Member of Parliament (MP) Kevin Brennan has been elected as the chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Music in the UK.
The APPG for Music is one of the largest groups in Westminster with more than 100 members, who meet to discuss challenges and opportunities surrounding the music industry.
Labour MP Brennan is a former Shadow Culture Minister and also a keen musician. He was elected as chairman at the APPG’s inaugural meeting of this Parliament last week.
The MP has played key roles in the music industry, including backing the Musicians’ Union’s campaign to make sure performers and songwriters are paid fairly when their music is streamed. The campaign was in partnership with The Ivors Academy, an association for music writers, and resulted in a Bill going to Parliament in December.
The Private Members Bill was nicknamed the Brennan Bill and helped secure a commitment from the UK Government to come back to legislation if attempts to find a solution around streaming fails. Brennan has also played a leading role on the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee.
The Cardiff West Labour MP also spoke in the debate surrounding UK Music’s Power of Music report, which was published in conjunction with Music for Dementia, a campaign run by charitable trust The Utley Foundation.
Brennan said following his election: “I’m looking forward to working with all sectors of the UK’s world-leading music industry on a huge range of issues. This is a crucial time for the sector and I hope we can all work together to bring about positive changes and grow the industry.”
Conservative MP Sir Greg Knight and Labour MP Alex Sobel were elected as co-chairs of the APPG. Brennan replaces Conservative MP David Warburton in the role of chairman.
Image: Richard Townshend/ CC BY 3.0/Edited for size