Free online conference to discuss present and future of the music industry
Famous punk band The Clash may have ‘fought the law’ but leading figures from the music industry will join academics from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to offer alternative advice when they discuss the business and legal ramifications of a post-Covid music world.
The free online conference, open to all on Wednesday 25 August from 2.00pm, will feature UCLan Honorary Fellow and legendary musician Peter Hook along with consultant and director at leading specialist music law firm SSB, Ann Harrison. They will be joined by music industry luminaries Sumit Bothra, Managing Director of ATC Management Europe, and senior music industry executive Silvia Montello. The panel will be hosted by UCLan lecturer, consultant and music industry advisor Tony Rigg.
Commenting on the conference topics Tony said: “The UK music industry was a vibrant, fast-growing and commercially successful sector before the pandemic hit, contributing £5.8bn a year to the UK economy and supporting almost 200,000 jobs. Then Covid-19 impacted profoundly on the consumption of both recorded and live music.
“Today the industry is emerging into a new landscape and we will be discussing recent and new developments, particularly within music law, that affect anyone who makes music or is involved in the business of music. We will consider the very hot topic of music streaming and look at the recent DCMS Committee review which raised concerns with the way the recorded music industry is structured and called for a ‘complete reset of streaming’.”
"When I became a musician in 1976 I did not see how these two, music and the law, would ever have anything in common. I would learn later how much they actually did and sadly I am still learning"
— UCLan Honorary Fellow and legendary musician Peter Hook
The round table discussion will be followed by a look at a new book from Bloomsbury Publishing called The Present and Future of Music Law. This panel will feature a cast of experts from the music industry, legal practice and the world of academia who have contributed to the ground-breaking publication. In the book’s foreword seminal musician Peter Hook said: “When I became a musician in 1976 I did not see how these two, music and the law, would ever have anything in common. I would learn later how much they actually did and sadly I am still learning.”
The book, edited by UCLan Leader in Residence Ann Harrison, who also authored Music: The Business, now in its 8th edition, along with co-founder of UCLan’s MA programme in Music Industry Management Tony Rigg, is available in eBook format, with the hardback format available from 26 August for those who prefer a physical copy.
The free livestream on Youtube starts at 2.00pm on Wednesday 25 August should people wish to comment or ask questions, but will also be available to watch afterwards.
Image credit: Jody Hartley