In it the DOE outline their vision for music education and how it can be achieved through partnerships with schools, music hubs, and the creative sector. It’s main goal as per the government website is “to enable all children and young people in England to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together and also have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents professionally“. It also notably promises a new £25 million fund to help schools purchase new instruments in order to provide thousands of pupils around the country a gateway into music. This will include adapted instruments for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in an effort to provide equal opportunity for all.

For some this may come too little too late, after all it’s only a year and a half since the government released a campaign of posters around London and the rest of the UK suggesting people in the arts should retrain due to the pandemic. Causing much outrage at the time and further distancing themselves from an artistic community that already largely loathed them, Rishi Sunak didn’t do the government any more favours when he continued to hammer home the message on ITV news. When asked whether arts workers should simply try and find another job in a different sector, Sunak said: “I can’t pretend that everyone can do exactly the same job that they were doing at the beginning of this crisis“, before going on to say that everyone will have to “find ways to adapt and adjust to the new reality“.

@BreesAnna @SueC00K a concert pianist friend had just shared this. An HM Government poster. The government’s blatant plan to destroy the Arts. Last week the Chancellor (I think) was saying that people in the Arts should retrain and get a proper job. How low can they stoop? pic.twitter.com/dqp52s6pyG

— Richard Winzar (@RichardWinzar) October 12, 2020

How widely and effectively this new pledge from the government will help the UK’s music scene is up in the air. It’s hard to ignore the sneaky suspicion that the money might be better spent reviving the hundreds of venues around the country that were forced to close during the pandemic, or rebalancing the wholly inadequate way streaming royalties are paid to artists. Only time will tell, at least there is someone somewhere that cared enough to type up all 83 pages. You can read the plan here.

Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show Javid told BBC News. “I’m pleased to say we will not be going ahead, we shouldn’t be doing things for the sake of it. I’ve never liked the idea of saying to people you must show your papers or something to do what is just an everyday activity, but we were right to properly look at it. We’ve looked at it properly and, whilst we should keep it in reserve as a potential option, I’m pleased to say that we will not be going ahead with plans for vaccine passports.”

If the scheme was to go ahead, members of the public would have been required to show proof that they had received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine in order to gain entry to any clubs and other crowded events. It would seem most are in support of this change of plans.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey described the plan as “divisive, unworkable and expensive,” and said that his party would have opposed them had they gone ahead. Labour had also criticised the plans as “unworkable”.

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) said the plans could have crippled the industry and might have seen nightclubs face discrimination cases. The CEO Michael Kill commenting on the new development stated: “Following an intense political and public campaign by the NTIA, its members and wider industry supporters, we welcome the comments from the health secretary this morning regarding the government’s decision to scrap the planned mandate of COVID passports from the end of September.”

He continued “We hope that businesses will now be able to plan for the future with some degree of certainty, regain confidence from customers and the workforce and start to rebuild a sector that has consistently been at the sharp end of this pandemic.”

Mark Davyd, the CEO of Music Venue Trust, which represents hundreds of grassroots music venues throughout the UK, also shared a statement on the government’s scrapping the vaccine passport scheme.

“The double vaccine certification programme proposed by the government contained a number of challenges around deliverability, practicality, equality and potential discrimination,” Davyd said. “MVT has been describing those problems to Ministers and departments for the last two months, and we therefore welcome the decision to not move forward with this policy.

Davyd concluded his statement that despite not having to need for a vaccine passport “everyone in the live music community to please take a test before attending an event, a personal approach to risk mitigation that is highly effective and makes a real difference to the safety of gigs”.

However, despite the change of heart, the Scottish government announced on Friday (September 10) that from October 1 it will bring in a vaccine passport. Also in Wales, ministers will decide this week if vaccine passports should be used to gain entry to some events.

