Business News Labels & Publishers

UK labels support remaining in the EU, says BPI

By | Published on Monday 6 June 2016

European Commission

It’s not just popstars that are down on Brexit (well, Brexit-supporting rallies mainly), now the record labels are piling in as well. Good times.

UK record industry trade group the BPI recently surveyed its membership about the upcoming EU referendum, and 68% of those who took part said they would rather the UK stay within the Union, while of those with strong opinions, 78% supported the remain vote. The importance of the EU markets to British labels was confirmed by the survey, while 90% also felt it was important to remain part of the copyright debate in Europe.

Says BPI boss Geoff Taylor: “British music is riding high and now accounts for a quarter of the total market in Europe for recorded music. This success helps to create jobs in the UK and fund exceptionally high levels of investment by British labels into new music. A strong majority of the UK labels we polled believe that remaining in the EU is critical to their business and that leaving would risk harming their future prospects”.

He added: “Music and the wider creative industries are a major success story for the UK economy. Given the importance of exports to Europe to our business, we believe that the prospects for British music are brighter if the UK remains within the European Union”.

No word on how many label bosses just wanted to metaphorically slap Boris Johnson in the face. Perhaps that’s just an added bonus of the remain option.



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