News Summary: 12th April

April 12th, 2010 - 
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Music

Ed was on the Radio 3 Music Matters phone in, in which Ben Bradshaw admitted that he will not ring fence arts funding, listen to it on the iPlayer, HERE and Tom Service at the Guardian has blogged about it HERE

Spectrum: Germany has begun its auction of 4G spectrum, the first major auction of this type of spectrum in Europe, more HERE.

Digital Economy Bill

The Bill finally got its second reading on the very day the election was called. Second Reading debate HERE and Committee stage HERE

It was granted Royal Assent on Thursday 8th April, more HERE

Jeremy called the Bill a ‘weak, dithering and incompetent attempt to breathe life into Britain’s digital economy’ and pointed out that as Reagan once said, the trouble with this government is that it always thinks: ‘If it moves, tax it, If it keeps moving regulate it, And if it stops moving, subsidise it.’

We gained significant concessions, forcing the Government to scrap their unfair broadband tax, ill through out plans for regional news, and the orphan works clause which would have penalised photographers HERE

The actual bill and explanatory notes on it can be found HERE

Plenty of media coverage, with a good round up of what the final bill will and won’t do in the Guardian, HERE with a clause by clause guide HERE and coverage in the Telegraph HERE

The scare-mongering has already begun, with the Graunuiad worrying unscrupulous lawyers might use the bill to target people unfairly, more HERE

And a more sober overview of what happens next in the Telegraph HERE

Social Networking: With the news that AOL plans to either sell it or close it, – where did it all go wrong for Bebo? In The Times, HERE and in the Telegraph, HERE

Visual Art:  Banksy’s exhibition in Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery was the 30th most visited exhibition in the world last year, according to The Art Newspapers’ annual survey of attendance, more HERE

Media: Associated Press (AP) has chosen London as the hub of its global television operation, more HERE

TV: Treme, David Simon’s follow-up to The Wire, his Baltimore epic, premiered ON HBO in America last night – the Independent tells us how excited to get, HERE

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Weekly email: 8th April 2010

April 12th, 2010 - 
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Here is this week’s news:

General Election

The Prime Minister has called a general election for May 6th.  Our key policies are available at HERE. We wouldn’t presume to tell you who to vote for, but do please vote.

Creative Industries

Digital Economy Bill

The Bill finally got its second reading on the very day the election was called. Second Reading debate HERE and Committee stage HERE

It has been granted Royal Assent this afternoon.

Jeremy called the Bill a ‘weak, dithering and incompetent attempt to breathe life into Britain’s digital economy’ and pointed out that as Reagan once said, the trouble with this government is that it always thinks: ‘If it moves, tax it, If it keeps moving regulate it, And if it stops moving, subsidise it.’

We gained significant concessions, forcing the Government to scrap their unfair broadband tax, ill through out plans for regional news, and the orphan works clause which would have penalised photographers HERE

The actual bill and explanatory notes on it can be found HERE

Plenty of media coverage, with a good round up of what the final bill will and won’t do in the Guardian, HERE with a clause by clause guide HERE and coverage in the Telegraph HERE

Media

Speaking at a National Press Club event at George Washington University Rupert Murdoch hailed the iPad as the potential saviour of newspapers but said that the news industry must stand up for itself and charge for content. HERE

Social Networking

AOL has said it will sell or close Bebo, as the social networking market rationalises to a few big players, more HERE

Arts and Heritage

Regeneration

There is a good story on the relationship between arts centres and social and economic regeneration in the New York Times, HERE

Heritage

A new textile conservation centre is to be established at the University of Glasgow, more HERE

Literacy

The National Literacy Trust is campaigning for the public to Vote for Literacy to raise awareness that literacy is an issue today and has a massive impact on a wide range of outcomes: One in six adults in the UK has lower literacy than that expected of an 11-year-old? More, and pledge your support  <HERE.

The EU Charter of Human Rights

Will be performed as an 80 minute epic poem alongside music, dance and artistic interpretation of the EU’s Fundamental Rights Conference in December. The Vienna based EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has to designate a poet for the job: ‘The original call for poets stipulated that the piece would be written only in English, “the literary language,” a display of Anglo snobbery and the type of thing that makes those proud Europeans who speak other languages really huffy’ We couldn’t possible comment,  more HERE

BoJo’s HuBu

Anish Kapoor, working with Cecil Belmont, ‘the world’s greatest engineer’ has been chosen to create a landmark sculpture for 2012, more HERE.  Well done Boris for commissioning this sculpture, which has already been nicknamed the Hubble Bubble, or HuBu.

On the downside, there’s a slideshow HERE of bad art meeting worse politics, the world’s worst public statues!

Theatre

As we are gripped by Lord Lloyd Webber’s search for Toto, The Times considers what it is to be a dog on the stage, more HERE

Democracy

Jonathan Jones argues that democracy produces the best art HERE

In Parliament

The Digital Economy Bill had its second reading in the Commons on Tuesday HERE and 3rd reading and committee stage all rolled in to one on Wednesday HERE and  has now been granted its Royal Assent.

