PSA: The Bigger Picture

Images show: Artist Manager, Andy Edwards; Help Musicians UK’s Head of Strategic Communications, Indy Vidyalankara; Chair of Music Tank, Keith Harris; UK Music CEO, Michael Dugher; Culture Secretary, Jeremy Wright MP.

NOT REALLY PARTYING AT A CROSS-PARTY PARTY.

UK Music, as part of the UK Live Music Group, shares its yearly work with MPs, members of the House of Lords and industry stakeholders. PSA’s Andy Lenthall reports from the summer party.

UK Music was formed to be the government-facing voice of the entire music industry, comprising representation from all of the main trade bodies in the sector, backed by a small, hardworking team of staff under the direction of a board and the leadership of CEO, Michael Dugher. Over the past 11 years, its activities have extended beyond its political mission to encompass research and skills projects.

Every year, UK Music holds a summer party, a stone’s throw from Westminster, to encourage the wider membership to meet the influencers that they’ve been, well, influencing over the past 12 months. Sure, there’s drinks, nibbles and a few famous faces but the real objective is to reinforce the messages coming from the industry and get real understanding and commitment from ministers.

To have Culture Secretary, Jeremy Wright MP who addressed the Party along with Shadow DCMS Secretary, Tom Watson MP and Lib Dem DCMS Spokesperson, Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter is no mean feat, there was a request from the floor for a spokesperson for the Brexit Party, we’re not sure what happened to that particular guest.

Wright outlined his determination to work with UK Music to continue to develop the music industry’s eco-system. He said: “I recognise that what we need to do is to make sure that the talent pipeline stays open. That’s not just about bringing people in from overseas, though that’s part of it. It’s also about making sure the next generation of UK musicians have the creative education they need and deserve. I take the responsibility seriously. There is a lot more to do, but I think we as politicians should do it.”

Image shows: Tamzene performing Last Song; Labour Party Deputy Leader and Shadow Culture Secretary,Tom Watson MP.

Wright also highlighted his support for UK Music’s successful battle over the EU Copyright Directive, encapsulated in our #LoveMusic campaign. The Culture Secretary said: “I also think it’s right to defend the rights to creative material of those who create it. That’s exactly what we’ve done over the past 12 months and what we intend to continue doing in conjunction with you.”

Following that, Labour Party Deputy Leader and Shadow Culture Secretary Tom Watson said:“You have had a very good year, UK Music. The tech giants - they lost.”

Watson added: “We’re going to press for greater support for the music industry, for protecting grassroots venues. They are central to that talent pipeline. They are the industry’s R&D.”

Bonham Carter, praised the “fantastically brilliant” UK music industry, but added: “I think there are reasons for concerns and that’s a leaking talent pipeline.” Adding that “there is clear evidence that creative subjects are being squeezed out of the school curriculum”.

In his speech, Dugher said: “As our flagship ‘Measuring Music’ Report showed, music makes a £4.5bn contribution to the UK economy - with music exports growing by 7%. As a country, we are phenomenally good at this.” He added: “We have been fearless and we will be relentless in taking on big tech - just like we did over the Copyright Directive.”

Regarding the issue of Brexit and the Copyright Directive, Dugher outlined the need for a “roadmap” to deliver the hard-won copyright reforms. He said: “At UK Music we will continue to highlight the need for touring artists and musicians to be able to move freely without the kind of cost and bureaucracy that, frankly, could make playing across Europe simply not viable for many UK musicians. “Our studios and festivals and venues need to be able to bring in talent from the EU. Also, without a transitional phase or withdrawal agreement, implementation of the Copyright Directive in the UK cannot be taken for granted which is why we urgently need a roadmap to get on and implement that Directive.”

On music in education, Dugher warned: “If we don’t sort out music in our state education, as an industry and as a country, we will just be drawing water from a well that’s getting smaller and smaller. So we’re going to keep banging on about this in the weeks and months ahead.”

Dugher also praised Wright. He said: “We have had some great discussions and have made some real progress in so many policy areas. “I know that Jeremy is someone who understands the importance of our industry. He has always been willing to engage with UK Music. He gets it. He listens. And he has supported us in any way he can.”

UK Music Chairman, Andy Heath CBE thanks the politicians for attending and spoke about the vital importance of supporting political leaders in a parliamentary democracy. Heath said: “We need to challenge them and hold them to account. But we don’t need to insult them and denigrate them.”

Aside from the speeches, a well-briefed set of attendees from UK Music’s various constituent bodies worked hard to engage with MPs, pressing home the current agenda with Brexit, freedom of movement and the continued work on protecting Grassroots Music venues top of the PSA list.

For a party, it seemed like a lot of people were working very hard, putting faces to names and giving a real sense of engagement for all parties, leaving us with no doubt about the strong progress that UK Music has made in putting one key element of our members’ work in the political spotlight to effect positive change.

Of course, no UK Music Party would be complete without a performance; this year’s was courtesy of Scottish singer/songwriter Tamzene who played a short set including a beautiful performance of Last Song. www.psa.org.uk