Sweet music

THE Parliamentary All-Party Music Group meets with representatives from the music industry to discuss government policy.

This year there have been two pieces of legislation affecting the industry with the Licensing and the Broadcasting Bills.

This week our group visited a recording studio close to the House of Commons.

We met record producer Robin Miller.
He has worked with some of the biggest acts in British music including Sade, The Fine Young Cannibals and our own Manic Street Preachers.

He told us how new technology means you can record a Number One hit in your bedroom and many traditional studios are having to close.

Every musical sound is being digitally recorded, and live musicians are used less and less.
He also told us about a backlash against the automation of music.
Guitar based bands are becoming popular again with young people.

You can't record a band in your bedroom, unless you want to fall out with your neighbours. So not all recording studios are in trouble.

Pete Wishart, the Scottish Nationalist MP was once the keyboard player for Runrig.
We also had a drummer and bass player in our group, and with me on guitar we had a go ourselves.

We didn't have the former lead singer of The Ugly Rumours, Tony Blair with us, but it is a sign of our times when the Prime Minister is ten years younger than the lead singer of The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger.

We trundled through a Beatles classic roughly in time and in tune.
I don't think however, that we'll be troubling the Bookies currently compiling the odds for this year's Christmas number one.

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