The British Phonographic Industry

The British phonographic Industry; Introduction and historical development

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) was launched in 1972, although was formally incorporated in 1973, and has since been representing the interests of British record companies. The industry started off with just five members and its principle aim was to fight the growing problem of music piracy. Since then, the BPI now represents 267 record companies to date ranging from small independent labels, these includeV2, Independiente and Mushroom, to multi-national corporations such as BMG and EMI. Everyone who works for the BPI has one aim in common: to help create an environment in which the British music business can thrive and remain a world leader (BPI Handbook). To achieve this, the BPI’s work has been concentrated in four main areas. Firstly, to fight against music piracy on a commercial scale. Secondly to gain Rights’ negotiation and the provision of legal expertise to lobby government on behalf of t...