The Featured Artists Coalition and Musicians' Union have published an open letter to the government and the U.K.’s live music industry to call for support for artists and not just venues in the ongoing conversation about issues facing the grassroots touring sector.

The two orgs have renewed calls for a blanket £1 ticket levy to be applied to arena and stadium events to support grassroots live music, which would be accessible to venues, artists and promoters. The idea was first recommended in May by a Culture Committee report, which said it should be introduced, on a voluntary basis, by September 2024.

The letter reads, “In recent years, our members have been hit hard by disruption in the live music market. COVID-19, Brexit and the increased cost of US visas have presented a perfect storm of challenges. Additionally, domestic touring has become extremely challenging, as the cost of living crisis bites both in respect of audience affordability and devastating increases in costs. As made clear by the work of bodies such as Music Venue Trust, grassroots venues have faced a challenging economic environment. Our organizations recognized that challenge and support the measures and funds that have been implemented to ensure that venues are viable during an acute period of pressure. However, just supporting venues in itself will not save grassroots music."

Referencing the support offered to Music Venue Trust by artists such as Sam Fender and Coldplay, who’ve both pledged a portion of ticket revenues to the org, the letter continues, “While it is remarkable that some artists have voluntarily come forward to offer individual support, this burden should not be placed at the door of individual, British artists on an 'opt in' basis. [A] blanket approach will ensure a level playing field for U.K. artists and that the whole of the live sector shares the cost of investing in the future of live music in the U.K.”

The letter also raises concerns about the industry’s ability to enact a levy voluntarily, saying, “In its absence, donations made by arena-level artists won't necessarily lead to direct funding opportunities for artists performing at grassroots level. Therefore, we believe that the government should retain the option to intervene and implement a statutory levy.”

Artists and fans are being encouraged to show their support for the open letter by signing this petition.

Daniel Lang has been promoted to SVP, Global Society Relations and Digital Rights at Warner Chappell Music. He will continue to be based in London and report to Co-Chair/CEO Guy Moot.

The role expands Lang’s remit to include working with U.S. collection societies, as well as continuing to lead on the publisher’s relations with societies around world to help modernize their business practices and ensure Warner Chappell’s writers are paid more quickly and accurately.

Lang will continue to work closely with EVP, Global Digital Natalie Madaj and her team, as well as the publisher’s local territory heads, while also serving as WCM's lead representative in international negotiations with major digital service providers.

“Daniel has done an incredible job of managing digital licensing and society relations over the last few years," said Moot. "It was an experiment to combine these remits and it paid off handsomely. I’m delighted that he’s agreed to take on this expanded global role as I know our writers will continue to benefit from his proactive, collaborative and inventive approach.”

Lang has worked at WCM since 2017 and has held a series of digital licensing roles that strengthened relationships with partners such as Amazon, Deezer, Facebook, Spotify and YouTube. He was appointed VP, International Digital Licensing and Society Relations in 2021.

The U.K. albums market enjoyed a boost on National Album Day this past weekend (10/18-19), with vinyl LP sales rising 17% over the previous week and 42% over the prior Saturday, according to data from the Official Charts Company.

The increase is thanks to around 50 reissues exclusively released to tie in with this year’s theme of Great British Groups.

National Album day titles accounted for one in every five albums bought and just over half of the 40 biggest-selling vinyl titles in the Official Vinyl Chart over the weekend.

Those titles included The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night (Apple Corps), Take That’s Everything Changes (Sony), Suede’s Dog Man Star (Demon Music Group) and self-titled albums by All Saints (Warner Music U.K.) and The Specials (Chrysalis), all of which appeared in the Top 10.

The seventh edition of the annual event is dedicated to celebrating the "art of the album" and encouraging engagement with the format. It’s organized jointly by record label trade body the BPI, and ERA, the U.K.’s digital entertainment and retail association, in partnership with BBC Radio 2, and the wider music industry.

British drum and bass duo Chase & Status and their manager, Sophie Kennard of Frame Artists, will receive the joint award for Artist & Manager Team of the Year at the 11/21 Artist & Manager Awards in London.

The honor is in recognition of the group’s success over the past 12 months, which saw it hit #4 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart with their latest mixtape, 2 Ruff, Vol 1, and achieving their first #1 on the singles chart with “Backbone” featuring Stormzy.

This year, they’ve headlined stages at Creamfields, Boardmasters, TRNSMT and BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend and played their biggest headline show at the 45k capacity Milton Keynes National Bowl. In 2025, Chase & Status will play multiple sold-out U.K. arena dates; their O2 London show is the venue’s fastest-selling from an electronic artist.

Kennard has been instrumental in these successes. She previously ran Chase & Status’ label, MTA Records, before managing the duo via her own company, SK Artists. In 2020, she co-founded Frame with Becci Abbott Black.

“Chase & Status and Sophie Kennard have had a remarkable year," Chief Executive of the Music Managers Forum Annabella Coldrick and Featured Artists Coalition CEO David Martin said. "After almost two decades at the forefront of drum and bass, and with Sophie’s support and expertise, Will and Saul continue to stray from their lane, break fresh ground and champion a new generation of artists.”

The awards have also announced the shortlist for Breakthrough Manager 2024: Dan Jenkins of Raw Power Management (Jordan Adetunji), Jade Busola (Thisizlondon), Jasmine Watts at Circuit Management (Sammy Virji), Lauren Roth de Wolf at Wolves Music Management (Moonchild Sanelly, Africa Express, The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians) and Memz (ZieZie, hazey, prinz, Liilz, fangio, Jomokays).