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has published its report: Future for local and regional media HERE

The Lords held a debate on the British Film and Television Industries on Tuesday, full debate HERE

The Culture Media and Sport Committee has published its report: Press standards, privacy and libel: Press Complaints Commission’s Response to the Committee’s Second Report of Session 2009-10 HERE

Where we’ve been and who we’ve seen

Mainly in the Commons, for the Digital Economy Bill, State of Independence Conference, York Museums, York Theatre Royal, York Minster Glaziers workshop, the National Centre for Early Music, Dr Delma Tomlin, Rowntree Park, Eric Musgrave of the UK Fashion and Textiles association.

Ed Vaizey

Shadow Arts Minister

Jeremy Hunt

Shadow Culture Secretary

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Weekly email: 28/01/2010

February 2nd, 2010 - 
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Here’s this week’s news…

 

Tory Stuff

Ed spoke this week on cultural education at the Yehudi Menuhin school. He warned that: ‘We are losing sight of the key aims of cultural education in a blizzard of initiatives. What I would like to do is bring some coherence, stability and long-term strategy to the sector.

 

I want to be able to answer easily questions like: can my child learn a musical instrument, learn art, learn to dance, regardless of my income; if my child is talented, can I guarantee that they will be able to sustain their talent; will my child leave school with a solid cultural education, and therefore feel comfortable in engaging in the arts in all its forms?

 

In short, we need strategy and coherence from the centre, so that the considerable funds that are spent on music and dance education – more than £95 million annually – are spent efficiently and effectively.’ Full speech HERE. We are very interested to hear your contributions, so please do post them in the comments section, identifying who you are and which organisation you are from. There is a nice comment about the speech on LinkedIn HERE.

Jeremy is on Facebook, add him as a friend HERE We are resisting all obvious jokes

Creative Industries

Digital Economy Bill Day 5

Clauses 10 -18 were considered, full transcript on Hansard HERE A sixth day is scheduled for 3rd February. With discussions of the eagerly anticipated Clause 17 starting HERE Lord Howard spoke for our side, and pointed out HERE that the Government haven’t said what they want this power for, which makes it rather difficult for us to decide whether to support it or not. He also expressed our serious concerns about broad nature of the power and the use of a super affirmative resolution (that’s a super duper SI) and said that in its current form, we don’t support it. We would like to see the Government come back narrower definition of the power, and continue to discuss this with them.

Online Piracy

At the Oxford Media Convention, Stephen Timms, the ‘Digital Britain’ Minister, criticised rights holders for not moving fast enough to bring new business models to market. He said: ‘The space the legislation provides to develop those models will be important. But rights holders must get a move on. Legislation is not the whole solution to the problems. Rights holders need to develop new ways to make content available to people in formats that they want and at a fair price – reducing the incentive to break the law. Progress has been much too slow. We also need initiatives to educate people about why creativity deserves to be fairly rewarded.’ Er, we agree, more HERE ’

ITV

ITV have appointed Adam Crozier, the head of Royal Mail and former boss of the FA as its new chief executive. More HERE congratulations all round.

Congratulations to ITV and Sony Pictures TV, as analysis suggests Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? A TV format created in the UK is the most popular gameshow in the world more HERE.

BSkyB

Continue their downturn-defying financial performance: For the six months to the end of December, they have reported a revenue rise of 10% year on year to £2.9 billion. More HERE.

Video Games

The House of Lords Communications Committee has effectively backed TIGA’s campaign for Games Tax Relief in their report into The British Film and Television Industries published this week. The report says: “We recognise the claims of the videogames industry for support in the face of foreign government-subsidised competition, and recommend that the Government consider providing tax incentives for videogames production.” More HERE.

Speaking at the Westminster eForum on video games Ian Livingstone criticised the national news media’s tendency to stir up more panic surrounding violent content more

HERE Ed also spoke at this event, more HERE.

TIGA have said it is ludicrous to suggest that playing video games was responsible for an apparent increase in cases of rickets more HERE and HERE.

Technology

Derek Wyatt MP has created a ‘My MP’ App for the iPhone, yes really, a Beta version is available HERE

Local News

The CEO Trinity Mirror’s CEO called for the abolition of council newspapers at the Oxford Media Convention last week, HERE. Meanwhile, the Audit Commission wrote to Stephen Timms last week with their conclusions from research into this area. They say that ‘the money being spent by councils is not unreasonable, though they should always consider whether it provides good value. Few council publications are published sufficiently frequently to be viable media for most local advertising.’ The letter and the appendix are published HERE.

Newspapers

Congratulations to the Guardian.co.uk which has attracted nearly 37m users and breaks the record for a UK newspaper website according to their latest ABC stats. We don’t know where we’d be without it, frankly. More HERE.

Music

Congratulations to UK indie label XL, part of the Beggars group, on reaching a number 1 in the US album chart with Vampire Weekend’s second album Contra, more HERE.

iPad

Bringer of the eBooks revolution, possible saviour of the newspaper business, or an oversized iPhone? Views on this, and an explanation of the term ‘goldilocks device’ HERE

Arts and Heritage

Culture and Education

Ofsted have published a report into culture and education: ‘Learning: Creative approaches that raise standards’ more HERE which recognises the work of Creative Partnerships and the impact of creative learning practices in schools in improving standards and pupils’ personal development.

