such a vibrant and creative community of people. I hope to have accumulated some of their wisdom and expertise which I take with me into my new role at Sony BMG and I will certainly continue to champion the work of BMR from there.”

BMR Chairman Leslie Hill said: “Emma has made an outstanding contribution to the vital work of British Music Rights. She has gained the respect of all those she has dealt with throughout the music world and in government. Emma has been a pleasure to work with and she will be greatly missed by all of us at BMR. We wish her continuing success at Sony BMG and are glad that she remains in the music business.”

For further information, please contact British Music Rights on 020 7306 4446 or email: britishmusic@bmr.org.

Notes to Editors

About British Music Rights

• British Music Rights is the consensus voice of Britain’s composers and songwriters, music publishers and their collecting societies.
• The members of British Music Rights are the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, the Music Publishers Association (MPA), the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) and the Performing Rights Society (PRS).
• Emma graduated in history from St Hugh’s College, Oxford before practising as a lawyer in the UK and Italy specialising in intellectual property. She joined the music industry in 2002 as IFPI’s European Affairs Executive before becoming Chief Executive of British Music Rights in 2004.