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Digital Top Stories
Music industry welcomes Digital Economy Act
By CMU Editorial | Published on Friday 9 April 2010
Anyway, back to the plethora of official statements. And, needless to say, the key trade bodies of the music industry, who have all been lobbying heavily in favour of three-strikes for years, welcomed the news that the Commons, Lords and Queen Liz herself had all passed the DEB.
UK Music chief Feargal Sharkey said: “UK Music welcomes the creation of the Digital Economy Act. Firm foundations are now in place on which to develop the UK’s digital economy. The UK’s music industry has no urge to look backwards and, as we have consistently stressed, legislation is not a means to an end. It is a spur to action. We acknowledge that the real work begins now – both in terms of developing a code of practice with industry partners and Ofcom, cooperating with internet service providers, and by opening up even more legitimate ways for fans to enjoy the music and creativity that they love. As outlined in Liberating Creativity, UK Music’s manifesto for the commercial music sector, we have ambitions to be a world leader by 2020. To realise this goal it is clear that we must meet these challenges and proactively embrace our digital future in the weeks, months and years ahead”.
BPI chief Geoff Taylor added: “The Act’s measures to reduce illegal downloading will spur on investment in new music and innovation in legal business models. An internet that rewards taking creative risks will mean more British bands enjoying global success, more choice in how to access music online, and more jobs in our fast-growing creative sector. These measures will not eliminate all piracy, but they will go a long way towards reducing illegal freeloading and will help to build a more sustainable ecosystem for content on the internet”
He continued: “We are acutely aware that music fans are at the heart of our business as it embraces the digital age. Hand-in-hand with the new measures, we will continue to expand the exciting range of legal services that offer vast catalogues of music to stream or download and which reward artists for their work. We will underpin this with industry initiatives, such as the recently launched Music Matters campaign, to raise awareness of these offerings with UK consumers. We will now work diligently with other stakeholders, including ISPs and OfCom, to develop the code of practice that will bring the Act into effect”.
Meanwhile, John Kennedy of the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry, mused: “The passing of the Digital Economy Act in the UK recognises that if a country is to have world-class creative industries, then it also needs laws that will effectively protect their rights from the crippling problem of digital piracy. The new UK legislation is a decisive step towards dealing with P2P and other forms of illegal distribution in a way that can substantially reduce the problem. Most importantly, it recognises that internet service providers have an essential role to play in curbing online piracy and reducing infringements on their networks”.
And finally Christine Payne, who heads up the Creative Coalition Campaign, which brings together various trade bodies and trade unions that represent the wider creative industries, including the Musicians’ Union, told reporters: “Today marks a groundbreaking day for the UK’s creative industries. On behalf of the businesses and trade unions represented by the Creative Coalition Campaign, we want to thank members of both Houses for voting to support our sector against the damaging effects of online piracy. For too long, this illegal activity has been threatening the livelihoods of thousands of workers throughout our sector”.
She continued: “Looking to the future, we now face the challenge of ensuring that the system outlined in the Bill functions properly in order to allow industry to focus on developing new business models that can flourish without having to compete with illegal file-sharing, downloading and streaming. Only with this protection will the UK’s creative industries be able to continue to invest in the TV programmes, films, books, sporting events and music which are loved by millions across the UK and throughout the world”.