Creativity, Culture and Education have welcomed Ofsted’s recognition that using arts and culture across in learning raise attainment levels, improve attendance and increase pupil motivation  – particularly for schools in challenging circumstances, more HERE

New Deal of the Mind

£1.45 million announced for 223 jobs, 167 of which will be arts jobs across 14 London boroughs in a project run by new Deal of the Mind. There include design assistants, marketing and press assistants and fundraisers at organisations including The British Library, the Lyric Hammersmith, the Young Vic and the Royal Court, more HERE

Libraries

A new research report conducted by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) highlights the crucial role public libraries play in supporting the delivery of the national digital priorities set out by the Government and Digital Inclusion Champion, Martha Lane Fox. More HERE and HERE.

Meanwhile, a commission to examine the future of school library provision in England is being launched by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and the National Literacy Trust (NLT) it will be chaired by Estelle Morris, more HERE

New funding opportunity for libraries to support digital inclusion has been announced in December’s Smarter Government report. Library services have their chance to bid for new funding, thanks to a new £30 million government investment in UK online centres. More information about the funding, different models, criteria and obligations HERE.

The Charted Institute of Library and Information Professionals has responded to the Government’s (latest) libraries review, HERE.

Heritage

English Heritage is suggesting that refurbishing old school buildings is often the best use of resources and the most sustainable way of modernising them and have published two new papers that highlight the value and potential of older schools. We think this is an interesting idea, well worth exploring, more HERE and HERE.

New grants from HLF have just been announced, Including a £3m grant to the Giant’s Causeway World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland and £3.7m for Liverpool’s pioneering Florence Institute for Boys, more HERE.

Theatre

Great news for theatre: total box office receipts for 2009 were up to £504,765,690; marking the seventh record-breaking year in a row. What’s more, while in previous years it has been musicals that have driven increases in box office takings, in 2009 the rise was almost entirely accounted for by the performance of drama at the box office. Led by the success of shows such as War Horse, Waiting for Godot and Calendar Girls, plays were 26% up on 2008 levels, while opera, dance and entertainments were up 7%. Musicals were 2% down over the year more. Congratulations all round, more HERE.

In Parliament

Parliamentary Questions

Just 77% of the Scottish population can currently access DAB HERE

DCMS considering proposals from Camelot to enter the commercial market for bill payments HERE

The largest proportion of the general public view the Arts Council ‘neither favourably nor unfavourably’ HERE

Digital Economy Bill

The Digital Economy Bill has reached Clause 9 in the Committee Stage of the Lords HERE

EDMs

EDM 689 – Licensing Act 2003 HERE

EDM 671 – Publication of salaries and remuneration packages of BBC executives HERE

EDM 666 – Live Music Bill HERE

Where we’ve been and who we’ve seen

The Stephen Lawrence Centre, the RSC education team, Battersea Power station, English Heritage, Asian Music Circuit, Southbank Sinfonia Every Good Boy Deserves Favour at the National Theatre, UK Music, Enron at the Noel Coward Theatre, The Yehudi Menuhin School, the Performer Alliance APPG were everybody supported an exemption to the Licensing Act for small venues HERE, the Globe, Clore Duffield Foundation, the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Foyle Foundation, Fidelity UK Foundation, Michael Van der Ham, Christopher Kane, Erdem, the London College of Fashion MA show at the V&A, Clare Delmar, Channel 4, ITV, STV, Johnson Press, Google, Yahoo, Ebay, Facebook, OFT.

 

