The
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the
British record industry's
trade
association. Its membership comprises hundreds of music
companies including all four 'major' record companies (
Warner Music Group,
EMI,
Sony Music
Entertainment, and
Universal
Music Group), associate members such as manufacturers and
distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies
representing literally thousands of labels.It has represented the
interests of British record companies since being formally
incorporated in 1973 when the principal aim was to fight
copyright infringement.
It founded the annual
BRIT Awards for
the British music industry, as well as the
Mercury Prize for the Album of the Year. In
September 2008, BPI became one of the founding members of
UK Music, an umbrella organisation representing the
interests of all parts of the industry.
The BRIT Trust
The charitable arm of the BPI, the trust was conceived in 1989 by a
collection of leading music industry individuals with a mission to
give young people a chance to express their musical creativity
regardless of race, class, sex or ability. The BRIT Trust is the
only music charity actively supporting all types of education
across the entire spectrum of music.
Through the projects
it supports, which include Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and The
BRIT
School
, the Trust offers young people the opportunity to
enhance their lives through music.
The BRIT School
Opened in
September 1991, The BRIT
School is a joint venture between and The BRIT Trust and
the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). Based at
Selhurst in Croydon, the school is the only non fee-paying
performing arts school in the UK. It teaches 750 students each year
from 14–19 years in music, dance, drama, musical theatre,
production, media and art & design. Students are from
completely diverse backgrounds and are not required to stick to
their own discipline; dancers learn songwriting, pianists can learn
photography. Nor do students have to work/perform in the evening to
pay for the tuition; all they have to do is show their
determination to succeed in the competitive creative
industries.
What it does - BPI work
The BPI divide their work into three areas: Protection, Promotion,
and Representation and Support
Protection
The BPI protects the interests of its members by enforcing
copyright law in the UK. They do this through a variety of means,
including
civil litigation,
criminal litigation, lobbying against
filesharing sites, and supporting other
enforcement agencies in anti-copyright infringement raids.
Promotion
The BPI also does much work in profiling British music at home and
abroad. The BRIT awards, the UK's premier music show, is organised
and run by the BPI and showcases the best in UK music at home and
abroad.
The BPI, along with
British Association of
Record Dealers operate The
Official UK Charts Company,
compiling various statistics on music purchases within the UK. The
BPI also produce annual reports on consumer behaviour, and emergent
trends. They issue silver, gold, and platinum awards.
Representation and Support
The BPI's membership includes the four major labels, plus a number
of smaller,
independent labels.
They set industry policy and handle media relations, recently
mostly relating to copyright infringement.
The BPI lobby the government on behalf of its members in accordance
with the aforementioned policies, most recently for a clarification
of copyright, strengthening copyright laws, increasing copyright
terms for musical performers to 95 years and harsher penalties for
copyright infringers.
The BPI also offer support to their members in the form of
negotiating
fair use contracts with major
media, or distributors, such as the
BBC, the
MU or the
MCPS.
The BPI host, and represent their members at various international
trade fairs, educational seminars, etc.
Reports commissioned
Part of the BPI's work is in commissioning reports to support
changes in legislation or public opinion. These reports include the
following:
- By Price Waterhouse The Impact of Copyright Extension for Sound
Recordings in the UK, (report commissioned by the BPI), 2006
Sales certificates
The
British Phonographic Industry awards certificates for music
releases in Britain
. The
level of the award varies depending on the format of the release
and the amount sold. BPI certificates are not automatic; the record
company must pay a fee to the BPI and they carry out an
audit into the release in question. Certificates are
usually awarded on the basis of the amount of units the release has
shipped, rather than the amount it has sold.
| Format |
Status |
| Silver |
Gold |
Platinum |
| Album |
60,000 |
100,000 |
300,000 |
| Single |
200,000 |
400,000 |
600,000 |
| Music DVD |
— |
25,000 |
50,000 |
BPI council
- Geoff Taylor - Chief Executive Officer
- Tony Wadsworth - BPI Chairman, EMI Recorded Music UK &
Ireland
- Mike Batt - BPI Vice Chairman,
Dramatico Entertainment
- Paul Birch - Revolver Music
- Joe Cokell - Sanctuary Recorded Music Worldwide
- John Craig - First Night Records
- Clive Fisher - Universal Music UK
- Ged Doherty - Sony BMG Music Entertainment
- David Joseph - Polydor Records
- Jeremy Lascelles - Chrysalis Group
- Korda Marshall - Warner Bros Records UK
- Harry Maloney - The Independent Record Company
- John Reid - Warner Music International & Continental
Europe
- Michael Smith - Sony BMG Music Entertainment
- Adrian Sear - Demon Music Group/2entertain
Similar organisations
- RIAA, the Recording
Industry Association of America, is the United States
' music industry association.
- IFPI, the International Federation of
Phonogram and Videogram Producers is the worldwide music
industry group.
- FACT, the
Federation Against Copyright Theft, is the UK
anti-copyright infringement organisation for the motion picture industry.
- ARIA,
Australian Recording Industry Association, is the
Australian industry association.
Notes
- Certified Awards
See also
External links
Video clips
Wikis
Quiz
Facts
Map
Search
