(Cardiff West) (Lab): I
draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of
Members’ Financial Interests and my membership of the
Musicians’ Union and the Ivors Academy. I also
take this opportunity to announce to the House that I was elected
as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on music earlier
today. I look forward very much to using that platform to
campaign further for our great musicians and music industry...
The Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure (): I thank the hon. Member for
Cardiff West () for securing this debate and
for superbly highlighting the enduring talent and ingenuity of
Britain’s songwriters and composers, the value of their
creativity in and of itself, and the cultural and economic
capital they generate for our nation. I also congratulate him on
his election to be the new chair of the all-party parliamentary
group on music.
I am also grateful to the hon. Gentleman for highlighting the
incredible night on Saturday, when we had the most perfect result
we might have hoped for at Eurovision. I congratulate Sam Ryder
on his performance and on restoring our reputation for Eurovision
mightiness.
If the hon. Gentleman has noticed a modest uptick in his Spotify
stats this week, it is because I researched this debate to the
mournful strums of “The Wrecker of Wick” and “The Clown & The
Cigarette Girl,” two of his great contributions to the British
catalogue of compositions. Should his bandmate, my right hon.
Friend the Member for East Yorkshire ( ), one day retire, I stand ready
to dust off my drumsticks to fill the gap in his magnificent
band, MP3/MP4.
From the Beatles to Kate Bush, and from Ed Sheeran to Sam Ryder,
the work of UK songwriters and composers is a prized national
asset that resonates with audiences all over the world, giving us
tremendous soft power globally. I suspect we will shortly see
that talent showcased at the platinum jubilee concert. Their
skills are vital not only to the music industry but to the
creative industries as a whole, including advertising, film and
television. The hon. Gentleman cited the role of the BBC, and I
recently met its head of pop music to discuss how the BBC
nurtures creative talent.
I also thank the hon. Gentleman for highlighting the importance
of music, musicians and composers to wellbeing during the
pandemic, when many people found solace in music. At this
juncture, I would like to thank an important charity in my
constituency, Singing for the Brain, which does fantastic musical
work with dementia sufferers.
As the hon. Gentleman highlighted, Monday marked the start of
Ivors Week, a celebration of UK songwriters and composers hosted
by the Ivors Academy. I am very excited to attend the Ivor
Novello awards tomorrow alongside the Secretary of State for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. I was pleased to hear about
the Ivors Academy’s new diploma. That ceremony will place a
spotlight on the economic value of music to the UK economy. As UK
Music has calculated, the sector employs more people than the
steel and fishery industries combined. However, it does face
challenges, partly as a result of the pandemic and because of how
technology is changing the economic model in the sector.
The hon. Gentleman has been a powerful voice in this House about
the ways in which the rise of digital technology is bringing
about dramatic changes to the UK music landscape. The advent of
streaming has undoubtedly revolutionised the way in which we
consume and engage with music, but it has also had a profound
impact on the industry. That shift has significantly altered how
creators earn an income, as royalties from streaming largely
replace music sales as the dominant source of that income. That
shift has called into question the business models operated by
platforms. I am aware that campaigns such as #brokenrecord, which
is led by the Ivors Academy and the Musicians’
Union, highlight concerns about the distribution of
streaming royalties. The Government want the UK music industry,
including songwriters and composers, to be able to flourish in
the digital age. In response to concerns raised by his Committee,
the Select Committee on Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in its
inquiry on streaming, we are undertaking a wide-ranging programme
of work to delve into the evidence and find solutions to the
issues highlighted by the inquiry...
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