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Weekly email: 21/01/2010

January 21st, 2010 - 
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Here is this week’s news:
Tory Stuff
Media
Jeremy is speaking at the Oxford Media Convention as we email! Coverage of what he’s saying HERE and full transcript HERE.
In an interview this week with New Media Age, Shadow Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt acknowledged the vital role that the digital media industry plays in the UK economy, and promised a light-touch regulatory approach. HERE
Ed spoke at the Nations and Regions Media conference in Salford Quays on Tuesday. He confirmed our intention to scrap the IFNC pilots should be win the election more HERE and HERE
Arts Policy
Charlotte Higgins has written a helpful and by and large quite nice overview of the themes from Jeremy’s speech to the RSA / ACE State of the Arts conference last week, HERE Lyn Gardner discussed our philanthropy proposals in the Granuiad HERE. The Arts Council have pointed out to us that it was a joint conference, not just the RSA’s. Apologies, credit where it’s due, etc.
Material from the conference is available HERE.
Creative Industries
Digital Economy Bill
The Digital Economy Bill had its third (HERE) and fourth (HERE) days in Committee in the Lords, they have reached Clause 10.
Interesting correspondence this week in the letters page of the Granuiad on clause 17, led by a letter from the Creative Coalition HEREwith a response HERE
Two new pieces of research from both the BPI and Creative Coalition suggest that ISPs are exaggerating the financial hardship they will have to bear under measures proposed by the Digital Economy Bill. More in links via Facebook in some clever way HERE
and HERE.
ITV CRR Decision
The Competition Commission has given its final recommendations on CRR for consultation. The main recommendations are unchanged from its provisional findings and reject ITV’s proposals for more flexibility over its advertising charges. ITV have commented that ‘This decision confirms the urgent need for a thorough and comprehensive review of the cumulative impact of regulation of the independent broadcasting sector.’
We agree (with ITV), more HERE and HERE.
This morning the court of appeal has ordered BSkyB to sell down its stake in ITV from 17.9% to less than 7.5%HERE.
BBC
Maybe it is rocket science: The BBC have announced that throughout 2010 they will be ‘bringing together a range of TV and radio science programmes, online initiatives, regional road shows and learning campaigns to inspire engagement  with  science across the nation more HERE.
Meanwhile CCHQ wants Tory activists to help ‘beat BBC bias’ more HERE.
The BBC Trust has announced it is to conduct a performance review of the BBC’s on-demand offerings, including the iPlayer, simulcast TV and podcast downloads. This is launched today with an eight week public consultation, more HERE.
Video Games
The Video Standards Council has announced a number of high-level staff changes ahead of the implementation of the government’s new video games ratings regime outlined in the Digital Economy Bill more HERE.
The prestigious Ivor Novello Awards are to recognise music from videogames for the first time this year following the introduction of a special game score category, more HERE. Meanwhile, Hugo Chavez clearly is the new Keith Vaz, suggesting that the PlayStation leads children down the capitalist ‘road to hell’, which is of course just one of the reasons we like them more HERE.
Joining us on Chavez’s proverbial road to hell, is the Parliamentary website Parliament.uk which has recently launched a video game where you get to be an MP for Week, as part of their work with schools to support young people’s understanding of Parliament and democracy. Play it for yourself HERE
There’s an interesting post on video games HERE summarising recent political developments relevant to the sector.
Film
2009 production and box office figures from the UKFC show that the industry is weathering the recession well, with record inward investment, record box office, and UK indie films at their most popular in cinemas for a decade. On the downside there has been small drop in independent UK production and spend, and there are ongoing challenges in raising credit for film projects, especially through bank loans. More details in the full reports HERE.
CC Skills
Congratulations to Tom Berwick. He has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of Enterprise UK by Chairman and Dragon (of the Den) Peter Jones CBE. Tom leaves his current post as Chief Executive of Creative & Cultural Skills at the end of March more HERE
Broadband
We have release figures which show that the Government’s proposed broadband tax will hit 3.2 million people who do not have an internet connection and have no interest in having one, more HERE.
News speeds and prices for superfast broadband from BT more for its superfast broadband service HERE.
Awards Season Round Up
A slightly controversial night for Ricky Gervais in an otherwise quiet night for the Brits at the Golden Globes HERE. Congratulations to the BAFTA nominees, especially An Education, neck and neck with Avatar with eight nominations a piece, full list HERE. Further congratulations to the Brits nominees HERE, and nominees and winners at the National Television Awards, HERE where Jedward stole the show, HERE.
Arts and Heritage
Arts Council
Arts Council England have launched Achieving great art for everyone – a consultation on future priorities for the arts.   The results of the consultation will inform a ten-year strategic framework and the Arts Council’s future investment decisions, so get contributing, moreHERE
Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad
It’s been going since 2008 apparently. Did you know that? More HERE.
Heritage
The Historic Houses Association have launched their policy proposals for 2010 onward, titled ‘Inspirational Places – the value of Britain’s historic houses’ more HERE.
Libraries
Good news as interim results from an independent review of Northumberland’s library service show that the closure of six libraries in the county can be put on hold while further talks are held   with communities, with the aim of developing new ways of working. More HERE. Shows what can happen when the MLA gets in on the ground floor.
In Parliament
Prime Minister’s Questions
Excitement this week, as a question was posed to Gordon about rural broadband HERE.
Oral Questions
Oral questions took place on Monday covering everything from the 2018 World Cup bid to product placement HERE
10 Minute Rule Bill
Tom Watson introduced a 10 Minute Rule Bill on Digital Archiving, and got into trouble with the Deputy Speaker for grandstanding on the Digital Economy Bill HERE.
House of Commons
Video recordings bill received royal assent in the Commons today HERE.
Parliamentary Questions
34 external consultants working at the DCMS HERE
Still no indication from the DCMS of how many jobs the Government’s flagship Future Jobs Fund has created HERE
1400 responses to the Government’s consultation on product placement HERE
Over £500 million on free television licenses HERE
The criteria set out for community radio stations to receive a licence HERE
Government spending through the Community Radio Fund HERE
Implementation of the Legal Deposit Libraries Act HERE
Lords
The Video Recordings Bill made its way through the Lords HERE
EDMs
EDM 642 – National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts Big Green Challenge Awards HERE
EDM 617 – Access to Government services via the internet HERE
On the blog
Ed’s chief of staff Helen and Fun Inc author Tom Chatfield discuss whether the high barriers to entry explain why video games aren’t taken seriously by the wider cultural world, and Tom suggests where to start, HERE . An online network for independent filmmakers has a discussion about internships, unpaid / low paid work, and the minimum wage, something which is a live issue across the cultural and creative industries HERE
And Finally
Something to cheer Obama up following this week’s loss of Ted Kennedy’s seat to Republican Scott Brown: Obama the musical has opened in Germany. More HERE
Where we’ve been and who we’ve seen
Arts Council, Ofcom, Digital Radio surgery, Nations and Regions Media conference, Arts and Humanities Research Council, GLA, Wallace Collection, Westminster eForum on video games, Edelman, Mediawatch, digital entrepreneurs at Bootlaw, Moctezuma at the British Museum, Northampton School for Girls (specialist music school), Northampton Music Service Oxford Media Convention, Modern Art Oxford.
Ed Vaizey
Shadow Arts Minister
Jeremy Hunt
Shadow Culture Secretary
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Weekly email 03-12-09

