One in seven

A letter from behind the Times paywall reinforces my point about the contribution BBC Radio makes to the success of modern British music. It comes from Ged Doherty, who is chairman of the British Phonographic Industry and the Brits. A Glaswegian, he started out booking punk bands while at Sheffield Poly (and working at The Limit Club), and moved to manage Paul Young and Alison Moyet - thence through big record labels like Epic, Columbia, Arista, BMG and finally Sony Music UK.

Sir, On countless occasions I have witnessed the impact of the BBC and the role it plays in helping British talent globally. 

One of the reasons British music is thriving is due to artists being exposed to all kinds of influences as they grow up listening to the BBC, giving them that vital creative edge that helps them to become world beaters. 

Music is one of Britain’s success stories. It not only creates a dynamic vision of the UK, but also boosts our global exports – last year one in seven albums sold overseas was by a British artist. This success is underpinned by the BBC’s commitment to music in all its forms. 

The discovery and breaking of new artists would be severely damaged were BBC Radio to be curtailed, especially as there are desperately few outlets for music on television. 

This, combined with so many live venues being forced to close, is giving rise to huge concerns across the music community. 

Ged Doherty