June 12, 2017

BPI says that the General Election result “creates a political landscape that is considerably more complex.” In the BPI’s view, if the Conservative party forms a government it will “be under some Parliamentary pressure to adopt a more nuanced position in the Brexit negotiations, which many in business will welcome.” However, the BPI says, greater uncertainty over an extended period, with the possibility of a further election before the full Parliamentary term, is “unlikely to be helpful.”

In terms of music, the BPI says that its two main goals for the incoming government are simple: to “make the UK the most attractive place in the world to invest in music, and to support our industry internationally as it looks to keep growing British music exports.” Whatever form the new government takes, the BPI says that, as a priority, it should “immediately support the EU Commission proposals to require UGC platforms to pay fairly for the music they use to build their businesses.”

Further, in order to ensure future growth of the UK creative economy, the new government should “require online intermediaries to take more responsibility to prevent users accessing harmful or illegal content.” Moreover, any new administration should “encourage more investment into the UK”. The BPI also calls for the creative tax credits that film, TV and games have benefitted from to be extended to the recorded music sector.

The BPI says that “British music punches above its weight on the world stage”, but, as streaming increasingly promotes a global market, “our artists and labels face stronger competition than ever from overseas.” The Government must “make creative businesses a priority” and “ensure a Brexit deal that benefits creative businesses like music” by making sure that UK artists can tour freely in EU markets and that UK businesses can access the best talent. “The UK should also take the opportunity to boost exports by promoting strong IP protection”, the BPI concludes. To read the BPI statement, click here.