News

Women currently working in the entertainment sector have a final opportunity to register their interest in a scholarship worth up to £2,500 to support participation in an accredited leadership development program.

Funding must be apportioned by the end of February and it is unsure when these grants will be available again. Find out more and register your interest by completing the Expression of Interest form here prior to 5pm on 14 February: https://www.womenandleadership.org/funding.html

The DCMS has been asked to help the Office of the Small Business Commissioner gather informal evidence on the main concerns of the creative sector regarding late payment issues for freelancers and small businesses and is keen to hear ideas and recommendations from industry for effective solutions to encourage earlier payment of invoices. This could include any surveys or anecdotal evidence from trade bodies. A wider formal consultation across the sector will occur once a White Paper is launched.

Evidence or suggestions for solutions should be sent to Jacqueline Moore at jacqueline.moore@smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk by Friday January 24.

Every employer has a legal duty to assess and protect employees from work-related stress under the Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999.

Stress is a major cause of sickness absence in the workplace and costs over £5 billion a year in Great Britain. It affects individuals, their families and colleagues by impacting on their health, but it also has tremendous financial and operational impacts for employers.

Therefore, industry experts at HSE have developed and produced an online Stress Indicator Tool (SIT) that measures the attitudes and perceptions of employees towards work-related stress.

The team behind the ground-breaking ‘Blackout’ installation are pleased to release the results of the “UK Backstage Entertainment Industry’s Evaluation on Mental Health Awareness”.

This pioneering study was launched alongside the acclaimed 6-minute immersive experience at PLASA Olympia in September.  The Academic analysis was conducted by Dr Paul Hanna, Research Director in Clinical Psychology at the University of Surrey, who has been working with the core creative team since they launced the installation in May at The Guildford School of Acting.

Says Mig Burgess, who headed up the Blackout project:

“I am thrilled that as many as 1300 of our colleagues have contributed to this important survey.  We are so lucky to have Paul working with us on this evalution and its been a life long goal to gain more insight into mental health issues within the backstage industry I love so much.  The data collected is a fascinating read, and I look forward to working with Paul and the amazing associations and industry bodies that helped to fund the study, to see if we can implement actions that can help to promote awareness and reduce stigma around mental health.”   

The evaluation has been funded by leading industry associations PLASA, ALD, ASD ABTT and  PSA.

Dr Paul Hanna comments:

“This mental health evaluation of the UK Technical Backstage Entertainment Industry represents a very important first step in gaining a better understanding of mental health within the industry. The industry itself has a specific set of demands on its employees, due to the nature of the work undertaken, and the nature of the entertainment industry more generally, so it was important to establish an overview of mental health prevalence, attitudes and support within the industry. The industry is taking mental health very seriously, something represented by the commissioning of this report amongst many other initiatives, and whilst the report highlights many areas of improvement, the positive approach to mental health from leading industry bodies is particularly promising. I look forward to working with the industry over the coming years to help support a more positive approach to mental health for all involved in the industry”

The Blackout project, which was seeded by major players in the backstage entertainment industry, ramps up in the New Year with further initiatives with this project and an even more wide-ranging study.  

 The full report and findings can be found here: https://gsauk.org/research

We would appreciate your assistance in ensuring that your members understand the criteria so that appropriate cases are referred to either HSE or the relevant local authority.

Over 15 million working days were lost last year because of stress at work. According to the LFS survey almost 600,000 people experienced stress, anxiety or depression caused or aggravated by their work; they were responsible for 57% of all working days lost to ill health. This represents a significant cost to employers, employees and the GB economy. 

All Employers have a legal duty to protect employees from work related stress by doing a risk assessment and acting to tackle or remove any identified risks.

HSE will consider investigating concerns about work-related stress where:

• There is evidence that a number of staff are currently experiencing work-related stress or stress-related ill health, but
• HSE will not normally investigate concerns solely related to individual cases of bullying or harassment, but may consider this if there is evidence of a wider organisational failing, and
•  HSE would expect concerns about work-related stress to have been raised already with the employer, and for the employer to have been given sufficient time to respond accordingly.

Any HSE intervention will focus on the organisational arrangements in place and will not address individual circumstances.

HSE is always obliged to make decisions on any investigations in the light of other reactive priorities, so this guidance should not be read as a guarantee of how HSE will respond to any specific concern.

HSE has developed various free tools, available on its website  These include the Management Standards approach to work related stress. This approach has been supplemented by a talking toolkit which encourages employers to start a conversation (and risk assessment process) with employees. These tools can be used as part of the risk assessment process and contain suggestions for tackling any identified risks.

