Rip it up and start again

Given that politicians - especially those of a Tory persuasion - have been largely deaf to the plight of musicians during the pandemic, the fact that the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has recommended a "complete reset" as regards streaming revenue models comes as a very pleasant surprise. It's testament to the hard work of Tom Gray and all those who have vocally backed the #BrokenRecord campaign, for whom the findings are not at all novel: "It feels like a massive vindication. They've really come to the same conclusions that we've been saying for a very long time."

While there's truth in the argument that streaming has been the industry's saviour in fighting off the threat posed by illegal downloading, musicians who appeared as witnesses before the committee - including those of the stature of Chic's Nile Rodgers and the Mercury-nominated Nadine Shah - made abundantly clear that it is simply not working for everyone, or indeed many artists at all.

Naturally, not everyone is so enthusiastic about the report. If the BPI's plea for caution wasn't already a transparent defence of the status quo, then their insistence that musicians already get a good deal - in the face of the evidence - just underlines it. Meanwhile, Elena Segal of Apple Music had the gall to tell the committee that "it's a narrow-margin business, so it wouldn't actually take that much to upset the so-called apple cart". You suspect that artists might have something to say about narrow margins, and upsetting the apple cart doesn't look like such a bad idea.

Thankfully, it seems as though the campaigners' voices have been heard the loudest. That said, of course, the recommendations - hailed as "revolutionary" by the Musicians Union - don't count for anything unless they're subsequently translated into reality. It's nice to note that our local MP Kevin Brennan is behind a private member's bill that aims to reform copyright laws in musicians' favour so they're more fit for purpose in the digital age. No doubt, however, continual pressure will be needed for politicians to follow through, seize the moment - as Tim Burgess has advocated - and make things actually happen.