Sounds of Silence - More than 1,000 musicians – including Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn and Kate Bush – have released a silent album in protest at the UK government's planned changes to copyright law, which they say would make it easier for AI companies to train models using copyrighted work without a licence.
Under the new proposals, AI developers will be able to use creators' content on the internet to help develop their models, unless the rights holders elect to "opt out". The artists hope the album, entitled Is This What We Want?, will draw attention to the potential impact on livelihoods and the UK music industry. All profits will be donated to the charity Help Musicians.
"In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?" Kate Bush said in a statement. A public consultation on the legal changes closes later today, Tuesday.
Arts Funding - Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has announced a "transformative" injection of more than £270m into the culture sector, including £85m for urgent capital works to keep venues running. Theatre figures including playwright James Graham, director Kwame Kwei-Armah and Arts Council England chief executive Darren Henley have hailed the "much-needed" boost, with National Theatre co-chief executive Kate Varah claiming it demonstrated that the Labour government "keenly understands the arts".
However, Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre have cautioned that theatres alone required at least £500m over the next four years to prevent closures, following their warning last year that without such investment nearly 40% of venues were at risk of closure, and 40% would be too unsafe to use.
Hundreds of arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings are set to receive a share of the fund, entitled Arts Everywhere, with those in most urgent need promised targeted funds to carry out vital infrastructure work and improve long-term resilience.
On Track - Sir Tom Jones is to perform at a Lincolnshire racecourse. The 84-year-old Welsh superstar will be at the Market Rasen track on 16 August. It is one of a number of concerts scheduled there over the summer. Jones, who performed at the venue in 2015, said he was "really pleased to be returning".
Extra Seats - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has added an extra 50 seats to the Palace Theatre’s auditorium as it extends its West End run until February 2026. The move means there are now more tickets than ever up for grabs – 360,000 new tickets across the production’s two parts. The announcement coincides with the show welcoming its two-millionth audience member at the Palace Theatre this month, having spent more than eight years in the West End since its premiere in July 2016.
Palace Theatre owner Nica Burns, chief executive of Nimax Theatres, explained the new seats were a bid to improve sightlines in the theatre, and involved reseating the entire auditorium, which itself required various licence applications to be approved by stakeholders in order to go ahead.
Farewell - Rick Buckler, former drummer in The Jam, has died at the age of 69. The Jam rose to fame in the punk and new wave era of the late 1970s and are credited with inspiring a revival in mod fashion and music. The band were led by singer and guitarist Paul Weller, who posted on X that he was "shocked and saddened" by Buckler's death. Bass player Bruce Foxton said he was "devastated". In a statement, his family described him as a "loving husband, father and grandfather" who was "devoted to many" and will be "greatly missed".
Roberta Flack, best known for the hits The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Killing Me Softly With His Song, has died at the age of 88. "We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta Flack passed away this morning, 24 February 2025," said a statement from her representatives. "She died peacefully surrounded by her family. Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator." RIP
(Jim Evans)
