With the creative economy, funding and the future of copyright firmly at the heart of the political agenda once again, M spoke to MPs from across the political spectrum to find out what music means to them, both professionally and personally, and how government can play a role in protecting this industry.
The UK music industry is not just about entertainment and cultural value, but economic value as well. Out of all the UK’s creative industries, in fact, it was music that weathered the economic downturn best. With a market that contracted by less than 1% in 2009 (compared to 10% for video and computer games), it’s clear that our music industry is a critical component of the UK creative sector, one of the world’s most successful.
If we want to continue to reap the benefits that music can offer, we need to provide an environment that unlocks the creative potential of future generations, promotes new artists, and protects the work they produce.
The first step is making music accessible to all. The Coalition is promising all schoolchildren the chance to learn a musical instrument. And we are asking publicly funded arts organisation not to downgrade their work reaching out to deprived groups, despite the pressure on their funding, because it is absolutely critical that access to music is not a privilege for the lucky few.
Unfortunately, the current government inherited a financial situation messier than the Reading Festival campsite, which constrains the support it can offer. But we are finding other funding streams and are working on ways to leverage more private money into the arts world. The government also recently increased the proportion of lottery money that goes to the arts, benefiting them by an extra £50m a year. And by changing the way the lottery is taxed, we could find many millions more for music and other cultural activities.
Of course, music is not all about the publicly subsidised arts. Large commercial venues such as the O2 arena are enormously successful in showcasing major talents from Britain and around the world. But most live music happens in much more humble surroundings, such as pubs, clubs and bars. The previous Labour government created a bureaucratic minefield for promoters, performers and fans, and throttled the small-scale live music scene. The coalition government, however, has committed to simplifying the system, so that venue owners can concentrate on using music to pull in punters instead of worrying about regulations. To help small creative businesses of all kinds, not just live music venues, Vince Cable has increased funding for the SME bank loan scheme to £700m. Incidentally, one of the benefits of having Lib Dems in government is that it makes it easier to lobby the Business Secretary and our Cabinet colleagues on the value of the creative industries, something I frequently do.
Many creative firms, especially those whose livelihoods depend on recorded music, find that their biggest challenge is online piracy. It is clear that despite the rise of the web and the ease with which tracks can be copied over it, the concept of intellectual property is fundamental and must be defended. However, the more the industry develops new services and tempts users away from illegal ones, the easier it will be for us to preserve the creator’s right of ownership.
Despite the challenges facing UK industry, this country will always boast a wealth of creativity. I am confident that this creativity, with government’s plans working to support it, will continue to nourish both our country’s spirit and its economy – nowhere more so than music.
The music we love draws a picture of our soul. This is the real value of music. Perhaps that opening sounds like a candidate for Private Eye’s ‘Pseuds Corner’. But I think it’s true. Human beings have made music since the very first beginnings of their development. Humanity without music is like humanity without language: unimaginable. Music is our identity, our emotions, our community, our collective expression of just how life is.
So, the question is: what role does Government have to play? Shouldn’t politicians keep out? Do artists want, as Tessa Jowell described when Culture Secretary, merely money and silence from politicians? Perhaps this would be better that politicians intervening in the creative process.
And yet, music is political. There are two ways in which it is: in relation to access, and in relation to the economy. The value of music is such that governments and politicians cannot stand back.
Children begin life with inherent equality of access to music. Most parents, rich or poor or middle, instinctively sing to their children. But after a few years of school, differential access can emerge. Who has the funds for instruments, teachers, extra-curricular activities, money for tickets and money for teachers, by and large is what determines who has access to music.
Growing up in Merseyside, I remember people used to say that there were two roads out of Liverpool: sport or music. And, for some with low incomes and musical talent, their ability is discovered and they achieve success. But for the vast majority of those without surplus cash for funding music lessons or to buying tickets, access to music is limited by means. And as a politician, I believe that music is too important to leave learning about it to chance. I have known the fear, trepidation and joy of singing to an audience and how that changes you. All children need that.
This is why Labour in power lead new programmes to redress the balance of access to music. We launched the £40m Sing Up scheme, a national singing programme which has been used by nearly 90% of state primary schools; the Find Your Talent programme, offering children and young people regular access to high-quality arts and culture; funding for schemes run by Youth Music to help young people gain respect and raise their aspirations.
Secondly, when it comes to industries, the Brits are world-beaters in the musical sphere. And this is where politicians can help. We can’t inspire the creativity that drives a million record sales, but we can legislate to make sure that the intellectual property is respected, the value realised and the taxes paid. It’s better for all of us that we do, whatever the internet pirates say.
And we can respect the contribution that musicians play in regenerating towns and cities. We can understand and protect the need for rehearsal space, small and medium size live venues, and build creative business incubators alongside places for global corporates. The very best cities are awake with live music, and any local councillor must understand this before taking a licensing or planning decision.
The value of music runs through our lives, shaping us and reflecting back at us who we are. It’s not for a politician to prescribe the notes, but to keep the UK in tune with the needs of musicians and all of us who love to listen.
I was elected as the new Member of Parliament for Hove & Portslade in May. My maiden speech allowed me to champion my constituency as well as to tell the House a little about myself. As an ardent heavy metal fan, one thing I did was ask the Speaker how I could arrange to make good on a pledge to wear my Iron Maiden T-shirt in the House. The November edition of Metal Hammer featured me delivering on this pledge.
I am often asked whether or not there is a conflict between musical preference and political stance. Of course there is no conflict – a passion for any musical genre cuts across political lines – and indeed national boundaries. I would expect those attending any type of concert to be broadly in line with the typical mix of political voting preferences. Yet music – in particular metal – is one big club. If I were to meet the president of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev (whom I understand to be a Deep Purple fan), I am sure we would spend the first 30 minutes talking music and maybe even go to a rock bar for a beer after discussions!
Most people would agree though that music awards are a brilliant forum for recognising the extraordinary talent of artists. The scale varies enormously – I attended the MTV European Music Awards 2010 in Madrid earlier this month – and at the other end of the scale I have been organising a slightly smaller one. Music, intellectual property and the creative industries generally are all very important to me, and so ‘Rock the House’ is to have its first award ceremony, raising awareness of all of these issues, in the summer of 2011.
Intellectual property is an issue of paramount importance to the music industry, and with a background in film licensing (I was Vice President (Europe) for the Motion Picture Licensing Company before I was elected MP) I understand the importance and material reward that artists deserve. Frustratingly, the law and industry generally have been slow to meet the challenges presented by the uncontrolled availability of music on the internet. However, the Government does take the interests of rights holders seriously and I am working with organisations such as PRS for Music to ensure that they get greater credit and protection.
Read PRS for Music Chief Executive Robert Ashcroft's views on the intellectual copyright debate here.