20/11/2019: UK Music’s inaugural Music By Numbers report published today (November 20) reveals the key role music plays in the economy.

The key facts in Music By Numbers 2019 include:

• The UK music industry contributed £5.2 billion to the UK economy in 2018.
• The Live Music sector made contribution of £1.1 billion in 2018 - up 10% from £991 million in 2017. 
• Employment in the industry hit an all-time high of 190,935 in 2018.
• The total export revenue of the music industry was £2.7 billion in 2018.
• Music tourism alone contributed £4.5 billion spend to the UK economy in 2018 - up 12% from £4 billion in 2017.
• Overseas visitors to UK shows and festivals surged by 10% from 810,000 in 2017 to 888,000 in 2018.

The flagship annual economic study by UK Music and its members showed that the music industry continued to grow last year across every sector.

Successful British acts including Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa and Sam Smith helped exports of UK music soar in 2018 to £2.7 billion.

Millions of fans who poured into concerts ranging from festivals to grassroots music venues generated a contribution of live music to the UK’s economy of £1.1 billion - up 10% on 2017.

UK Music measures the health of the music business each year by collating data from our partners about the industry’s contribution in goods and services, known as Gross Value Added (GVA), to the UK’s national income or Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Exports are part of this contribution.

Although Glastonbury Festival did not take place in 2018 when the data for the report was collected, the rise in the number of other festivals across the UK, particularly in Scotland, such as TRNSMT and Sunday Sessions, boosted the numbers.

Employment in the Live Music sector rose by 7% to 30,529 - up from 28,659 in 2017.

The recorded music sector contributed £568 million in GVA to the UK economy, which is a rise of 5% on £535 million in 2017, and £478 million in exports - an increase of 8% on £452 million. Reflected within this figure, label revenues rose 3% in 2018, representing the third year of consecutive growth.

UK Music CEO Michael Dugher said:

“Our report reveals firm evidence that the British music industry is in great shape and continuing to lead the world.

“The figures are hugely encouraging and show that, as well as enriching the lives of millions of people, music makes an incredible contribution to the UK’s economy.

“Live music is now at a record high and continues to draw millions of fans from both the UK and abroad to our arenas and smaller venues alike.

“Music exports are another amazing success story with the best of British creative talent being showcased across the globe.

“However, this is not a time for complacency. We face many challenges to ensure we keep our music industry vibrant, diverse and punching above its weight.

“We need to do more to protect grassroots venues by helping them combat soaring business rates. We need to nurture the talent pipeline, including by reversing the decline of music in education, so that children from every background have access to music.

“We need to make sure that creators get fair rewards for their content and are not ripped off by big tech. And we urgently need to ensure that the impact of Brexit doesn’t put in jeopardy the free movement of talent, just at the time when we should be looking outwards and backing the best of British talent right across the world”.

Writing in the report’s foreword, Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan said:

“This year’s Music By Numbers report reveals the industry is worth an amazing £5.2 billion to the economy and the live music sector is breaking the £1 billion barrier.

“We are seeing exciting new artists like Sam Fender, Dave and Little Simz achieve great success and the figures in this report are testament to the outstanding creativity of our world-leading artists.

“As this report reveals, music is a hugely successful British export worth £2.7 billion a year and we need to work together to ensure this success continues.

“We know there are also some specific challenges for the music industry. From protecting intellectual property to safeguarding the grassroots sector and growing the talent pipeline, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will continue working with UK Music to allow this country’s music industry to grow and flourish”.

Music Support, the peer-led music industry charity that provides confidential mental health and addiction services, is leading a new initiative by partnering with 10 UK companies and organisations to train music industry professionals in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA).

As it enters its fourth year, Music Support’s traction is testament that mental health and addiction conversations and actions have gained acceptance and uptake across the industry.

In 2018, Music Support began investing in Mental Health First Aid training for internal purposes to support its staff and volunteers, enabling them to build knowledge and continue to act effectively in helping others.

Once the value of this training became clear, it was acknowledged as a vital gateway to equip the industry with a basic level of mental health understanding. The industry is now collectively working hard to confront and develop its approach to the areas of mental health and addiction; this initiative is aimed to address and support that need.

In landmark partnering Music Support will work with The Event Safety Shop (TESS), a live event production safety service; industry charities Help Musicians and The BRIT Trust - the charitable arm of BPI; PLASA, the Professional Lighting and Sound Association; The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF); Production Park, a community of live events businesses and studios; Backstage Academy, a higher education provider specialising in the live events industry; The Production Services Association (PSA) and its benevolent fund, Stage Hand; and Thrive: MentalWellbeing, a new, NHS-endorsed, clinically effective app designed to help people combat stress.