In an interview published in Music Ally explaining the initiative, Gray said that “This is Covid-19. Live [income] has gone, PRO money is going to dry up shortly. Whatever anger you think there is in the industry now towards streaming, imagine it in six months’ time when the last of the money that’s in touring musicians’ bank accounts has gone, and when their PRS and PPL cheques go through the floor.” His movement prompted the government to start an inquiry into the issue.

In recent days, after a six-month enquiry into the effects of streaming into the music industry, some MPs have agreed that a reset of fees is necessary in order to ensure fairness for musicians. Several studies have shown that The MP Julian Knight has said that “While streaming has brought significant profits to the recorded music industry, the talent behind it – performers, songwriters and composers – are losing out.”

As reported by the BBC, other recommendations made by the study include:

• Musicians and songwriters should be allowed to reclaim the rights to their work from labels after a set period of time.
• Artists should be given the right to adjust their contract if their work is successful beyond the remuneration they received.
• The government should explore ways to ensure songwriters, who receive minimal streaming royalties, can have sustainable careers.
• Curators who make playlists on services like Spotify and Apple Music should adhere to a “code of conduct” to avoid bribes and favouritism.
• The government should require publishers and royalty societies to inform artists about how much money is flowing through the system.

Gray said he was “overjoyed” by the results of the inquiry, and said that “It feels like a massive vindication…they’ve really come to the same conclusions that we’ve been saying for a very long time.”

BREAKING: The 4 steps to lifting lockdown in England.

There will be weeks between each step: 4 weeks to reflect on the data followed by 1 week notice to be given to relevant sectors and the public. pic.twitter.com/7RTql0pV7S

— Daniel Hewitt (@DanielHewittITV) February 22, 2021

Music Venue Trust Mark Davyd has stated the the governments road map plan has given the organisation the go-ahead to begin ‘imagining how we revive live music in grassroots music venues and develop that work into the full return of the domestic music scene.’

From the 17th May, large performances up to a capacity of 1,000 people or half-full (whichever is lower for the venue) will be allowed. This could mean that smaller music venues and theatres will be allowed to put on shows and gigs to small crowds. This follows on from Johnsons discussion last week of having rapid testing for music venues and nightclubs to ensure these parts of the sector can open as they were unable to last year. Out-door venues of 4,000 people will also be allowed, or at hall-full capacity – whichever is lower.

Many in the music industry have called out to the government and Johnson to ensure that the music sector is not forgotten and supported equally throughout the rest of the pandemic. Greg Parmley, the CEO of LIVE has stated “While it is good to get some clarity following almost a year of confusion, as predicted our £4.5 billion industry is at the back of the queue to reopen. Any return to normality for live music could be months behind the rest of the economy. The Chancellor must acknowledge our extended closure in the Budget and provide the economic support needed to ensure the jobs and livelihoods of the hundreds of thousands of people that work in our industry exist as we come through this pandemic.”

This includes extending the current 5% rate VAT on tickets sales, which was discussed to be risen to 20%, financially hurting those in live music extensively. Similarly, David Martin CEO of Featured Artists Coalition agrees with Parmley stating ‘there is some way to go’. Acknowledging a slower approach was correct, Martin said “the government should learn from its “slow response on income support and other financial assistance” last year.”

Smaller festivals such as Maiden Voyage have been 100% confirmed to go ahead by the government. Maiden Voyage have stated that they have been given ‘provisional confirmation from the government that our festival will be going ahead as planned this year.’ 

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However, the roadmap is reliant and based upon England passing four tests. These are the success of the vaccine rollout, the effectiveness of vaccines, how the NHS is coping with the current infection rate and any potential threats from new variants.

Brexit and touring Europe https://t.co/9GJ3N3KwKb

— colingreenwood (@colingreenwood) February 8, 2021

The Incorporated Society for Musicians (ISM) have deducted that 44% of musicians earn up to half of their earnings in the EU/EEA with 43% travelling to the EU over fives times a year. 76% of UK musicians say it’s likely Brexit will stop them performing in Europe. These statistics are worrying for music-fanatics and gig-goers across the continent, halting emerging and exciting artists from touring in their cities.

