Politicians to join music industry debate

A special debate on issues affecting the music industry is to be attended by representatives of the major political parties in Britain.

On Friday April 30th 2010, Richard Bacon will host an hour-long debate on BBC 6 Music, where he will be joined by culture minister Margaret Hodge and shadow culture secretary John Whittingdale.

Don Foster, culture spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, will also take part, along with head of UK Music Feargal Sharkey.

Many issues are likely to be on the agenda during tomorrow's debate, including how to nurture new musical talent, the impact of music piracy and dealing with ticket touts.

Paul Rodgers, editor of BBC 6 Music, commented: "The music industry is incredibly important to millions of people."

He added that the station is the "natural home" for a debate that "gets under the skin" of issues that affect the industry itself and music fans in Britain.

The debate should give Sharkey an opportunity to reiterate his recent calls for more government support for the music industry.

Earlier this week, UK Music and New Deal of the Mind wrote in a letter to the Times that this is important because the creative industries contribute £50 billion to the British economy every year.

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