Music

The Musicians Union (MU) is offering refugees a year’s free membership.

The scheme, which launched last week, allows musicians escaping famine, conflict and persecution to have full access to the MU’s advice and services including contract advice, legal advice and insurance cover relating to their work as musicians.

It has been made possible by the union’s collaboration with Counterpoints Arts, with the partnership hoping the initiative will help refugees build music careers in the UK.

“Solidarity and inclusion are about embracing everyone,” MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl said. 

“We want refugee musicians to flourish, avoid bad deals and exploitation, and have confidence that - should they need help - we’ll be right by their side.”

The government has accepted the Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee’s recommendation on establishing a working group to explore issues around fair pay for creators and performers in the music industry.

The follow-up report by the committee was published in January, more than two years after it first began an inquiry into the economics of streaming.

Ministers have now agreed to the establishment of a working group to focus on fair renumeration for artists whose music is played on audio streaming services, as recommended by the committee, Music Week reported.

Chair of the CMS Select Committee Dame Caroline Dinenage said the creation of the working group “is a welcome step towards addressing the frustrations of musicians and songwriters whose pay falls far short of a fair level given their central role in the success of the music streaming industry. 

“The government must now make sure the group is more than a talking shop and leads to concrete change so the talented creators and performers we have in this country are properly rewarded for their creativity,” she added.

“The committee will be keeping a close eye on progress and also looking more widely at artist and creator remuneration to ensure everyone who works in our creative industries can share in its successes.”

The working group will be composed of representatives and experts from across the music sector and will “explore and develop industry-led actions that support fair remuneration for existing and future music creators as part of a successful and globally competitive music industry”, said former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale.

“While terms in new contracts are increasingly creator-friendly, those benefits are often not extended to creators still signed to older contracts, many of whom are paid at substantially lower royalty rates than their modern counterparts,” he wrote.

“The government wants to see a thriving music industry that delivers sustained growth in an increasingly competitive global music market alongside fair renumeration for existing and future creators. 

“We believe that these aims are complementary and that reasonable action can be taken by industry to address creators’ concerns around remuneration.” 

But Sophie Jones, Interim CEO of the BPI, expressed concerns that the working group will “disincentivise investment” in the UK’s music sector “at a time when labels are fighting hard to grow exports and protect the rights of artists in the era of AI”.

She said the effort seemed to be “at odds with the government’s ambition to grow the UK's world leading creative industries by an extra £50bn by 2030”.

“Numerous studies have demonstrated that streaming has benefited consumers and artists alike, with record labels paying more to artists than ever before,” she said.

A programme for independent music managers has helped build sustainable long-term businesses and support the careers of artists, according to the findings of a new report.

The Music Managers Forum (MMF) established its Accelerator programme in 2018, with support from YouTube Music as well as Arts Council England, Creative Scotland and the Scottish Music Industry Association.

Its MMF Accelerator Report, commissioned to mark the fifth anniversary of the programme, documents the work done to foster diversity and develop skills in the sector.

In total, 115 managers have received funding and training, with at least £9.4m generated in turnover for the artists represented during their managers' participation in the programme.

Of these participants, 42% are female, while 43% are from Black, Asian or ethnic backgrounds. More than 50% are based outside London.

Annabella Coldrick, MMF Chief Executive, said the programme had done “great work in dismantling barriers and encouraging participation from under-represented groups and entrepreneurs based outside of London.

She added: “The result is a real and thriving community of super-skilled managers from all quarters of the UK, who I believe will help reshape the future of the music industry.”

A grant scheme run by PRS Foundation has generated more than £22m for the UK music industry over the past decade, an evaluation report has found.

To mark a decade of its PPL Momentum Fund, a new report commissioned by PRS Foundation details how it has helped musicians including Little Simz, Sam Fender and Kae Tempest.

Launched in 2013, the fund has awarded more than £5.2m to artists across the UK.

The fund provides "career-boosting grants" of between £5,000 and £15,000, and is targeted at a pivotal time in the creative and business development of artists.

The report reveals that almost half of grantees are of Black, Asian or other ethnically diverse heritage, and more than half of grantees are based outside London.

Joe Frankland, CEO at PRS Foundation, said that 10 years of the fund was a "fantastic milestone".

He added that the fund has been "a vital stepping-stone for so many incredible artists who have gone on to top the charts, sell out shows around the world and scoop multiple music awards".

A multi-millionaire businessman has said plans for a 1,600-seater venue in Kent are “not dead yet”, despite an offer to occupy the proposed premises being snubbed by English National Opera.

Paul Gregg wants to transform a town centre car park and former Mecca bingo hall in Ashford into a venue that could accommodate West End shows.

The proposed venue would cost "in the region of £9 million", and Gregg is looking for investment from site owner ABC and Kent County Council.

Having met with ENO's chief executive, Gregg had hoped that the opera company, which is being forced to relocate from London by Arts Council England, would be attracted to the town by his Ashford LIVE venue.

However, ENO has announced that it is considering Birmingham, Bristol, Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Nottingham for its new home.

Gregg said: "It doesn’t change anything – everything will stay as it is. I think ENO would have been ideally placed in Kent because the north is too far away."