Culture, Media and Sport CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by The Live Music Forum

Today sees the launch of The Live Music Forum’s Copyright Campaign. A copy of the Campaign launch statement is enclosed or you can view it online at www.livemusicforum.co.uk/copyrightcampaignstatement.html

The Hooper Report seems to satisfy many of the requirements of the music industry but we feel it offers nothing to the thousands of musicians who may never get near the charts but whose songs are popular in their own area and contribute in their small way to the copyright licensing revenue.

For example, the collection of data on track play by DJs is virtually non existent in small clubs. Small local clubs are the best type of venue where an unknown band can hope to get its track played or requested, but the revenue collected for those performances is aggregated and paid out to more successful artists who have generated radio play.

Other problems faced by small businesses struggling to survive are the seemingly excessive fees demanded by PRS and PPL. We have an example of a pub that pays £1,200 to PRS and £230 per year to PPL. But the venue only opens evenings on weekdays and considers 50–70 people attending a live music gig a good turnout. These amounts for copyright licensing in a small live music venue seem way too high to be considered reasonable.

Our Copyright Campaign sets out four main demands:

A single license to cover all live and recorded music copyright.

A fairer system of distribution which includes plays of local artists on local radio stations and in local clubs, venues and festivals, then directs payments to the artists.

A lower rate of copyright licensing fees for live music venues presenting live music 100 times a year or less, to an average audience of a hundred or less.

A system of regulation on copyright collection organisations.

The Live Music Forum speaks for people at the hard end of the music business, of whom there are many, and we hope that you will concur with our points and support our campaign.

December 2012