The Government has said that the music industry must make real
progress by March on implementing a voluntary levy on arena and
stadium concert tickets to support grassroots music, after
the CMS Committee called
for clarity on how long the industry has to take action before
Ministers step in.
The Committee wrote to DCMS
last month to welcome Government backing for a
voluntary levy scheme as recommended by the previous committee
in the last parliament, but called for a clear deadline for
the industry to act.
In the response to the
Committee's letter published today, Creative Industries
Minister Sir says that the Government wants
to see ‘tangible progress' by the first quarter of next year to
meet the timeline of a levy coming in as soon as possible for
concerts in 2025. He also announced that he will hold a
ministerial roundtable before Christmas with live music
representatives to drive progress.
The Committee itself will be holding a hearing with the sector in
the middle of next year should no significant progress on a
voluntary levy be made.
Chair of the CMS Committee, Dame MP, said:
“This welcome push from the Government in response to the
Committee's concerns should help focus the minds of the big
players in the music industry on the urgency of taking action to
support our grassroots music sector. The ball is now very firmly
in their court and we will continue to keep a very close eye on
progress.”