December 3rd, 2009 - 
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Here is this week’s news:

Tory Stuff

George Osborne spoke at the Tate family conference this week. This was the first major speech on the arts by a senior politician since Tony Blair’s farewell tour in 2005. As well as talking about his own personal interest in the arts, George set out our plans to ensure lottery distributors bodies spend no more than 5% of their annual budget on administration; to free up museums from direct government control; to look at the case for five year funding agreements for the largest cultural organisations in return for building up endowments; and confirmed our commitment to free museums. He said: ‘there is no government metric or policy report that can every fully capture this basic truth: that art matters for its own sake’ full speech HERE, more HERE

On the blog this week

This week on Culturepolitick.com, Julian Lloyd Webber on music education and the promise of El Sistema and In Harmony HERE, and Paul Hartigan, chief executive of PharmiWeb Solutions on the different investor atmosphere in the US and UK HERE.

Arts and Heritage

Libraries Round Up

DCMS’s latest library review was launched this week, with commentators noting that guests at the launch were ‘foaming at the mouth’ (and not in a good way) HERE. Ed, who gate crashed the launch like an unwelcome guest at a White House dinner, called it ‘a complete and utter waste of time’. And guess what? The launch launches another consultation! Yes really, it’s HERE and Minister Hodge’s covering statement is HERE.

So to recap, since 1997 the Government has: established national standards for libraries and introduced annual library plans, reorganised some library quangos, replaced library plans with library position statements, introduced ten service standards, revised them, realised none of this had worked and launched a review, this review in October 2008 Some 14 months later they have published what in essence is a series of ‘think piece’ essays some of which are contradictory, with an invitation for responses by 26th January, with a final review in the spring of 2010, just in time for the election. A full comment from Ed asking ‘when will Labour stop dithering and show real leadership on libraries?’ is HERE

Meanwhile, on Monday Margaret Hodge issued a statement closing the inquiry into the Wirral, saying: ‘after the report on the Inquiry was received by the Secretary of State, Wirral MBC revoked their plans to restructure their service. In these circumstances it is no longer necessary for the Secretary of State to take a view on proposals which have since been dropped. There is therefore no finding that Wirral MBC are in breach of their statutory duty.’ More HERE. However, the report, HERE and good summary HERE provides a valuable insight into what makes a comprehensive and efficient library service, including the needs of deprived communities, the needs of children, and the distance of travel. It does make it clear that Wirral would have breached their statutory duty and the Deputy Leader of the Council admitted that fear of breaking the Libraries Act helped to stop the closures, HERE.

Visual Art

Jonathan Yeo has unveiled his new portrait of David Cameron. On his website Yeo remarked on the ambiguity he wished to express in the portrait, saying that ‘Cameron’s place in history’ was still to be ‘characterised by events which are yet to happen.’

HERE

Heritage

England’s cathedrals are a great heritage success story: They are the country’s largest, most historic and most complex buildings, yet they are generally in good repair and continuing to add to their glories by commissioning new works from fonts to fire doors, choir schools to cafes, more HERE. and HERE.

ACE

The Arts Council is short-listing PR agencies for a £200,000 despite recent staff cuts, more HERE.

Museums

The long list for the Guardian Family Friendly Museum Award is out this week, more HERE

Weekly BoJo

BoJo has reopened the search for a chairman of the London Arts Council.  If you want to get the job and then be vetoed by Ben Bradshaw, apply HERE.  All the e-mails from the last appointment saga have been published and can be read in the Grauniad (natch) HERE

Creative Industries

Digital Economy Bill

And we’re off! The Bill began its second reading in the Lords yesterday. The Lords discussed both the scope and detail of the bill, with Lord Mandelson getting in first with the obvious ‘Peer to Peer’ gag. There was a re-appearance from Lord Carter, and speeches from luminaries such as Lord Birt and Lord Fowler.

