Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has confirmed he is to stand for election to the Musicians' Union's governing body telling The Stage he wanted to "fight politically for people in bands". Rowntree has been a long critic of the BPI, who he claims uses artists to front their campaigns but are actually only interested in the concerns of the record labels. In fact his motivation to stand for the union came about when the BPI send a letter to record companies looking for artists to front its lobbying efforts on recent European Union copyright legislation. He continued: "The BPI doesn't represent people in bands. It works with and is entirely controlled by record companies and quite often their interests are at odds with bands'."
As the music piracy debate has rolled on a number of industry insiders have questioned just how much the record labels are really defending the interests of their artists. The MU’s role in this area has been rather low key, some claiming infighting has prevented the union taking a real stand for its members. Some hope Rowntree’s involvement may help it gain a more proactive role in the discussions about internet piracy and other issues.
Elections to the 21-member MU executive start on 18 October and results of the postal ballot will be made known on 11 November. If elected, Rowntree will be representing one of the union's London branches on the executive.
Responding to Rowntree’s comments a BPI spokesperson told the BBC: "The BPI does represent record companies - but they have to look after their artists and represent their interests."