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The Council of Music Makers (CMM) has dubbed a government hearing on the impact of AI “profoundly tone-deaf” for giving more input to industry executives than creators.

Monday’s hearing (20 November) was part of a Department For Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) roundtable. Representatives from the music, film, book and photography sectors were invited to comment on the opportunities and challenges AI poses to the creative industries.

In an open letter, CMM said that while it welcomed Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer's acknowledgement that “creatives rightly have concerns – and proposals – about how their work is used by artificial intelligence now and in the future” and her commitment to consider the issues raised, the hearing was “profoundly unbalanced and tone-deaf”.

CMM said it was “hugely concerned” that the roundtable gave one seat to a representative of all creatives across all media but had three seats for executives from major record companies. 

The organisation noted that corporate rightsholders are duty-bound to prioritise the interests of their shareholders.

In a statement, CMM said:” Of course, both corporate rightsholders and music-makers believe that AI companies must respect copyright and other creator rights – on that we are aligned. But corporate rightsholders cannot and do not speak for music-makers, and it cannot be assumed they are making decisions in the interest of music-makers.

“We urge record labels and the technology companies to actively engage with music-makers on AI. And we call on government to ensure that human creators are at the centre of its valuable work to ensure that the opportunities of AI are achieved in a way that benefits everyone.”
 

The UK art market directly supported 45,520 jobs and 7,800 businesses in 2023, the latest annual report from the British Art Market Federation has revealed.
 
Figures in the report estimate that the fiscal contribution made by the UK art market was nearly £1.6bn in 2022. It also suggests that last year, the sector spent an estimated £2.6bn on specialised services and products supporting a further 37,900 jobs in the UK.

Globally, the report indicated that the UK art market retained its position as the second largest international hub for trading art, behind the USA, with aggregate sales in 2022 of £9.7bn. However, market share has declined from 21% in 2016 to 18% in 2022, well below a high point of 34% in 2008.

The report cites the pandemic and the disruption to UK/EU trade generated by Brexit as causing the "deterioration" in the UK’s global position.

Warning that the UK risks "losing the battle to attract worldwide sales at the highest level of values" because of a decline in cross-border trade, the report determined that “London’s significance as an art market hub is not built on sourcing business locally but on the flow of works of art in and out of London", adding “there is strong empirical evidence that imports of art and antiques are highly correlated with the growth of the art market.”

The National Trust has called on government to take action dealing with the risk that rising temperatures and extreme weather pose to the nation’s heritage sites.

In a report published on Monday (20 November) the National Trust called climate change "the single biggest threat" facing the historic homes, land and coastline in its custodianship.

Entitled A climate for change, the report’s findings suggest 70% of its heritage assets will be at “medium or high risk” of climate hazards by 2060.

The conservation charity has proposed introducing a Climate Resilience Act that sets targets to prepare for the risk posed by climate change, saying the issue demanded “urgent and unswerving attention”.

It also wants to see a statutory duty on all public bodies and more funding from government for landowners, heritage organisations and tourism groups to help them adapt and protect their buildings, coastlines and countryside.

Patrick Begg, the outdoors and natural resources director at the National Trust, said: “We’re at a point where we need to raise a flag. We’re living the change. There are some serious, serious impacts happening.”

A government spokesperson told the BBC it had a five-year national adaptation programme to increase the country's resilience to climate change risks, including those posed to heritage sites, coastline and countryside, and is committed to investing billions of pounds in broader climate change adaptation measures.

Students at Oxford Brookes University have launched a petition to save a music course after plans to axe it emerged last week.

The petition, which launched on 17 November and now has around 3,000 signatures, calls for university leaders to reconsider the decision, stating that it will impact both music students and the university's culture.

"We are deeply affected by the recent decision to remove the music course from Oxford Brookes University curriculum," the petition states.

"The music department is more than just an academic division; it is a key element of our university and home to non-music students who participate in societies and music groups. 

