SHAPING THE FUTURE OF ENTERTAINMENT

24 February 2015 - Press release

Retailers highlight collaboration within entertainment sector as key to growth

“Non-political” Manifesto offers five point plan to unleash sector’s potential

 

The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), representing the UK’s physical and digital retailers of music, video and games today unveiled a Manifesto for growth, Shaping The Future of Entertainment.

The initiative, driven by ERA members representing every area of entertainment retailing from streaming services to indie retailers, specialists, supermarkets, internet retailers and download stores, calls for a new, more collaborative relationship with creators and content owners to drive growth.

And it outlines a five-point plan to deal with the sector’s most pressing problems:

 

·       Putting Consumers and Creators First;

·       Modernising the sector’s Technology and Working Practices;

·       Simplifying Licensing

·       Promoting Diversity in Retailing and Digital Services;

·       Addressing Retail Sustainability.

The ERA Manifesto reflects the changing face of an entertainment retailing sector in which almost half of revenue is now generated by digital services. 

ERA Chairman Raoul Chatterjee said, “Entertainment retailers are the driving force for innovation in the entertainment industry. Over the past decade they have invested hundreds of millions of pounds in the UK in creating new routes to market for the music, video and games industries. Shaping The Future of Entertainment is an important element in continuing that work.

“With an election imminent, there is no shortage of “manifestos” arguing the case for what Government can do to promote growth. The good news for the entertainment industry is that many of the greatest opportunities are within our own grasp – if the various elements of the industry work together collaboratively.”

The ERA Manifesto was launched today (Tuesday) with representatives from leading entertainment retailers HMV, Amazon, Tesco, Spotify and leading independent Banquet Records, and contributions from leading artist manager Brian Message and the Founder and Chairman of Beggars Group, Martin Mills.

Shaping the Future of Entertainment can be downloaded from www.eraltd.org