UK Gov Turns Music Industry Support Up To 11

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Canadian musicians and music industry workers are often met with looks of envy and astonishment when talking to international counterparts about the support that the industry receives from the Canadian government. The UK Government is also heavily invested, financially and culturally, the music industry and this part week has brought a couple of announcements of increased support from the British parliament.

The government has made a commitment to support creative businesses with measures that could provide tax breaks on royalty and other creative industry income. In addition, Chancellor Alistair Darling set aside 10m pounds for the Government's international business development organisation, UK Trade and Investment, which works closely with the BPI and AIM. This at a time when the Canadian Government has cut international assistance for the music industry to the bone, and yet to replace it.

The big announcement is 26million pounds for job creation, mostly in the live music sector through 200 music festivals jobs.

At the same time, the British government is paying some due to the grass roots and to musicians themselves, with an inovative, youth-targetted rehearsal space program. Fully-equiped rehearsal facilities will be located in the Knotty Ash Youth Centre in Liverpool, where The Beatles played in 1962, as well as in Bristol, Norfolk, Hastings, St Austell in Cornwall and Washington in Tyne and Wear.

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