PCAM MEMBER NEWSLETTER:
JULY 2026
Dear PCAM Member,
This is the latest in a series of Newsletters that we publish five times a year, following meetings of the PCAM Committee. Each Newsletter contains a brief report from the recent Committee meeting, plus other current news and a case study from the PCAM Helpdesk.
We would like to receive more contributions to the Newsletter from PCAM members. If you want to write something for inclusion or send us a link to something interesting you have read or seen, please contact PCAM Administrator Bob Fromer on: [email protected].
Best regards,
The PCAM Committee
CONTENTS
— Message from the Chair
— PCAM Summer Social
— PCAM reconnects with the CRA
— Feature Story: Update on Government, AI, and copyright
— Where AI policy and creative industries are pulling apart
— PCAM Chair Paul Reynolds supports The Blood Fund in charity cycle ride
— New MU rates for session musicians now on the PCAM website
— Southern Sinfonia Orchestra seeks new Musical Director
— PCAM Q&As Volume 6 now available
— Notes from the PCAM Committee Meeting: 9 June 2026
— Music Industry Assistant
— Case Study from the PCAM Helpdesk
— PCAM Social Media
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Dear PCAM Members,
Welcome to our latest update following our recent in-person committee meeting and Summer Social. It was fantastic to see so many of you in person, and as we look toward the second half of the year, I want to share our collective thoughts on where the market stands and how we can best navigate it together.
The Current Market: Volatility and the AI Goldrush
Broadly speaking, there has not been a massive structural change in the industry since our last update, but a very specific trend is becoming much more pronounced. We are seeing a distinct polarisation in the market: some clients and brands are doing exceptionally well, while others are severely struggling.
The broader economic picture remains highly volatile, with continued recessionary pressures impacting major client sectors such as manufacturing. Compounding this, the current “AI goldrush” is actively diverting massive amounts of corporate investment away from traditional creative avenues as companies scramble to fund tech infrastructure. Unsurprisingly, this ongoing uncertainty means the general mood across the industry remains quite low and nervous.
However, it is vital to keep perspective. Ads are still being created. The project numbers and the data are absolutely there. The work is still being commissioned. It simply shifts where it lands and how it is distributed.
Our Advice: Keep Overheads Low, Pitch Like Crazy
Because of these fragmented trading conditions, our core advice to members right now is straightforward: keep your overheads low and pitch like crazy.
When budgets are volatile, financial agility is your greatest asset. At the same time, because clients are feeling nervous, proactive outreach is critical. Do not wait for the briefs to come to you. Be relentless with your self-promotion, keep your showreels highly targeted, and push for every available opportunity. The volume is out there, but you have to be highly visible to capture it.
Holding the Line: PCAM Rates and Guidance
At our recent meeting, the Committee spent significant time discussing how to budget in this climate, specifically regarding PCAM rates.
We frequently receive feedback from members who find it difficult to achieve our recommended rates in negotiations with certain clients. It is important to emphasise that these figures are intended as guidance. They are a tool to empower you, not a rigid rulebook. However, it is equally important to know that many composers and producers do successfully secure these rates every single day.
The danger of lowering our collective benchmark in response to temporary market pressures is obvious: once the industry standard drops, it becomes nearly impossible to raise it back up. We have recently reviewed and updated all of our online guidance pages to ensure they reflect the modern landscape. We always welcome your feedback, so if you have suggestions on how we can further improve or update these resources, please reach out to the Committee ([email protected]).
Stay resilient, keep pushing your work forward, and let’s support each other through the months ahead.
Best regards,
Paul Reynolds PCAM Chair
PCAM SUMMER SOCIAL
The 2026 PCAM Summer Social brought together PCAM members and Committee members, plus representatives from other media music organisations and charities, and proved to be a great evening of industry networking and chat, as Chris Smith and Simon Surtees report.
Chris Smith: PCAM’s summer social event took place for the second year running at the Refinery Bar and Restaurant in NW1 on June 9th, following a meeting of the Committee at the Old Diorama Arts Centre.
Although the weather was not quite as balmy as we might have wished, the event nevertheless drew a very respectable gathering of around forty people, with a very heartening mixture of familiar faces, old friends, new members, and colleagues from other areas of the industry.
It was also very encouraging to see a number of both current and former mentees from PCAM’s mentorship programme, now embarking on its second year following its hugely successful launch in 2025.
Given that our industry has become geographically so widespread (compared to the days when more or less the entire industry inhabited half a square mile of Soho!) and business is so frequently conducted via email and Zoom calls, it was a pleasure to witness the enthusiasm with which all who attended embraced the opportunity to hang out, catch up with old friends, and meet new fresh faces, whilst enjoying some excellent finger food and some free drinks, courtesy of PCAM.
PCAM is very grateful to Michelle Murchan and Bob Fromer for organising the event and would like to thank all those who found the time to turn up and have fun!
Simon Surtees: The evening was a hive of energy as a broad range of composers, producers, and creatives from across the music for media and advertising industries came together to connect, share stories, and build networks. It was fantastic to see industry stalwarts deep in conversation with emerging talent, comparing careers, insights, and funny stories from their career journeys.
We were delighted to welcome our new Committee member, Irma Holgren Holm, who, as a publishing administrator, will bring a different insight and expertise to the table.