The shortlist is completed by Oran Barton at Attention Management (Barry Can’t Swim), Thor Sutherland at Way Out Music (Songer, Yxng Dave, Blueboy & dash), Scoop (Darkoo, Taves, BNXN, Tiwa Savage, Rose May Alaba) and Victoria de Juniac of VictoriaBDJ Management (Cian Ducrot, Tommy Lefroy).

British recorded music exports rose to a record high of £775m in 2023, according to BPI analysis. The figure represents year-on-year growth of 7.6%.

It’s the highest level of annual exports since the BPI began its yearly survey of overseas label income in 2000 (£364m) and more than triple the amount recorded a decade ago in 2013 (£243m).

However, the increase of 7.6% is less than half of the growth reported in 2022 (20%). This, says the BPI, reflects intensifying global competition from fast-growing music markets in other parts of the world and demonstrates the need for close collaboration between industry and government to ensure that U.K. artists remain highly visible.

The BPI estimates that U.K. artists now cumulatively account for less than 10% of global audio streams. Their collective share of global music consumption was estimated to be 17% as recently as 2015.

“It is encouraging to see British recorded music continuing to perform strongly on the world stage, but we can and must do even better in the face of fierce global competition as rival markets grow at pace," BPI Chief Executive Jo Twist, said. "If we are to maintain our proud record as a music superpower, U.K. music needs government backing and a supportive policy environment which encourages investment in talent-led growth, and keeps human artistry at the heart of the creative process.”

The Top 100 ranking for the most streamed acts globally last year, according to data by Luminate, includes British acts Adele (pictured), Arctic Monkeys, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles and Lewis Capaldi, as well as icons such as Queen, The Beatles and Elton John.

BPI stats say that the U.K. saw growth in every global region in 2023, led by double-digit increases of 17.3% in Latin America and 11.1% in Africa. North America and Europe remained the biggest regions for U.K. recorded music exports, accounting for almost 80% of the global total.

In the U.S., revenue improved by 8.3% year-on-year due in part to Top 10 hits by Lipa and PinkPantheress and Top 10 albums from Sheeran, Gorillaz and Sam Smith.

Jeff Jones will step down from his role as Chief Exec of The Beatles’ Apple Corps Ltd. after 17 years. Jones, who most recently oversaw the 2023 release of the final Beatles song, “Now and Then,” has spearheaded countless significant initiatives since joining the company in 2007.

They include launching TheBeatles.com and making the British band’s music available digitally for the first time with iTunes. Jones introduced them to a new generation with their own Rock Band game, oversaw Apple Corps’ 18-year partnership with Cirque du Soleil for The Beatles LOVE show and has helped conceive multiple Grammy-winning catalog reissues.

In addition, Jones served as executive producer on the critically acclaimed documentary film The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years, and the three-part Emmy-winning Disney+ series, The Beatles: Get Back. He's an EP on the upcoming Beatles ’64 doc, produced by Martin Scorsese, directed by David Tedesch and due XX.

“The whole Apple Corps family wishes Jeff Jones all the very best and would like to express our sincere gratitude for his invaluable contributions to the company and the legacy of The Beatles," the company said in a statement.

Prior to joinin Apple Corps, Jones worked at Sony/BMG, MCA Records and Columbia. A successor has yet to be announced.

The estate of John Lennon has appointed U.K.-based PRO PPL to collect neighboring rights royalties on all sound recordings where Lennon or Yoko Ono are listed as a performer.

PPL will collect broadcast and public performance royalties in markets where such rights exist for the estate’s interests in Lennon, Ono and The Beatles.

The deal covers Lennon’s 11 solo albums, 23 singles and, as a performer, writer or co-writer, 25 #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. In total, he’s accumulated 23m record sales as a solo artist and three Billboard #1 albums. Ono’s 14 studio albums, eight collaborative LPs and 40 singles, are also included.

“Our team works hard to ensure no stone is left unturned in the collection of neighbouring rights royalties around the world," said PPL CEO Peter Leathem. "It is a privilege to advocate for and collect public performance and broadcast rights globally for such a revered catalog of recorded music.”

A list of the top 10 most played Lennon recordings of the 21st century, compiled by PPL, reveals that “Woman” takes the top spot, receiving 1m more seconds of airplay than “Imagine.”

The track, released in 1980, makes up 24% of Lennon’s total airplay this century, the equivalent of broadcasting the song for six months non-stop. “Imagine" totals 23%, comparable to five and a half months of continuous play.

U.K. music charity Music Support, which aids music industry personnel struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues, experienced a 51% increase in calls to its helpline across the last year.

Results from the survey, which was deployed across the org's Safe Hubs at festivals this summer, were released in conjunction with World Mental Health Day on 10/10.

26% of respondents said they have experienced drug and/or alcohol problems in the last 12 months (up from 19% in 2023), 49% reported experiencing mental health problems (up from 40%) and 21% have had suicidal thoughts (up from 18%).

Music Support CEO Joe Hastings said, “Whilst the increase in demand for our services is a concern, we are also encouraged that stigmas around mental health and problematic substance use are breaking down and people are more willing to reach out for help.”

The charity has directly impacted at least 1,000 people from the U.K. music industry in the last year through its core services. In order to support its ongoing work, which is entirely dependent on external funding, Music Support has launched an awareness campaign at London’s Curzon Soho cinema via the promotional film titled Without You, There is No Music, which was made by BBC Creative.