The British Music industry today welcomed the Government's announcement to help fund a study to assess the viability and possible shape of a dedicated Music Council to unite the music sector on key issues and be a partner to government in developing music policies.

Speaking at the IPPR conference today on 'Creative Britannia: Turning Ideas into Business', James Purnell, Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism announced that the Government wanted "to make Britain the world's creative hub." And as part of this drive to support Britain's creative industries, he added that "DCMS and the music industry will carry out a feasibility study to examine the case for setting up a Music Council, how it might operate and how it might be funded".

The idea of music having a counterpart to the Film and Design Councils has gained currency over recent months, as the established Music Business Forum (MBF) - an informal grouping of 21 organisations across the music sector - has examined how better to work with Government. A Music Council would help join up and build on the existing government initiatives such as the Live Music Forum, the Music Manifesto and the IP Forum for the Creative Industries in which the music industry has been enthusiastically engaged.

Peter Jamieson, Chairman of UK record companies trade association the BPI, co-Chair of the MBF and chairman of the MBF group which has developed the Music Council proposal, said:

"We very much welcome the commitment to the creative industries shown by James Purnell in his speech this morning, and in particular his interest in developing an even stronger relationship with the music industry, perhaps even through a Music Council. Government increasingly shows an appreciation of the importance of the creative industries - and music's position at the vanguard of the new digital economy. It is vital we work closely with Government on this and other issues to ensure the UK retains and builds upon its world-leading position. On the evidence of this morning, James Purnell is a man we can do business with."

Emma Pike, Director General of British Music Rights and co-Chair of the MBF, said:

"We are delighted with Government's announcement today that they will be creating greater cross-departmental links and an even closer partnership with the music industry. We also welcome the proposal for a feasibility study into the Music Council which would give us a strong platform and a unified voice to work through the challenges facing the industry. Where music is today, other creative industries will be tomorrow, and it is therefore vital that we all work together to ensure that Britain can become the world's creative hub."

The music sector is incredibly vibrant and diverse and contributes nearly 5 billion to the UK economy of which £1.3 billion comes from exports. The success of the UK's music scene is driven by the creative and commercial world of music, from writing and performing to managing, producing, recording, publishing, retailing; those who write and perform music for pleasure and not for profit; those who teach music education and skills; and those who use music for community, social or therapeutic purposes.

The Music Business Forum (see footnote 1), an informal grouping of some of these component parts, has been calling on government to help set up a Music Council to formalise the sector's relationship with government and maximise music making at every level. The MBF feels that there is now a clear need for the industry to have a united voice which can look at current issues and work closely with Government to tackle them.

For Further Information:

British Music Rights T: 020 7306 4446 E: britishmusic@bmr.org
Matt Philips t: 020 7803 1300 BPI e: matt.phillips@bpi.co.uk

Notes for Editors:

BPI - British Phonographic Industry: The BPI is recognised as the leading trade body for the UK record industry and an authoritative source of industry information. In addition, we protect members through a wide range of activities including: lobbying governments, fighting piracy, negotiating with broadcasters and trade unions to offer members access to agreements - saving them time and money, assistance with international trade fairs, showcasing British talent to the world with the annual BRIT Awards and running various educational and charitable events throughout the year.

BMR - British Music Rights was established to promote greater awareness of the interests and concerns of British music composers, songwriters and publishers to UK and EU policymakers and the wider public. The primary focus is to communicate an understanding of the rights and rewards for creativity in the music business. Our member organisations are the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters, the Music Publishers Association, the Performing Right Society and the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society.

Footnote

1. The Music Business Forum (MBF) is a cross-industry initiative which was created to liaise on issues of interest across the industry. Set up in 2002 this informal grouping currently includes representatives covering the interests of composers, artists, orchestral and session musicians, songwriters, producers, music publishers, managers, record companies, the collecting societies which administer rights in music and sound recordings and the record retailers.