Lord Mandelson said the bill was a ‘major evolution in our copyright system’ HERE. The Lib Dems noted the broad cross party support for the bill, while raising concerns about Clause 17 HERE. The Lord Bishop of Manchester saw the anti-piracy measures in Biblical terms, HERE. Lord Lucas pointed out of the music business: ‘That industry is not exactly known for its kindness to creative people. Many people have created pieces of music and sold them to rapacious recording companies for a couple of hundred quid, only to see those companies go on to make vast sums out of them. The relationship is not equal…’ HERE.  The reappearing Lord Carter highlighted that ‘It is increasingly clear that a digital future is central to industrial and governmental strategies around the world. The explosion of distribution systems, applications and the increasingly borderless nature of the content markets highlights those countries which are either ahead or behind in the digital future.’ HERE. Baroness Miller questioned whether: ‘The provision of Clauses 4 to 17 actually make the UK a better place in which to innovate?’ Adding: ‘The Government could have chosen to go down one of two paths with this Bill. One is to encourage those models. The other is to take a fairly heavy hand to protect the old model. The Government in this Bill have emphasised that protection model. This is not the best method of encouraging new innovation, and it threatens to make the UK a rather unwelcoming place in the digital age.’ HERE. Lord Clement-Jones, said in summing up, that the Liberal Democrats broadly supported the Bill and the four key objectives it puts forward HERE.

From the Conservative front bench, Lord Howard of Rising said that: ‘No one could argue with the aim of Her Majesty’s Government to tackle the massively important area of illegal file-sharing, but the lack of detail in the provisions is disappointing. The lack of certainty is a particular concern for internet service providers, especially mobile broadband providers, who are unsure about the cost of compliance.’ He also raised concerns about the implication of Clauses 11 and 17, the need for reassurances on what criteria will be used to decide when is the appropriate time for digital radio switchover, and pointed out the missed opportunity to address the loophole in video classification laws that allow violent, sexual and other harmful content to escape age verification if they are part of music or sports videos and films. HERE and HERE.

Digital Economy Bill press coverage

Michael Grade wrote in defence of the digital economy bill in the FT yesterday, HERE. The Guardian said that in the debate Lord Mandelson ‘declared war on Rupert Murdoch’s media empire’ HERE The FT also focuses on Mandy’s Murdoch attack, and the Google, Yahoo, Facebook and Ebay letter expressing ‘grave concerns’ about clause 17 HERE.

Online News

As the Google / Murdoch face off hots up, Google has conceded that it will allow publishers of paid for content to limit the amount of free access internet users have to their websites from Google News, more HERE.

The US news industry have opened a new front in its battle to find a better online business model, with the publications of a study from the Fair Syndication Consortium, a group of 1,500 newspaper publishers, that looks at how news spreads across the internet found the average American newspaper story was copied 4.4 times in full or part by unauthorised websites. More HERE.

Radio

Absolute Radio has more live online listening than either BBC Radio 1 or Radio 2, according to figures published by the commercial music station, more HERE.

BT

Ofcom has published its first consultation regarding BT’s pension costs. It suggests a range of possible outcomes from a 3% reduction in BT’s wholesale regulated charges to an increase of 4%. This is the first consultation; another document will be published in spring 2010 with a final statement not due until the end of 2010. Changes will then be made progressively from April 2011 more HERE and full consultation HERE.

BBC

It has been revealed that the BBC has spent £11 million in 12 months on external consultants, excluding those hired by BBC Worldwide. The BBC has defended its actions stating that the total expenditure on consultants amounted to only 0.3% of the licence fee HERE

Video Games

TIGA has contributed to the pre-budget report, arguing for a tax break for the sector, more HERE.

The Royal Navy will be using handheld PlayStations as part of a drive to encourage sailors to study while at sea. The PlayStation Portable (PSP) will enable sailors to take onscreen practice tests and to read and listen to coursework in their spare time more HERE

New market research in the U.S has shown that 80% of women use the Nintendo Wii as their primary games console. This follows the study presented by the American Heart Association that one third of the activities of the game console required energy expenditure equivalent to ‘moderate intensity exercise’ of the level recommended by the government to keep fit and healthy. HERE

Video Classification

The current legal loophole in video classification laws that allow violent, sexual and other harmful content to escape age verification if they are part of music or sports videos and films in the Mail, HERE.

In Parliament

The impact of digital switchover on the use of car radios HERE

The cost of the Digital Switchover Help Scheme HERE

Ben Bradshaw’s one trip to Scotland, one trip to Wales and zero trips to Northern Ireland in the past year HERE

Almost £100,000 to provide office space to DCMS special advisers and press officers HERE

The number of hits on the DCMS website HERE

Refusal for classification of films and video games HERE

The TV license evasion rate is over 5% HERE

Bonuses at the DCMS this year HERE

The average British adult watches 236 minutes of television every day HERE

Where we’ve been and who we’ve seen

John Sorrell, Culture Label, Libraries Modernisation Review, Tate Modern, BFI, V&A, ACE, Heritage Link, APPG Writers, APPG Dance, New Culture Forum, Tracey Emin who made Team Vaizey’s collective day when she popped in to the office with Ed, CCE, KPMG, Akram Khan and Nitin Sawhney’s Confluence at Sadlers Wells, Broadband Stakeholders Group, Loyd Grossman, PACT, Ofcom, Marketing Society.

Ed Vaizey

Shadow Arts Minister

Jeremy Hunt

Shadow Culture Secretary

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News summary: 20th November 2009

November 20th, 2009 - 
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The Digital Economy Bill is out today. Though the wording is in circulation and we are reading it closely, we have not as yet found a link to the actual bill on line anywhere, so this summary from the Number 10 website HERE will have to do.

