BPI leaders call on UK Government to protect IP and support music industry ecosystem at Labour Party Conference

 

At this year’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, leaders from across the music and wider creative industries came together to discuss the impact of British creativity on the global stage, the importance of protecting intellectual property (IP) in driving investment and innovation into the UK’s £125bn-per-year creative industries, and the continued need for government support.

 

BPI leaders Dr Jo Twist OBE (Chief Executive Officer) and Sophie Jones (Chief Strategy Officer) participated in packed panel discussions, with a clear message throughout: the UK government should protect IP and explore how best to support a positive business environment for the music and wider creative industries, in order to capitalise on British creativity’s enormous economic and cultural growth potential.

 

BPI CEO Dr Jo Twist OBE joined a flagship panel discussing British Creativity on the Global Stage, with colleagues from the Motion Picture Association (Emilie Anthonis) and Publishers Association (Caroline Cummins) as well as Baroness Dinah Caine to explore the challenges and opportunities facing the UK’s creative sectors.

 

In a wide-ranging session chaired by Total Politics’ Mark Wallace, Dr Twist welcomed the inclusion of music as a significant sub-sector in the Government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan, calling the focus on investment, innovation and talent announced as part of the Plan “the right priorities for Government, and the right priorities for our members.” (…) “A dedicated sector plan like this is important,” said Dr Twist, “to ensure the music industry can continue to play a role in delivering growth and ensuring that the UK remains a global hub for creativity.”

 

Dr Twist called on the Government to remain steadfast in its support of the UK’s gold-standard IP framework, which “turns music consumption around the world into revenue for artists, businesses and the economy”, and also stressed that supporting creative businesses as well as creators was vital to the music industry’s continued growth:

 

“Too often in policymaking, the ‘industries’ side of the creative industries can be forgotten. Between 2020 and 2024, UK label businesses invested over £2 billion in artist A&R and marketing – an investment which has helped the UK cultivate global music stars. As well as directly supporting creators, it’s critical that the Government also supports the businesses and industry investment underpinning the UK’s musical success if we are to see British creativity continue to thrive.”

 

Meanwhile, BPI Chief Strategy Officer Sophie Jones joined a panel in the Cultural and Creative Pavilion on IP in the Age of Gen AI: Rights, Revenues & Responsibilities, alongside the Premier League’s Max Chambers, the Publishers Association’s Mandy Hill, DACS’ Reema Selhi and Samantha Niblett MP. Over the course of a 90-minute session, Jones reiterated that “copyright is what turns creativity into investment; undermining it risks the UK’s world-leading position.”

 

Calling on the Government to encourage and stimulate a dynamic licensing market for intellectual property, rather than a previously-proposed ‘opt-out’ system for AI training, Jones pointed to the number of positive steps already being taken by British music businesses to develop robust licensing frameworks which would enable creative and AI businesses to flourish in tandem. “It’s clear that licensing works in music -the challenge lies in identifying scalable technical solutions which can be universally applied. Creators and rights-holders alike must have a seat at the table in ongoing discussions around IP, and we must ensure that AI training does not come at the cost of Britain’s world-class creativity.”

 

Elsewhere at the conference, the BPI also hosted its highly-popular silent disco which is a celebration of British music. In association with Total Politics, the event featured playlists from a host of well-known political faces including Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy MP, Deputy Leadership Candidate and Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Government Steve Reed MP, and Lucy Powell MP, who is also standing to be Deputy Leader. Links to each participant’s playlist can be found below: