December 2009 M34 comment 17 comment & debate Changes ahead Jeremy Fabinyi on safeguarding the future of music As we approach the end of the decade we can expect an outburst of retrospectives and future gazing. While there is much to be learnt from the mistakes and successes of the last 10 years, I am going to resist the temptation to look back. Equally, I am reluctant to peer too deeply into the crystal ball. One thing I can say with some certainty is that music will continue to be an incredibly important part of our cultural life. More people than ever before are enjoying music. The problem is that the value of it has dropped. With Music and, most recently, MySpace Music in the UK (see announcement p.11). The online market seems to be starting to blossom, as web-based music providers develop sustainable business models. These licensed services must still compete with the unfettered access to free music provided through illegal peerto-peer networking. Though the Government has now demonstrated a willingness to address this issue, and though we are supportive of the proposed Digital Economy Bill because it sends a positive signal we need to look for common ground within the music industry At PRS for Music we are very proud of what we do to sustain the creators of music by providing a source of income to allow them to keep on creating, and to allow publishers to keep investing in talent. But our task is not an easy one. We know that if we are to continue to deliver real value for our members, we must ensure that we have the drive and flexibility to deal with anything that a continually changing world may throw at us. We have been leading the way in doing deals with YouTube, Spotify, Nokia Comes to investors in legal services, it would be naïve to think that it is the complete solution. One of the key problems is that the culture of expecting music to be free has been inculcated into a new generation. We need to look for common ground within the music industry. At PRS for Music we sit at the heart of the industry and work with all its constituent parts: writers, composers, publishers, recording artists, record labels, managers, promoters, the Musicians Union, online service providers and other collecting societies. There are many opportunities for us to work in all these areas and PRS for Music wants to continue to work with all partner organisations to achieve shared goals. We work closely with UK Music, as well as our own Public Affairs programme, making sure our members are represented to UK and European political institutions on all key issues. By way of an example, on the day the Digital Economy Bill had its first reading in the House of Lords, PRS for Music hosted a networking event at the Palace of Westminster to reinforce support among politicians towards protecting the value of copyright, and where members of MP4, the world's only Parliamentary rock band, performed. A priority for us will be working with the new European Commission due next year. The debate on copyright in the digital internal market is already set as a priority for the European Commission by President Barroso. The European Parliament is also separately discussing the copyright agenda and focussing closely on regulation of collective rights management. We are very aware of the substantial agenda for change emanating from Brussels and Strasbourg, from the angle of the consumer as well as the creator. In the coming months and years, we will be focusing on making pan-European licensing a reality for all composers and publishers, through existing models and through cooperation between different parts of the industry in order to develop licensing platforms and online works information resources ­ initiatives we supported in the Online Commerce Roundtable (see Debbie Stones' column p19). We also need to prepare for a fast-changing future by questioning the way we currently do things. `That's the way it's always been done,' is no longer good enough. We're in the process of reviewing our internal processes for getting money in and royalties out ­ increasing revenue for creators but with an eye on costs ­ as well as completing our review of bilateral agreements with affiliated European societies. So despite the future being difficult to predict, the pace of change we've experienced and continue to experience demonstrates how important it is for us to accept change, to adapt, to be flexible and to work together to protect creators' rights. By doing this PRS for Music will be ready for whatever the next decade might bring. Jeremy Fabinyi is Acting Chief Executive of PRS for Music comment Final.indd 17 7/12/09 14:51:10