British music revolves around touring and for emerging artists, Europe proposed opportunities to explore new sounds and work on their craft. Take a look at The Beatles in Hamburg for instance, who played countless gigs in the German seaport for 2 years, perfecting their music to become a global sensation. Acknowledging this important period for the band, Greenwood stated ‘Like Hamburg to the Beatles, Europe was crucial to our growth as a band. It allowed us to see ourselves untethered from our UK roots and to imagine a life in music that could reach audiences everywhere.’

Greenwood’s article follows on many recent iconic artists who are in shock at the touring negotiations for UK musicians. Sir Elton John has openly stated that the current situation is ‘ridiculous’ since ‘music is one of Britain’s greatest cultural exports’. Both Greenwood and John stated how European touring was vital to their growth as musicians and evolving their craft, expressing sadness that emerging artists will be unable to do this.

Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood writes op-ed about post-Brexit touring: “I’m worried for all the brilliant crew who have carried us as a band for nearly 30 years” https://t.co/ikyX3wOpZl pic.twitter.com/OzZu1bRC0W

— Stereogum (@stereogum) February 8, 2021

Greenwood states clearly in his article that this is a ‘tragedy of deferred dreams’ and that his ‘heart sinks at all the new costs and kerfuffle.’ Reporting on the new costs for musicians he says, ‘a £10,000 guitar would need a carnet that would cost about £650 plus VAT. The costs of travel and accommodation are already high, and the extra paperwork and expenses would rise quickly for a touring orchestra.’ Naomi Pohl, deputy general secretary of Musician’s Union confirms the rise in costs for touring British orchestras saying, “When you’re dealing with an orchestra, you’re talking about 70 musicians needing to get a work permit. So it’s a massive issue.”

280,000 musicians and fans have signed the petition to renegotiate the terms of European touring with the EU. Liam Gallagher, Dave Rowntree and Glastonbury co-organiser, Emily Eavis, are among the many that are outraged at the touring fees from EU negotiations. The debate in parliament went ahead today to discuss the terms of renegotiation. Greenwood rounds off his passionate plea for European touring to return with ‘I am proud of my country and all the music it has exchanged with the world, and I am sure that pride is felt across all ages and cultures in the UK.’

Watch Colin Greenwood on Sky News explain the necessities for renegotiation here.

The veteran British artists and knight of the realm made his thoughts very clear about the lack of consideration for musicians in the Brexit negations, saying that ‘The situation we’re now in is ridiculous. Music is one of Britain’s greatest cultural exports. It contributed £5.8bn to the British economy in 2019, but was left out of the Brexit trade negotiations when other industries weren’t.’ Despite all of this the governments response to protests from the industry following the release of the deal’s details has been reluctant at most and seemed mostly to be an attempt at shirking most of the blame to the European side.

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These comments from Elton John come a couple of weeks after he announced in his Instagram profile that he had signed a letter ‘urging the UK government to fulfil its promise to negotiate permit and paperwork-free travel in Europe for British artists, their road crew and equipment.’ The announcement was paired with an image of the singer performing in Verona, Italy in 2019. The biggest concern Sir Elton John has, he says, not for himself who will still be able to perform in Europe, but for the younger emerging artists who do not have the same financially resources which come with a long established career. The singer states that ‘none of this affects me. I’m lucky enough to play big venues and have a huge organisation supporting me. My tours can absorb these costs, and I have people working for me who can sort out the admin.’

The Guardian also reports that Radiohead’s bassist Colin Greenwood has written an article due to be published tomorrow in the paper which further criticises the changes. According to Greenwood, ‘The costs of travel and accommodation are already high, and the extra paperwork and expenses would rise quickly for a touring orchestra.’ If these costs are set to be so high that musicians are worrying about the fate of touring orchestras, then surely bands emerging from grassroots venues and scenes in the UK will have an even tougher time, with European tours already operating on a shoestring budget pre-Brexit.

The situation is mired in confusion and miscommunication and pretty much everyone in the UK music industry is disappointed with how the government has handled their interests in the negotiations. After the announcement of the final Brexit deal which had not mention of visa considerations for musicians, a petition was launched to counter this and the government’s culture minister will have some difficult questions to answer when it is debated in parliament tomorrow.

The hearing will begin at 10am and stream live on parliamentlive.tv, with Parklife co-founder Sacha Lord and Boomtown Communications and Strategy Director Anna Wade appearing to speak along with CEO of UK Music Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, CEO of the AIF Paul Reed and the General Secretary of the AFO Steve Heap.

According to a press release, they will explore the requirements “for UK-based music festivals to survive the impact of Covid-19 and the health and financial barriers to planning festivals in 2021.” Many other festivals and venues have been attempting to find strategies to manage the virus and still hold events, including Glastonbury and Primavera.

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Usually held in South Downs National Park in August, Boomtown posted to their Instagram last week to celebrate the new year, writing, “The dawn of 2021 is a chance to allow real and tangible change to take place; towards a better planet and care for all living things.” This year’s five-day event will run from 11th-15th August. In Parklife’s last Instagram post on 7th December 2020, they explained that they have moved their weekend dates to 11th and 12th September, to allow them time to plan. They assured fans that “a huge lineup is almost ready, that we can’t wait to show you in January. Trust us when we say it’s going to be worth the wait.”

 

 

 

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It is reported in The Guardian Newspaper that Committee chair, MP Julian Knight said that it would inquire as to whether, “The economics of streaming could in future limit the range of artists and music that we’re all able to enjoy today.” He went on to describe the way that music is being promoted for the rising UK talent as a “blunt tool to operate in a creative industry with emerging talent risking failing the first hurdle.”

Streaming has changed the music industry – but do the economics of music streaming work for everyone?

We’re launching an inquiry into the economics of music streaming today and want to hear from you.

Find out more and submit evidence here: https://t.co/tj3lUEVnZ2 pic.twitter.com/7fov9s99of

— Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (@CommonsDCMS) October 15, 2020

The investigation has been launched after the, ‘Keep Music Alive’ campaign was founded by the Musician’s union and Ivors Academy due to insufficient royalties given to creatives and performers in the music industry. The Daily Mail reported that Chief Executive of the Ivors Academy, Graham Davies stated,

“On behalf of all music creators we are delighted that Government will investigate the streaming market so it can work for all parts of the music industry. Most creators cannot make a living from streaming, it simply does not pay enough and millions of pounds each year is not properly allocated due to poor data. Following our campaigning with the Musicians’ Union, performers and creators to Fix Streaming this is an opportunity to create a transparent, fair and equitable approach.”

According to the Ivors Academy, noted by the Daily Mail, the UK brings accumulates over £1 billion a year in revenue and bringing in over 114 billion pounds in revenue for music streams in the last year. Companies such as Spotify pay as littles as £0.002 and 0.0038 per stream. Apple music pays £0.0059.

MP’s are requesting written documents from industry professionals from experts with the music sector, music labels, streaming platforms and artists themselves to address the business tools being used to promote the music and the long term affect these could have on the industry without changes being pursued.

Deezer, a French streaming company is currently the only leading streaming platform which uses a user centric payment system (UCPS) which ensures subscriber’s that revenues go direct to the artists. However, this is a growing platform, which is not currently a dominant feature in the way to download music.

Alexander Holland from Music Ally, a glowing streaming platform told The Guardian, “This can only happen in the context of agreement with our label partners. We cannot unilaterally introduce UCPS.”

The piracy of digital music has spiked since lockdown from the coronavirus in the spring and the government is keen to look at the consequential effect this could have long term for the industry. It will be looking at the EU copyright opposed to the UK equivalent to see if changes can be made to support the industry in these challenging times to protect the industries future.