"Its removal would mean stripping away opportunities for cultural enrichment, personal growth and community bonding."

The petition adds that arts courses such as music "contribute significantly" to students' mental well-being.

In addition to ending the music course, the university plans to reduce the number of salaried academic staff across several programmes, including English and creative writing.

A statement issued by the English and creative writing team said up to 40% of their staff could go by the end of January.

“As a dedicated team of teachers and writers, we believe the humanities are the beating heart of any university. We get to know our students so well, and they love their courses," the statement said.

“When they graduate, they go out into the world as confident and creative individuals. We have brought great prestige to Oxford Brookes University as leading researchers, ranked the sixth best English and creative writing unit in the whole of the UK for this. 

“We are involved in projects and collaborations that enrich the local community and celebrate the diversity of literature and the arts. All of that is now under threat. This is going to be a very bleak season for all of us across the university whose jobs are now at risk.”

Birmingham Hippodrome has launched a new programme for teachers and educators in the West Midlands in a bid to get more young people in the area engaged with theatre.

Teachers in the scheme will be invited to see live performances at the Hippodrome and attend talks, pre and post-show events and networking events where they can meet and connect with other educators, artists and creatives.

It is hoped that successful applicants will expand their knowledge and be keen to be advocates for the power of theatre for young people.

Zayle-Dawn Wilson, Head of Creative Partnerships at Birmingham Hippodrome, said: “Schools are facing significant challenges in the current climate. 

"In our last benchmarking survey, schools reported over 60% of teachers felt inexperienced in arts education, and over 50% unable to engage young people with the arts. Our vision is to support the education sector by inspiring teachers, to in turn support and inspire their young people.”

Birmingham Hippodrome currently works with 44 primary, secondary and SEN schools and colleges across the region, providing young people with the chance to experience and connect with theatre through the Hippodrome Education Network.

Quaytickets, a venue operator and ticketing services supplier based at The Lowry has renewed its partnership with the technology platform SeatGeek.

In addition, Quaytickets has announced four new clients, including the University of Birmingham, South Lanarkshire Council and The Brindley Theatre, joining the organisation's existing roster, which counts NIMAX Theatres, Nederlander Group and Somerset House, among others.

First partnering in 2019, SeatGeek’s platform allowed Quaytickets clients to directly list and sell tickets through distribution partners such as London Theatre Direct and Ingresso.

“Four years ago, we launched our partnership with SeatGeek in the hopes of bringing best-in-class technology to our venue, The Lowry,” said Rachel Miller, Director of Audiences, Sales and Marketing at The Lowry.

 “We also wanted to share that technology with our Quaytickets clients to maximise ticket sales and audience insights and deliver an industry-leading customer journey. 

“We’ve delivered exceptional results and look forward to launching our new service packages into the arts and cultural sector event ticketing market."

Peter Joyce, Managing Director of EMEA at SeatGeek, added: “From day one, our partners at Quaytickets and The Lowry have remained passionate, driven and curious – working in lockstep with us to solve the question of how ticketing can be better for fans and those working behind the curtain.

“We could not be more excited to continue working with Quaytickets and its clients to elevate the ticketing experience through our innovative back-end technology for the UK's most culturally significant institutions.”
 

Members of the National Trust have rejected the election of five candidates endorsed by the pressure group Restore Trust.

Restore Trust was set up three years ago for members concerned that the Trust’s priorities were being driven by “modish, divisive ideologies”. 

A record turnout of 156,000 members voted in the Trust’s council elections at this year’s AGM held on 11 November.

Members also rejected two resolutions put forward by the Restore Trust.

Following the AGM, Zewditu Gebreyohanes, Director of Restore Trust, announced she was to step down.

Gebreyohanes said she made the decision six months ago and plans to focus on her work as a researcher at the Legatum Institute, a controversial think-tank based in London closely aligned with the Vote Leave Brexit campaign.