Surely what the music industry needs just now is another quango to state the obvious - there's a real shortage of those - so hurrah for the lovely government who have announced their intention to set up a committee to explore the possibility of creating a feasibility study to assess the need and desire and practicality of founding a music council that could assess the feasibility of assessing the needs and desires of the music world on a long term strategic basis. Do you ever get the feeling we're getting just too cynical round here?
Anyway, James Purnell, Minister for Creative Industries, has revealed plans to set up a feasibility thingy to look into the possibility of setting up a Music Council, which would support the UK music world in much the same way the Film Council supports British movie makers. Speaking at an Institute for Public Policy Research event yesterday, Purnell said: "The music industry is a big player in the national economy - contributing nearly £5bn annually and employing some 130,000 people. The live music industry is worth at least half a billion pounds each year - up by 50% since 1997. It's an important and dynamic industry, but one which is at the sharp end of the challenges of online distribution".
He continued: "Many people in the industry have been impressed by the work of the Film Council and believe there would be value in having a similar organisation for music, to act as a partner for government. This wouldn't be a body handing out public funding to orchestras, for example, but one to help shape policy. Over the last few years, for example, it would have been useful to government and to the industry to have a body that could co-ordinate the response to issues like digital distribution or the future of live music. So today, I can announce that DCMS and the music industry will carry out a feasibility study to examine the case for setting up a music council, how it might operate and how it might be funded".
All of which is great news, for fans of feasibility studies if nothing else. Certainly it is likely to be welcomed by key players in the music industry who have been looking for some time for some kind of formal body through which the music industry can interact with government on a day to day basis. Giving her support for the government's plans, Alison Wenham of the Association Of Independent Music told CMU last night: "AIM has been campaigning for the creation of a music council for the last five years and we are delighted the DCMS is supporting the next stage of its development".