MHFA England is the only organisation in England permitted to provide Mental Health First Aider Instructor Training, licensed by Mental Health First Aid International, the global community that has trained over three million people worldwide, and over 400,000 in England alone.

 Music Support’s Matt Thomas, Co-Founder and Chair of Trustees comments: “MHFA training is becoming a priority for businesses across many industries and sectors, both nationally and internationally. We’ve received a lot of support and encouragement from partners about the prospect of Music Support delivering training, and MHFA England is currently campaigning for the Government to put mental and physical health on an even footing. This is gaining traction from politicians and is likely to become an area of statutory responsibility for employers in the future. Now is the time for our industry to get in ahead of the curve.”

Help Musicians has insights that show the life of musicians can be precarious, therefore the charity aims to influence positive change and sustain careers across the sector by promoting musicians’ wellbeing.

Claire Gevaux, Help Musicians Director of Programme says: "We have been working closely with the team at Music Support for the past year and it's exciting to announce this new collaboration which will bring vital resources in the form of Mental Health First Aid training to the sector. We recognised the entrepreneurial approach of Music Support to build a network of Mental Health First Aiders as a step in the right direction towards supporting a safe working environment for musicians so that they thrive in their working lives.

“We’re delighted that our catalytic investment in this training programme has received such collective support from a diverse array of sector partners and that we’ve been able to offer our National Grants Programme funded organisations a more holistic package of support.”

Maggie Crowe OBE, BPI Director of Events & Charities and BRIT Trust Trustee, comments: “Music Support is doing important work to help promote mental wellbeing in our industry, and The BRIT Trust is proud to be supporting this exciting initiative which will not only help to create better awareness and understanding of mental health in the workplace, but will also support the creative environment for future talent." 

Music Support’s partners represent a broad cross section of professionals, with backstage and event production crew being under unique pressures.   

TESS Director, Simon James, states: “With three decades working in live events, I have too many personal experiences witnessing people suffering with mental health issues without adequate support. We work in a pressured environment and we’re very proud to do what we can in assisting Music Support in bringing empathetic, professional help into the music industry.”

Thomas, concludes: “Ultimately, we’d like this initiative to be an industry-wide adoption of good practice which will significantly improve mental health literacy and the industry’s capacity to prevent and respond.”

https://www.musicsupport.org

We regularly receive VAT updates from the excellent AVALARA. They recently shared a link to an article authored by their Glabal Indirect Tax specialist, Richard Asquith. It's a neat synopsis of the changes that VAT registered businesses need to make.

Read it HERE

On 1 October 2019, the European Commission adopted a package of 10 ecodesign regulations, including ecodesign requirements for light sources. The text was voted in December last year by the regulatory committee on ecodesign.

The European Entertainment Ecodesign Coalition*, a European-wide group of associations representing the entertainment, lighting design, live performance and film/TV sectors welcomes the text. Thanks to a number of technical exemptions, the vast majority of light sources needed on stage as well as in film studios can continue to be used. However, given the inconsistency of an article on strong white lights, the group proposed an amendment with a request for consideration in the regulatory committee on ecodesign.   

The new provisions of the so-called ‘Single Lighting Regulation’ will be applicable as of September 2021.

On October 16th, the European Commission launched the activities of the newly created ELA-European Labour Authority with an inaugural ceremony and the first meeting of its Management Board.
It is said that the Authority will provide workers and employers with better access to information on their rights and obligations and will support national labour authorities in their cross-border activities. This will directly support the millions of Europeans who live or work in another Member State as well as the millions of businesses operating cross-border in the EU.

Pearle, the European live performance alliance, welcomes the fact that one of the aims of the ELA is to facilitate the access to information and services to citizens and business about their rights and obligations. However, Pearle wonders to which extent the information provided will really serve employers in accessing the information they need. Therefore, a comprehensive and sector-wide needs analysis should be part of the start-up phase of ELA.

Pearle is also critical on the focus of enforcement and joint inspections, which is the second aim of ELA. Pearle is of the opinion that enforcement is only justifiable if all necessary information is available to employers, and if easy and user-friendly systems of declarations are developed by member states, as those incentivise rather than frighten employers to still provide services across borders. In the current economic situation, it is of utmost importance that the free movement of services is not hindered by overly administrative and enforcement rules but is supported and facilitated.

Pearle therefore calls upon the Commission to put SMEs at first as they do not have the financial means nor the administrative staff to find out in each country the targeted and necessary information, administrative formalities and others. This is particularly the case for SMEs in the live performance sector that have