BPI warns BBC over music streaming plans

The UK music industry has slammed the BBC’s tentative plans to offer 50,000 tracks a month after they’ve been played on various BBC radio and television stations.

As reported in TMN, the idea was mooted on Monday by BBC Director General Tony Hall, will allow listeners to create their own playlists from what the BBC chooses to play. The new “discovery” service, to build on its existing music curation and recommendation service BBC Playlister, would be a boon for younger and independent UK acts.

But the music industry has stressed that the BBC must pay royalties if the service is to be “viable.”

Geoff Taylor, CEO of UK music trade body the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) said at a BPI meeting (quoted by music business strategy and information company Music Ally) that he understood the BBC needed to launch the service.

“The BBC is concerned that it may lose its audience share to the new additional services, particularly the on-demand ones. We understand why the BBC would want to be where the audience is, and make sure it is as relevant as possible – particularly to younger music fans.”

But, he stressed, “If the BBC is going to launch such a service, then it needs to bring the industry with it. There will have to be a sensible deal behind it if it going to happen.”

Rather than compete with commercial players as Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music, the proposed BBC service would integrate with them. The BBC explained, “Users will be able to transfer playlists between digital music products, and access them after BBC availability has expired through third-party providers.”

The BBC has stated that it has already started working with the music industry on licensing deals and that there had been a “very positive” response to the proposal.