Copyright Matters - The controversial data bill, which has garnered opposition from leading industry figures including Elton John, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ian McKellen, has passed through parliament without an amendment that would have given creatives more control over their work.
The Data (Use and Access) Bill is now ready for royal assent and has passed without an amendment that would have ensured copyright owners were given transparency over the "scraping" of their intellectual property by big tech.
The ultimate defeat of the amendment, spearheaded by crossbench peer and filmmaker Beeban Kidron, represents a disappointment for swathes of creatives, who urged the government to accept the amendment to protect against "the mass theft of creative works that continues to take place".
Speaking in support of passing the bill without the amendment, Labour’s undersecretary of state for business and trade Maggie Jones said: "This will speed up our work, make it more comprehensive and provide parliament with a meaningful update within six months – a clock that only starts ticking once this bill has passed. These steps increase engagement and accountability, but without pre-judging or pre-empting the consultation to which so many took the time to respond."
Beeban Kidron responded: "While the government says it is ‘premature’ to give transparency to prevent our work being stolen, they are sacrificing UK businesses to invest our future and our tax receipts in AI, in advance of any economic assessment and without any analysis of to whom the money will go. It is economically illiterate and morally and culturally indefensible."
Tax Relief - There are calls for tax relief and lower VAT on tickets to support the festival industry. The East Anglian Festivals Network (EAFN) says 25 events across the region have been cancelled in 2025. Amongst the most notable was the Cambridge Folk Festival, run by Cambridge City Council. Papers published by the council show the event made a loss on £320,000 in 2024. The EAFN, which works with councils and other festival organisers, say costs are increasing, making it difficult for organisers to run a financially sustainable event.
Cornwall Calling - Fisherman's Friends are set to stage their own festival next year – as their popularity now makes it impossible for them to perform in their home village in Cornwall. The folk group has announced plans to host the first Fisherman's Friends Festival in May 2026. The sea shanty band from Port Isaac, who have been performing together since 1995, can no longer perform in the village as "too many people turn up for it to be safe".
Having previously played the main stage at Glastonbury and the Royal Albert Hall, they said a festival seemed "like a natural progression" for them. Band member Jon Cleave said it would be a "brand new festival down in the very heart of our wondrous county at Stithians, in what promises to be a Cornish occasion for all friends you've known for years and for all those you've yet to meet." Jools Holland and his 2 Rhythm & Blues Orchestra will perform as well as Kate Rusby, Celtic band Skipinnish and others.
Chart Topper - Rock band Pulp have achieved their first official number one album in 27 years with their new release More. The Sheffield band have not topped the album chart since they released This Is Hardcore in 1998. Released on 6 June, the new album was produced by James Ford, who has worked with bands including Arctic Monkeys, Florence and the Machine and Kylie Minogue.
Brummie Icon - Two city centre exhibitions dedicated to the achievements of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath are set to celebrate "a true Brummie icon", organisers say. The shows, to coincide with the band's final reunion gig in Birmingham in July, were "a thank you to the fans and the city of Birmingham – the place where it all began", said Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's wife. "Ozzy is proof that no matter where you start in life, with passion, grit, and a little bit of madness, you can achieve the extraordinary. We're so proud to bring it home."
Honours Board - Roger Daltrey, frontman of 1960s-formed rock group The Who and a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust – known for its annual fundraising concerts at the Royal Albert Hall – has been knighted for services to charity and music. Sir Roger said he was accepting the knighthood "on behalf of all those unsung people who had worked to make the charity the success it had become".
Musicians Steve Winwood and 10cc's Graham Gouldman have both been made MBEs, while there are OBEs for Stuart Worden, head of the BRIT School since 2012, and BBC Proms director David Pickard.
(Jim Evans)