Latest news with #TheOtherSongs
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE What the hell just happened! Britain's Remember Monday sign a megabucks Lloyd Webber deal
When Remember Monday took to the Eurovision stage last night fearing they might receive 'nul points' they knew they were already winners. Because, despite being the contest's UK entry, which is frequently ridiculed and harshly judged by our European rivals, the girlband have signed a seven-figure contract. For The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the £1million deal is with musical supremo Andrew Lloyd Webber and they will release songs on his label this year. Sources close to the impresario say he is convinced that the group, made up of Holly-Anne Hull, Charlotte Steele and Lauren Byrne, all aged 30, could be huge. One said: 'Andrew is genuinely excited by Remember Monday – he really does think they have something special, both in their vocal capabilities and with their stage presence.' The band, who sang What The Hell Just Happened? last night, will be represented by The Other Songs music company which Lord Lloyd-Webber founded with his sons Billy and Alistair. The firm is focused on nurturing songwriting talent and it prides itself on creating unique opportunities for emerging and established artists. The source added: 'He is utterly convinced they can go from strength to strength as a result of Eurovision. 'For some acts the contest is a last throw of the dice, but the new label deal shows how much faith he has in them going on to greater things now.' Remember Monday first rose to fame on ITV's talent show The Voice and have been followed by Lord Lloyd-Webber for several years as a result of the trio's backgrounds in West End theatre, including his own Phantom of the Opera musical. Sources close to the 77-year-old composer say he is now certain that the experience gained by the trio from Surrey as they competed in the Eurovision Song Contest has helped turn them into 'formidable' pop stars. Friends say he is 'utterly convinced' that Ms Hull, from Camberley, Ms Steele from Farnham and Ms Byrne from Fleet can go on to become stars, regardless of how many points What The Hell Just Happened? was awarded by the judges in Basel, Switzerland, last night. Remember Monday's name was inspired by their Monday meet-ups at college to rehearse together in Farnborough, Hampshire. Last week The Mail on Sunday revealed that the BBC had banned them from discussing politics in the run-up to Eurovision after posts on X were discovered from September 2020 when the band confirmed ahead of the release of a new song they would be donating '100 per cent of the proceeds from the single to a Black Lives Matter charity'. In April 2021, they also shared a post on X from the black country singer Jimmie Allen criticising police in America following the killing of George Floyd.
The Guardian
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
It's grand theft AI and UK ministers are behind it. Oppose this robbery of people's creativity
We are father and son: one has written 16 musicals and counting, the other cofounded The Other Songs, a leading independent record and publishing company. Our work has employed thousands globally, nurturing the next generation of talent. Copyright is the foundation that protects this, and all creative work: from music, theatre and literature to film and art. Copyright ensures creators retain control and are fairly compensated. It underpins the creative economy. Put simply, it allows artists and creatives to make a living. Endless studies have shown what a benefit that creativity – music, theatre, dance, art, film, TV, the list is endless – has on the rest of society. Yet, today, the UK government is proposing changes that would strip creators of this protection. Under the data (use and access) bill, AI companies would be allowed to take works, past and future, and use them as training data without consent or payment. These models digest vast amounts of human-created content and then generate imitations, bypassing the rights of the original creators. The government's proposed 'opt-out' system – the idea that they will always be in a position to preemptively reserve their rights – is a sham. It is technically impossible for artists to opt out. The government's consultation ends today, but we should be clear: this is not regulation, it is a free pass for AI to exploit creativity without consequence. AI can replicate patterns, but it does not create. If left unregulated, it will not just be a creative crisis, but an economic failure in the making. AI will flood the market with machine-generated imitations, undercutting human creativity and destroying industries that drive jobs, tourism and Britain's cultural identity. The creative industry on which we all thrive in myriad ways will stumble and falter. The government claims weakening copyright law will attract AI investment, and that it is offering 'a copyright regime that provides creators with real control, transparency, and helps them license their content', but there is no evidence to support this. Global AI firms will extract UK intellectual property while continuing their operations elsewhere, leaving British creators at a disadvantage. Meanwhile, responsible AI companies such as Adobe and DeepMind already license content, proving that regulation and innovation can coexist. The solution is clear. Beeban Kidron's amendments to the bill would introduce safeguards, ensuring AI firms seek permission and pay for the content they use. The alternative is, as she told the House of Lords last month, that we continue the 'delusion that the UK's best interest and economic future aligns with those of Silicon Valley'. Copyright protections are not a barrier to AI innovation; they are the foundation that allows creators to produce the high-quality work AI depends on. Without strong copyright laws, human creativity will be devalued and displaced by machines. Do we want our children to discover the next David Bowie, or David BowAI? We stand at a pivotal juncture. The streaming era has already diminished the value of songwriters to the extent that many struggle to make a living. Streaming revenue allocates about 15% to songwriters, while record labels and artists receive 55%, and streaming services claim 30%. Moreover, songwriters are not compensated upfront for their used songs by artists and labels, unlike in TV, film and theatre where there is an option for their works. Consequently, relying solely on 15% is an insurmountable challenge. Now, the UK risks making an even greater error. In 1710, Britain introduced the world's first copyright law, the Statute of Anne, setting the global standard for protecting creators. Until then, authors found the copyright to their work belonged to the printers of that work. Self-publishing was effectively illegal, but the statute gave writers the ability to own their own creations. This was right and now seems obvious. It is extraordinary that more than 300 years later this government is planning to dismantle those protections. Labour claims to represent working people. Creative artists are working people, and their work is of untold value economically, socially and, of course, culturally. An AI machine is not a person. It is time to step up and protect the people at the heart of the UK's unrivalled creative economy. If these efforts fail, we will all suffer. Andrew Lloyd Webber is a composer. Alastair Webber is a record label founder
