Morning, Tuesday, 14th April 2026
Online
This conference will examine priorities for the UK music industry moving forward. Discussion will focus on implementation of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, next steps for AI and copyright regulation, touring and export strategies, and what is needed to establish the conditions necessary to enable sustainable growth.
Delegates will assess approaches to strengthening UK competitiveness - looking at implications for rights holders, performers, and venues - and opportunities for stakeholders in the sector to benefit from boosted creative industries funding. They will also examine latest thinking on the perceived threat posed by AI, alongside emerging approaches to remuneration and revenue distribution, including the outcomes of the Creator Remuneration Working Group and the launch of new label-led agreements on streaming pay for songwriters, session musicians and legacy artists.
AI, copyright & supporting rights holders
The conference will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to consider the way forward for AI and copyright policy and regulation. It comes with the Government-commissioned final report on the use of copyright works in AI system development, alongside its accompanying economic impact assessment - expected to be published prior to this conference.
Delegates will assess what findings may mean in practice for creators and the wider music sector, including implications for income, rights protection and market confidence. Sessions will assess what fair remuneration for rights holders should look like, the scope of transparency requirements in text and data mining models, and options such as collective licensing as a route to workable implementation. The interaction of these approaches with emerging industry-led arrangements and existing licensing frameworks will be considered, and where further clarity may be needed to support confidence, compliance and innovation across the sector.
Discussion will further examine expected next steps under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, focusing on approaches to lawful and compensated access to music and creative work in practice. This will include consideration of the design and intended operation of the proposed Creative Content Exchange, its functioning alongside existing market arrangements, and what further regulatory guidance or clarification may be needed to support consistent and effective implementation.
Latest thinking is also expected on innovation and deployment of creative technologies, looking at key issues and ethical principles for the use of CreaTech and integrating generative AI into workflows, alongside implications for employment, talent pipelines, skills and training, and the future of professional practice in this area.
Regional growth & innovation
There will also be a focus on ways forward for the UK music industry in implementing the Creative Industries Sector Plan, with discussion on the allocation of investment commitments to skills, innovation and regional development, as well as metrics for benchmarking effectiveness.
Delegates will consider the role of the Creative Places Growth Fund in encouraging growth and innovation within the sector, and ways forward for the six Mayoral Strategic Authorities in allocating funding to support regional creative clusters. With government consulting on the green paper for the BBC’s Charter Review, sessions will further consider how the public service broadcasting ecosystem can continue to support the sector, including the role of PSBs in talent discovery, regional growth, and operation of live events.
Touring, venues & international agreements
Sustainability of the live ecosystem will be a further focus for the conference, including what is needed to address pressures facing grassroots venues and consideration of the influence of factors such as VAT, business rates, and insurance costs on financial viability.
Approaches to supporting emerging artists and grassroots venues will be considered, including the potential impact of the targeted £30m Music Growth Package, and further options for supporting touring, mentoring and export activity. Delivery under UKRI’s Creative Industries Strategy for R&I to support growth within the music industry will also be discussed.
Sessions will also assess priorities for the Cultural Exchange Coalition in tackling barriers to touring post-Brexit, including progress on ongoing UK-EU cooperation efforts aimed at strengthening travel and cultural exchange following the 2025 reset framework. Approaches to improving collaboration between UK institutions and international partners will also be explored, alongside examples of effective practice in promoting UK cultural efforts. Areas for discussion include practical and regulatory issues affecting international touring and export growth, including potential agreement on mobility arrangements, ways forward for addressing administrative barriers, and the role of trade missions and export funding under the UK’s Trade Strategy.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Business and Trade; Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; Intellectual Property Office; and the Welsh Government.