Channel 4 is to make more standalone web content under changes to the broadcaster’s remit in sed Digital Economy Bill HERE.

The debate over how and whether readers will pay for online newspaper stories rages on as the co-founder of Twitter today said Murdoch’s plans for a pay wall is like ‘putting the genie back in the bottle’ HERE. Which it may be, but well researched, thought out, fact checked journalism costs money, as does all quality content.

Google has unveiled its Chrome operating system, in a direct challenge to the dominance of Microsoft’s Windows franchise, HERE.

But is it art? The 2010 Pirelli calendar, shot in Brazil by Terry Richardson has launched a (family viewing) preview HERE.

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Weekly email 19-11-09

November 19th, 2009 - 
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Here’s this weeks news:

See Ed’s latest LinkedIn question about the BBC and post a response, HERE. And join up to our group, post news and participate in discussions, HERE.

Digital Economy Bill

We hope you are as excited as we are for more news on the much vaunted Digital Economy Bill. We would have loved to bring you details of the bill itself, alas it’s not out yet, and we like you are waiting for Lord Mandelson’s press conference tomorrow.

Tory Stuff

Jeremy outlined the Conservative vision for the future of the National Lottery in a speech in Leeds on Monday. He unveiled a package of measures to increase the returns to the Lottery good causes by £186 million a year, including abolishing the National Lottery Commission and giving its regulatory functions to the Gambling Commission; banning all Lottery Distributors from having press, public relations and communications departments; introducing a cap of 5% on administration costs. Most importantly we will return the National Lottery to its original good causes of sport, arts, heritage and charities, significantly increasing the returns to arts and heritage.

Jeremy said: “Last year, the 7 main distributors spent £120m on admin costs – a staggering 11.4% of the £1.05bn they distributed. That is grotesque when charities, community groups and voluntary organisations are under such intense scrutiny from those very same lottery distributorsto get every penny possible out of administration and into delivery.” More HERE full speech HERE

Speaking at the LSE this week, Jeremy talked about our plans to help the private sector roll out broadband across the country and our opposition to the unfair broadband tax HERE.

A Bon Jovi quoting (Plan your future but do it in pencil) Jeremy also spoke at the Manchester Media Festival today, setting out our plans to transform the current bleak outlook for media, more HERE and HERE and further faint praise from Roy Greenslade HERE Jeremy is worth watching, according to the Daily Telegraph HERE. We agree, obviously.

Ed spoke at the NextGen09 conference on broadband, dark fibre and how our localism agenda will help local governments to get their area online. More HERE

Ed gave an interview to the Standard HERE

Creative Industries

Top-slicing

The Government’s plans for top-slicing are now as confusing as all their other plans. The Times reported that the BBC has seen off the plan HERE, while the ‘Government’ (in the shape of DCMS) reaffirmed to the FT that the proposals would go ahead (after the election) HERE.  The DCMS has issued a response to consultation on IFNCs indicating top-slicing will be delayed until 2012, HERE. Hilariously, they hid it away on their website HERE

Video Games

Tom Watson MP has been interviewed by Critical Gamer, where he talks about the games he likes, his Gamers’ Voice campaign, and Keith Vaz, more HERE

Modern Warfare 2 sales reach record levels, pulling in $310 million in the US and UK alone HERE outselling the entire music and video markets combined, although as commentators have pointed out, high earnings are generated by the high price of games on average (£37.85 was the average UK price for MW2) as opposed to around £8 for CDs and £10 for DVDs more has been posted on our LinkedIn group news page, HERE

It’s a landmark game: ‘a first-person shooter that plays as a tragedy, not a power fantasy’ according to this review in influential on-line journal Slate HERE

Film

The UK Film Council launched a public consultation on proposals to merge its Premiere, New Cinema and Development funds to create a £15million Film Production Fund with an emphasis on first and second time directors, as part of a major overhaul of the organisation following a £25million budget cut to help fund the Olympics. A new Innovation Fund will promote new business models and aims to ensure UK film’s transition into the digital age, more HERE

Please note the word “cut”, as in a “cut imposed by Labour”.

Architecture

John Sorrell the outgoing CABE chair singles out Asda and Tesco in an impassioned speech calling for high architectural standards in midst of recession. In his valedictory speech he hit out at the ‘poor’ quality of supermarket development, singling out planning proposals by both Asda and Tesco in Barnet and proposals for a Tesco in St Helens in Merseyside ‘for its lousy public space’. He called on supermarkets ‘to come up with an alternative development model’ more HERE . We are big fans of John, which is why we are bigging up his speech.

