Conference notes:

1. The London Liberal Democrats’ motion “A Fair Deal for Musicians” passed in Feb 2024
2. In 2022 the UK music industry contributed £6.7bn to the UK economy, employed 210,000 people, and generated £4bn in exports.
3. Despite this, nearly half of UK musicians earn under £14,000 (Musicians Census 2023), and grassroots roots venues (GMVs) profit margins average 0.5% (Musicians Venue Trust (MVT) 2022). 
4. In 2023 16% of GMVs were lost: 125 spaces permanently closed to live music.
5. The Agent of Change (AOC) principle was included in policy guidance in 2018, but developers are not always held to account and noise abatement notices are still being issued to longstanding venues (ref Night & Day, Manchester). 
6. The House of Commons DCMS Committee report “Grassroots Music Venues”, April 2024, which recommended:
   1. A voluntary industry levy on large venues to fund GMVs, or failing that for the government to introduce a statutory levy.
   2. A targeted and temporary cut to VAT for GMVs.
   3. Enshrining the AOC principle in statute.
7. The UK’s secondary ticketing market had an estimated £1bn annual worth in 2019, with ticket touts mass-buying tickets to sporting and cultural events and then selling them on at inflated prices.
8. Half of Britons have been priced out of attending live music events in recent years with ticket prices being further inflated by both ‘surge pricing’ and higher transaction charges.
9. Barriers to touring erected by Brexit have impacted 30% of musicians, with lowest earners losing 49% of EU revenue on average.
10. The courts have recognised that musicians have a right to practise at home for 5 hours a day, 3 on Sunday [RBKC v Carrabino (2017)], but councils have not consistently applied these rulings, and musicians often do not have the resources to take legal action.  (ref Fiona Fey and Lewisham Council)
11. Music Education investment is unequal & in decline: 
    1. Since 2011 GCSE participation has fallen by 25%, A-level participation by 50% & Arts hub funding been cut in real-terms by 17%.
    2. Only 15% of state schools pupils received sustained music tuition. The figure is 50% in independent schools.
12. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s previous calls for all children to have the chance to learn a musical instrument at school.

Conference believes:

1. There are many challenges facing the music industry and the failure to address these challenges today will undermine the future of the music industry in the UK. 

Conference reaffirms the Liberal Democrat commitment to:

1. Negotiating free, simple short-term travel for UK artists to perform in the EU, and vice versa, including transport of equipment and sale of merchandise.

Conference calls on Local Councils to:

2. Ensure that the AOC principle is applied in practice, in particular by:
   1. Withholding planning permission for developments next to venues in the absence of enforceable conditions for appropriate soundproofing.
   2. Rigorously enforcing such conditions.
   3. Additionally applying the AOC principle when reviewing noise complaints about venues, even when not a new development.
3. Move towards providing every primary school child two years free small-group instrumental lessons, and a free instrument, following the example of Newham’s “Every Child A Musician” programme.
4. Commit to upholding the common law position on musicians practising at home.

Conference calls on the new government to:

5. Reinvest in Music Education including:
6. Training and recruiting 1000 music teachers.
7. Delivering an Arts pupil premium with funding of at least £90m p/a.
8. Reverse real-terms cuts to Arts Hubs since 2011 with a 17% increase in funding followed by a commitment to annual increases in line with inflation.
9. Implement the following recommendations of the DCMS committee report:  
   1. Imposing the large venue levy if not done voluntarily by September
   2. Reintroducing a VAT cut for GMVs
   3. Enshrining AOC Principles on the statute books
10. Protect fans from being exploited by ticket touts by implementing the Competition and Markets Authority’s recommendations to crack down on illegal ticket resale that include
    1. Prohibiting platforms from allowing sellers to list more tickets for an event than the seller is able to legally procure from the primary market.
    2. Making platforms strictly liable for incorrect information about tickets listed on their websites.
    3. A requirement that all secondary ticketing sites acquire a licence to operate in the UK.
11. Introduce legislation to ban the use of ‘surge pricing’ by ticket platforms
12. Review the use of transaction fees with the aim of placing a cap on the amount that can be added to ticket prices.

NB: AI regulation has been removed from Nationmal policy proposal as that will be covered under future Science & Terchnology Policy.   

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