Philip Pope

Proposed for appointment by: David Arnold, BMG Rights Management (UK) Limited, Bucks Music Group Limited, Michelle Escoffery, Paul Farrer, Peter Gabriel, Howard Goodall, Tom Gray, Crispin Hunt, Debbie Wiseman OBE

Biography

Philip Pope is a composer and songwriter currently working in the UK with a diverse list of credits. During his long and varied career, he has written music for film, television, radio and theatre.

He started in Radio Active (BBCRadio4) with Angus Deayton. His writing partnership with Richard Curtis (Meaningless Songs) led to the formation of iconic parody band The HeeBee GeeBees. He worked with producer John Lloyd on Not The Nine O’Clock News & ITV’s Spitting Image (MD), and cowrote the No 1 hit The Chicken Song.

Philip has also written for Fry and Laurie, Lenny Henry, Ben Elton and Dame Edna Everage. As MD for The Fast Show he was responsible for the classic Jazz Club - Nice! During his long working partnership with Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse Philip composed music for BBC’s Harry and Paul, and the film Kevin and Perry Go Large.

Other film credits include: Crazy For A Kiss, Midnight Flight, The Infidel
TV credits: Outnumbered (BBC), Yonderland (Sky), Horrid Henry and Benidorm (ITV)
Documentaries: Horizon (BBC), Deluge (C4).  
Radio: Jam Yesterday by Peter Nicholls, Dirk Gently, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy & Starship Titanic for Radio4.

Philip also composes for the theatre: he has written Ace Cannon a Comedy Sci-Fi musical and A Town Called Rebellion, a play with country songs. Other compositions include choral settings and currently a cabaret show, an album of production music and a film musical.

Philip produced ITV’s From The Heart entertainment special raising awareness about organ donation, and three fundraisers in aid of Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals Charity. He now sits on the PRS Members’ Fund Trustees Board.

• 2019 elected to PRS Members’ Council, re-elected 2022
• 2021 joined PRS for Music Board
• Philip sits on the PRS Licensing, Distribution, Audit and Risk and Nominations committees.

Current and recent directorships: Performing Right Society Limited, PRS for Music Limited and Telling Stories Limited

Members’ Council attendance since last appointment: 12 out of 12 meetings.

Manifesto

The disruptive influences currently seeking to destabilise the established order extend to our own music ecosystem. Now more than ever songwriters and composers need the certainty that our rights are protected and valued, no more so than at PRS. I’ve been privileged to represent you for nearly two terms, and as I stand for re-election to the Members’ Council, I continue working to achieve that goal.

Whether sitting on the Licensing, Distribution or Audit and Risk Committees, or the AI Working Group, my every contribution is informed by a will to do what’s in the best interests of the Society and my fellow members. We face challenges presented by streaming and now generative-AI and I’m committed to working with writer and publisher colleagues, holding PRS management to account when necessary, to deliver the best deals possible from our licensees and maximising your distributions.

As a PRS for Music Board director I’m involved in shaping the running of the society’s business: overseeing investment in cutting-edge technology to modernise our systems, providing digital tools to improve your member experience and reducing commission rates to put more money in your pocket. As a company we’ve achieved the goals set out in our 5-year plan ahead of time, yet I haven’t lost sight that ultimately it’s all about the needs of each individual member, whatever their background or genre.

There’s still much to do, we must: harness computing power, including AI, to drive further efficiencies, reduce use of analogies and manual processing, increase accuracy in public performance, while using our trusted voice to lobby government about the threat of generative-AI on human creators.

Having never missed a meeting, I’m working hard to fight for writers in these unsettling times. With your vote I’ll use the experience I’ve gained to strive for greater value for your music.

IMPORTANT: Publication of this statement, or any subsequent communication of it, does not constitute endorsement or the promotion of the candidate by the Society, or any member of its management or staff.

The statement has been written by the candidate and has not been altered in any way. The views and/or opinions expressed are the candidate’s own.