Broadband

Conservative-run Swindon Council is set to become the first town in the UK to offer completely free wi-fi access. In the first project of its kind it will provide a wireless network for business, residents and visitors to the borough. We wholeheartedly welcome this ground -breaking initiative more HERE

Meanwhile, Nordicity are working on a Digital Britain/Technology Strategy Board feasibility study to deliver high speed broadband to remote and rural communities around Lancashire using ‘white space’ technologies. This week Ofcom published a discussion document to explore the potential of this new technology to wirelessly link up different devices and offer enhanced broadband access in rural areas. It works by searching for unoccupied radio waves called white spaces between TV channels to transmit and receive wireless signals. HERE

BBC

The BBC Trust think Thought for the Day is fine as it is, more HERE

Meanwhile Jeremy talked about the future of the BBC, including salaries and bureaucratic waste in an interview in The Sunday Times HERE . This follows the revelations last week that 46 BBC managers receive salaries higher than that of the Prime Minister.

The Times reports today that the BBC will reveal the salaries that it pays to its star presenters for the first time, but will still withhold their names. The corporation will disclose in January that it pays a small group of its ‘top talent’ including presenters such as Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton, a total of more than £70 million a year. More HERE. We think this is a further step in the right direction, but still not far enough.

Jeremy has also completely dismisses the suggestion that any “deal” has been done with Rupert Murdoch, reminding Lord Mandelson that Labour had the support of the Sun at the last three general elections HERE

Lord Sugar doesn’t seem to have the best grasp of this politics lark as he suggests that Jeremy has bullied the BBC HERE.

ITV

The Board of ITV has announced the appointment of Archie Norman as Non Executive Chairman. He will take up the role in January 2010, when Michael Grade, Executive Chairman, stands down from the company and John Cresswell will become Interim Chief Executive. We think this is great news (obviously – Archie used to be a Tory MP) more HERE No doubt Ben Bradshaw would veto the appointment if he could.

Local Television

United for Local Television (ULTV) a coalition of local TV campaigners has attacked Ofcom’s proposal to appoint a band manager to control spectrum suitable for local TV, sending an open letter to chair Collette Bowman. ‘It is undeniable that asking prospective local TV service providers to attempt to negotiate spectrum access with an unregulated dominant band manager is the equivalent of asking David to wear a straightjacket to fight Goliath.’ More HERE

Google Books

Google Books is forced to ease its ironclad hold on copyright-protected books, HERE.

Listed Events

David Davies has published his review of free to air listed events, more HERE and the full report HERE and Government consultation on this here HERE

Arts and Heritage

Visual Art

Art Historian, former director of the National Gallery and current Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Arts has given this year’s Colin Matthew Memorial Lecture for the Public Understanding of History at Gresham College. It’s on the ‘The Institutionalisation of Art In Early Victorian England’ and you can read it HERE

The Holocaust (Stolen Art) Restitution Act, supported by the Shadow DCMS team, which allows museums to return art stolen during the World Wars comes into effect, HERE.

Charles Saatchi advises against becoming an artist, HERE.

More BoJo

For specific news on arts and culture in London and monthly updates on what the Mayor is doing in this area sign up here: HERE

Boris Johnson presented the Marsh Award for Public Sculpture at the Whitechapel Gallery this week HERE. This year’s award is shared between three new works and one restoration project. The main winner, Dream, is the creation of a Catalan artist Jaume Plensa and is constructed on the site of the disused Sutton Manor Colliery at St Helens, commissioned by former miners and St Helens Council as part of Channel 4’s Big Art Project more HERE

Boris’s office is also supporting the London Jazz Festival which runs until Sunday 22nd in venues across London more HERE

Aesthetics Row

Its is commonly know fact among philosophy students that philosophers like nothing better than a good slanging match, something that is equally true of critics. So we bring you a humdinger as Sunday Times art critic, Waldemar Januszczak, HERE attacks the latest book by philosopher Roger Scruton, Beauty, more HERE which examines the disappearance of the idea of beauty in modern art. Peter Whittle of the New Culture Forum says ‘in its sheer vileness [Januszczak’s review] manages to make you physically recoil from the paper in your hand.’ All of it makes Peter wonder: ‘Does he fear Scruton might have a point?’

Theatre

Alan Bennett’s gift for ringing up box-office success has the critics feeling giddy as The Habit of Art opens at the National HERE.

Leaner funding times could be good for the theatre argues Patrick Marmion HERE.

Stay sober, stay conscious and stay to the end – are these the only obligations theatre critics have? HERE and HERE

Arts and Business

Congratulations to the awards winners HERE The big news from the awards had nothing to do with any of the winners, it was the sudden announcement by the lady herself of the chair’s resignation. Helena Kennedy is leaving with immediate effect, one year into her second three year term, the rumour as reported in Simon Tait’s TaitMail: ‘she wanted to clear her decks for another big job, either with this government or the next one, but she keeps her own counsel and no-one has any idea what it is’.

In Parliament

The Queen’s speech, featuring the much vaunted Digital Economy Bill, HERE and a list of the thirteen bills, HERE

Where we’ve been and who we’ve seen

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Royal Armouries Leeds, Tate Modern, Google, Akram Khan in a remarkable evening, more HERE at Sadlers Wells, Beyonce at the O2, POLIS at the LSE, Manchester Media Festival, Roundhay Park in Leeds, Five Live tour, Erik Huggers.

Ed Vaizey

Shadow Arts Minister

Jeremy Hunt

Shadow Culture Secretary

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