02 September 2014
Newsdesk
The BPI, the body which represents the British record labels, today held its AGM alongside its Annual Conference for Members (ACM) at the ME London hotel on the Strand.
Keynote speeches were delivered by The Rt. Hon Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sports, and by the BBC’s Head of Music and Controller of Radio 2 and 6 Music, Bob Shennan.
Music-News.com was present to hear the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sports make a stand against copyright theft. "Without enforceable copyright there would be no A&R, no recording studios, no producers, no session musicians, no publicity, no artwork."
The Rt. Hon Sajid Javid MP said "Copyright infringement is theft, pure and simple... We’ve given £2.5 million to support the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, PIPCU. You can expect to hear more from me on this in the coming months."
In a stand against copyright theft and identifying search engines in particular he continued "Copyright crooks don’t love music. They love money, and they’ve been attracted to the industry solely by its potential to make them rich. Take away their profits and you take away their reason for being."
"Search engines also have to play their part. They must step up and show willing. That’s why Vince Cable and I have written to Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, asking them to work with you to stop search results sending people to illegal sites.
And let me be perfectly clear: if we don’t see real progress, we will be looking at a legislative approach."
BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor, said: “It is encouraging that in Sajid Javid we have a Secretary of State who clearly values the vital contribution that British music – artists and labels – makes to this country’s economy and to our profile overseas.
