Standing up for music rights
Representing our members’ interests
PPL is committed to championing the rights of recording rightsholders and performers. Throughout 2023, we continued to engage directly with the government and work with industry organisations such as UK Music and the British Copyright Council on relevant legal, political and regulatory issues.
The use of artificial intelligence within music
Through our membership of UK Music, we continued to support the broader industry lobbying activities on the topic of artificial intelligence (AI). Having supported the industry’s opposition to the government’s proposal for a new copyright exception for text and data mining, we were pleased to see this proposal withdrawn early in 2023. The government instead committed to develop a code of practice on copyright and AI and we inputted via UK Music to the various roundtable discussions that were subsequently hosted by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) to progress this initiative. The topic continues to develop at pace, and work has continued into 2024 as we work closely with our industry peers to protect the rights of those who invest in making music, particularly with regards to generative AI.
The music industry is only too ready to embrace the power that can be delivered by artificial intelligence and we’re already seeing some benefits from AI such as improving workflow efficiencies. However, when it comes to generative AI, these tools need to be used with legitimacy, and with respect for the labours of those who have fuelled them. It is critical that the rights of those who invest their time, talent and money into making music are protected. Regulators need to spend less time worrying about AI of the future and focus on the actual harms taking place today. Technology companies need to seek appropriate permissions and pay appropriate value to the creators whose very essence fuels their large language models. Legislators must create an environment where legitimate AI companies can show their compliance with a fair business model. A Fairtrade for AI, if you will.
Continued dialogue on music streaming
PPL has continued to actively contribute to the various working groups formed as part of the government’s ongoing programme of work to address the key issues identified by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’s inquiry into the economics of music streaming. In May 2023, the government published a voluntary UK Industry Agreement on Music Streaming Metadata, which was a direct output from the metadata working group. PPL was confirmed as a signatory on the launch of the agreement, having been an active participant of this working group. PPL also continued to contribute to the work concerning a Voluntary Code of Practice on Transparency in Music Streaming, aiming to establish various standards for the rights and obligations of the parties involved in the licensing of streaming services and the payment of monies generated from those services. The government also formed an Industry Contact Group to keep the music industry updated on all its work in this area, which PPL attended.
Navigating a post-Brexit landscape
We worked to ensure that the interests of PPL’s members were being put forward in the various international trade deals the UK continues to negotiate following Brexit. In both our direct engagement with the government, and as part of contributing to the wider industry submissions, we continued to highlight the value to the UK of seeking to ensure that sound recordings and performances are properly protected by robust copyright laws in other countries. PPL has also continued to support the broader industry call for action to address the adverse impacts of Brexit on touring, such as the challenges of securing work permits and transporting instruments.
Consulting on the Beijing Treaty
We engaged directly with the government on the IPO’s consultation on the Beijing Treaty, which grants certain rights to performers in respect of audiovisual performances. We met with the IPO to discuss the proposed implementation, and filed a formal response on behalf of VPL in November 2023. Given the breadth of audiovisual works covered by the Beijing Treaty, and the range of different types of performers who may perform on them, the spectrum of interested parties extends significantly beyond music industry stakeholders into the wider creative communities.
New General Counsel appointed
In November 2023, Camilla Waite was appointed PPL General Counsel.