Live Music Industry: Support

Debate between Baroness Twycross and Lord Brennan of Canton

Monday 23rd June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Brennan of Canton (Lab)]

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and draw noble Lords’ attention to my entry in the register.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Twycross) (Lab)]

The Government engage regularly with the live music sector on our shared goal of a sustainable grass-roots music ecosystem and to maximise opportunities for growth. Today we have published our Creative Industries Sector Plan as part of the industrial strategy, including up to £30 million for music. Ministers have recently convened two round tables with the live music industry to drive progress on the industry-led ticket levy, in addition to a round table on improving ticket resale and combating touts.

[Lord Brennan of Canton (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for that Answer. This week, 200,000 people will gather at the world’s greatest live music event, but Glastonbury is simply the apex of the great pyramid of the UK’s live and electronic music sector, which generates over £6 billion for our economy and brings immeasurable pleasure to millions. The base of that pyramid is in danger of crumbling without due care and attention, so the Commons Culture Committee has asked me to head a fan-led review of live music in the coming months. Will my noble friend the Minister commit our Government to engaging seriously with the findings of that review and doing their bit to support our world-beating live music sector?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I cannot think of anyone better than my noble friend to carry out this work. We welcome the launch of Parliament’s fan-led review of the live music industry and look forward to considering its findings. From the industry’s own recent fan-led review, we know that fans are deeply invested in supporting live music, particularly local artists and independent venues, but rising financial pressures, dynamic pricing concerns and the closure of beloved venues threaten long-term sustainability. We recognise those same challenges, which is why today, as I mentioned previously, we have announced a major investment to drive growth in the UK music industry.

Artificial Intelligence: Creative Content

Debate between Baroness Twycross and Lord Brennan of Canton

Thursday 15th May 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Brennan of Canton (Lab)]

My Lords, if the Government cannot accept the amendments to the Bill, is it not incumbent upon the Government to give a clear indication that ensuring that transparency is real and available is an absolute priority in the coming months? It is too late if we have to wait for primary legislation some years down the line to enforce copyright by having the correct amount of transparency. What reassurance can the Minister give noble Lords that transparency will be top of the agenda going forward?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

As I made clear to the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, we recognise that transparency is a key element required to improve the situation for creators. We ran a 10-week consultation on the impact of AI on the copyright regime. It received over 11,500 responses, mainly from creators. Our genuine aim is to provide certainty for UK creative and AI sectors. I will not apologise for the Government making sure that we get this right and not wanting to use a Bill that is currently going through Parliament.

UK Newspapers and News Magazines: Foreign Investment

Debate between Baroness Twycross and Lord Brennan of Canton

Thursday 27th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I reassure the noble Lord that it will be very shortly—though how you define “very” in that context is probably open to interpretation. As noble Lords will know, I did go back and press the point, having been told that I could say “very shortly” last time, as to whether that was still the case. On staffing, I do not underestimate how unsettling this would be for staff. I note the noble Lord’s commitment to the Government’s legislation that is being discussed later this afternoon, which is welcome. Staffing is clearly a matter for the paper itself, but we hope that all decisions made in the interim would be in the best interests of both the paper and the staff.

[Lord Brennan of Canton (Lab)]

My Lords, it may come as a surprise to learn that most young people do not get their information from the Daily Telegraph. As we found out recently through TV series and so on, they get a lot of information and misinformation and disinformation online. What steps can we take to ensure that young people have access to accurate information rather than content that fuels division?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I feel strongly that we owe it to young people to ensure they have access to accurate information rather than content that fuels division. On a cross-party basis, we need to make sure that we do not fuel that division in our discourse. Platforms need to act now. As many noble Lords will be aware, since Monday 17 March this year, platforms have been required to proactively address illegal content and behaviour, much of which disproportionately affects women and girls. This includes harassment, sexual exploitation, stalking, controlling or coercive behaviour, extreme pornography and intimate-image abuse, all of which are matters of concern across your Lordships’ House. This is a matter that all of us should be concerned about.