June 2020
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
***Full-scale policy conference taking place online***
This timely conference will consider key issues for the UK’s music sector.
It is bringing together policy officials with stakeholders at a key point for the music industry - as the UK negotiates trading and regulatory arrangements with the EU, and with social restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 crisis impacting the entire creative economy.
In light of the publication of the Government’s COVID-19 Recovery Strategy, and the appointment of a new Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal and Taskforce, we expect discussion on what approaches policymakers, and the sector itself and its partners, will need to take to recover from the impact of the crisis - and the support that might be required.
It follows the direct cash grants for self-employed individuals that was announced by the Chancellor, and £1.5m in donations from key stakeholders within the music industry to provide financial relief for musicians during this time.
Key areas for discussion:
International agreements and freedom of movement
- Key priorities for trading and regulatory arrangements with the European Union - and wider international relationships; and
- Dealing with the impact on the ability of musicians to tour of restrictions on free movement and additional bureaucracy - and industry proposals for a single EU-wide live music touring visa.
Music exports
- What more can be done to maximise the UK’s music exports and help artists break into new global markets; and
- Options for extending the government-funded Music Export Growth Scheme - which seeks to mitigate the financial risk for independent music companies.
Copyright
- Implications of divergence from the Directive on the UK’s interaction with the European market and other global partners;
- Priorities for future copyright regulation and legislation in the UK; and
- What constitutes a fair value exchange between digital platforms, intellectual property owners and rights-holders, and content creators.
Live and grassroots music
- What will be needed for live music to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic;
- Government plans reduce business rates for music venues, how the plans could be further shaped, and issues for implementation;
- Further strategies for addressing threats from declining revenues, rising rents and operational costs, and licensing and planning pressures on the long-term viability of venues, looking at:
- Financial resilience and income stream diversification,
- Collaboration between councils, music businesses, and residents to develop and support the local night-time economy,
- The relationship with licensing authorities, and
- The needs of nearby residents and delivering consistent implementation and enforcement of the agent of change principle nationally, as part of planning policy.
The talent pipeline
- Arts Council England’s commitments to create more accessible career pathways for those wishing to enter the creative industries; and
- Supporting greater diversity in those entering the sector.
Young people and music
- Increasing the exposure of the young to music following reduced funding and provision of music education in state schools, and the contribution of venues and others in the music industry; and
- Providing opportunities for disadvantaged groups to participate and engage with music outside of the education system.
Developments that are relevant to the discussion:
It takes place with:
The agenda:
- Maintaining growth in the UK music industry - next steps for policy;
- Enforcing music rights in the UK: challenges and opportunities;
- Key issues for the digital marketplace - protecting IP, remuneration for artists and content creators, and implications of divergence from the Copyright Directive;
- Prospects for live music and the UK grassroots scene - options for addressing challenges facing venues, planning and licensing, and touring post-Brexit;
- Assessing key skills and funding requirements for the future, and how they can best be developed;
- Nurturing home-grown talent - widening accessibility and engagement, developing career pathways, and priorities for the National Plan for Music Education; and
- Maximising the sector’s export capabilities - priorities for policy.
Policy officials attending:
Our forums are known for attracting strong interest from policymakers and stakeholders.
It’s certainly the case with this one. Places have been reserved by parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee and officials from DCMS; the Department for Education; the Department for International Trade; the Intellectual Property Office; the Ministry of Defence; The Scottish Government and the Welsh Government.
This is a full-scale conference taking place online***
- full, four-hour programme including comfort breaks - you’ll also get a full recording to refer back to
- information-rich discussion involving key policymakers and stakeholders
- conference materials provided in advance, including speaker biographies
- speakers presenting via webcam, accompanied by slides if they wish, using the Cisco WebEx professional online conference platform (easy for delegates - we’ll provide full details)
- opportunities for live delegate questions and comments with all speakers
- a recording of the addresses, all slides cleared by speakers, and further materials, is made available to all delegates afterwards as a permanent record of the proceedings
- delegates are able to add their own written comments and articles following the conference, to be distributed to all attendees and more widely
- networking too - there will be opportunities for delegates to e-meet and interact - we’ll tell you how!
Full information and guidance on how to take part will be sent to delegates before the conference
