PRS for Music and Fiona Hyslop MSP host leading music creators at the Scottish Parliament
UK performing right society, PRS for Music last night hosted a reception for its songwriter and composer members and a number of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament.
The event was sponsored by the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop MSP in association with Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, John Scott MSP.
The event provided an important opportunity for some of Scotland’s most successful music creators to discuss the challenges facing the Scottish music industry, including the changing shape of the online market, while also hearing about the Scottish Government’s ambitions to grow Scotland’s creative sectors.
Those among the list of high profile attendees were –
- Kayus Banks and Alloysious Massaquoi, members of Mercury Prize- winning Young Fathers
- Mick Cooke, BAFTA- Award-winning composer and former member of BRIT award winners, Belle and Sebastian
- Stewart Henderson, Managing Director of Chemikal Underground Records and chairperson for the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA)
- Dougie Maclean OBE
- Rab Andrew, Manager of Texas and Primal Scream
The creation of original content is an art-form in itself and I recognise how vitally important it is to protect that intellectual property, safeguarding its use and distribution and ensuring that the value generated by its exploitation is returned direct to the creator.
I commend PRS for their efforts to ensure that everyone better understands the licensing process and the value that copyright brings to the economy. This is particularly important because of new challenges being thrown up by rapid advances in digital technology.
This event provided an important opportunity for songwriters and composers, whose works are so essential to the success of Scotland's music industry, to meet with members of the Scottish Parliament. We hope this is just the beginning of a new dialogue which can help support Scotland's creator community and build on the existing initiatives which the Scottish Government is undertaking to strengthen the creative sector.
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Pictured (L-R)
Carrie MacDonald (Scottish singer-songwriter), John Mottram (PRS for Music’s Head of Public Affairs), John Scott MSP (Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament), Fiona Hyslop MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs), Gary Clark (Scottish songwriter/producer), Stuart Fleming (PRS for Music Membership Development Scotland), Alloysious Massaquoi (Young Fathers), Kayus Bankole (Young Fathers)
About PRS for Music
Here for music since 1914, PRS for Music is a world-leading music collective management organisation representing the rights of more than 175,000 talented songwriters, composers and music publishers. Redefining the global standard for music royalties, PRS for Music ensures songwriters and composers are paid whenever their musical compositions and songs are streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed and played in public.
For 110 years it has grown and protected the rights of the music creator community, paying out royalties with more accuracy, transparency and speed. In 2023, PRS for Music paid out £943.6m in royalties and collected a record £1.08 billion in revenues. prsformusic.com