Big thanks to all who came along - from longstanding supporters to potential new members – and to those who continue to support PCAM’s work, helping us to protect the rights, working conditions, and value of professional music creators. Your support really does make a difference and helps keep our mission alive.
PCAM RECONNECTS WITH THE CRA
On Wednesday 17 June, PCAM Committee members Irma Holmgren Holm and Simon Surtees attended the CRA’s summer drinks event.
The CRA represents 21 major creator-led groups, trade associations, and unions, between them representing over 500,000 creator members and over several million individuals working as creators in the UK, from authors, translators, and journalists to artists, illustrators, performers, and musicians.
Simon and Irma attended on behalf of PCAM to create networking connections with colleagues across the creative industries as we work together on policy issues directly affecting all UK creators, such as the impact of generative AI, copyright and intellectual property, fairer contract terms, pay, and working conditions.
FEATURE STORY: UPDATE ON GOVERNMENT, AI, AND COPYRIGHT
Simon Surtees reports: The government has identified four work-streams to progress (highlighted further down in this report) but there has been little development since March. The first thing to happen will be a consultation on digital replicas this summer.
There was no AI or copyright legislation announcement in the recent King’s Speech, which means the government does not plan to introduce a Bill in the next year.
As required under the Data Act 2025, on 18 March 2026 the UK Government published:
- A Report on Copyright and AI providing an analysis of the areas set out in the Government’s consultation on AI and Copyright.
- An Impact Assessment evaluating potential economic effects of the policy options set out in the AI and copyright consultation.
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall also published a Written Statement setting out the Government’s high- level position and direction of travel. PRS Chief Executive Andrea Czapary Martin and PRS lobbyist Julia Rowan met Liz Kendall in advance of 18 March to discuss the Government’s announcement and future engagement with stakeholders.
Potential copyright reform to facilitate AI training
The Government says it “no longer has a preferred policy option” on copyright and AI training, acknowledging strong opposition to the formerly proposed text and data mining (TDM) exception with a rights reservation, and the considerable uncertainty around its potential outcomes and feasibility. It will now gather further evidence on how copyright impacts AI development and deployment and the potential economic impact of copyright reform. While not included in Kendall’s statement setting out the Government’s main areas of focus, the report states the Government may consider alternative options for a focused exception, should evidence emerge that such an approach would support responsible AI development, whilst at the same time ensuring that creators retain control over their works and are fairly remunerated.
Computer-generated works
The Government proposes to remove section 9(3) of the CDPA 1988 (Copyrights, Designs & Patents Act) which provides protection for computer-generated works with no human author, in absence of evidence of its ongoing value.
Transparency
The Government supports the principle of greater transparency but does not intend to legislate at this time. It will monitor effects of transparency provisions in the EU and work with industry on technical feasibility and best practice.
The Government has identified four areas for the next phase of its work:
- Digital replicas: consultation to launch in the summer to seek views on how to address harms of unauthorised use of an individual’s likeness by AI tools.
- Labelling AI-generated content: taskforce to be established to put forward proposals for the Government on best practice, with an interim report to be published in the autumn.
- Creator control and transparency: review of the mechanisms available for creators to control work online, including standards and technical solutions for input transparency, to inform the potential need for government intervention.
- Independent creatives : working group to explore if there is a role for government to support independent and smaller creative organisations in AI licensing.
PRS will continue to actively engage with the Government as it progresses the above work-streams.
Across the Channel, the European Commission has launched a call for evidence “to gather feedback on possible targeted measures to modernise the EU copyright framework”, with a particular focus on AI. PRS is engaging with this work, and there is more information here: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/ commission-seeks-views-review-eu-copyright-rules.
WHERE AI POLICY AND THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES ARE PULLING APART
PCAM Committee member Chris Green describes a growing tension between the government’s AI direction and the needs of the creative sector.
The government is now backing sovereign AI in earnest. Its £500 million Sovereign AI programme, launched in April, rests on the idea that the UK should be, in the Prime Minister’s phrase, an AI maker rather than an AI taker, with domestic capacity and less dependence on overseas providers. That ambition has begun to reach music, with work underway to build a UK sovereign open-source music model.
This sits awkwardly against the evidence of how creative businesses actually adopt AI well. Creative UK’s recent report for the DCMS, AI & Emerging Technology Adoption in the Cultural and Creative Industries, finds that the firms handling AI most successfully are retraining models on data they own and control. Framestore, for instance, retrains open-source models on its own material to reduce copyright and IP exposure, while Disguise trained its tool solely on its own documentation. The pattern is consistent: ownership and provenance are what make adoption defensible in a sector built on authorship.
A single national model, trained centrally, runs in the opposite direction to that. I believe the creative industries need a different answer to AI than health, law, or financial services do. General-purpose models serve those sectors well. They do not serve work where identity, authorship, and ownership are the whole point.
This is exactly what Khaos, the project I am building, is for: artist-owned models trained on the artist’s own work. My model is now working, and I’ve invited members of the Committee to try it.
PCAM CHAIR PAUL REYNOLDS SUPPORTS THE BLOOD FUND IN CHARITY CYCLE RIDE
Paul Reynolds writes: I’m pleased to say that after 1,167 km, and the equivalent of twice the ascent of Everest, all 35 of The Fireflies Tour cyclists completed the epic journey from Venice to Menton last month, raising over £100,000 along the way for The Blood Fund, a blood cancer charity based at Hammersmith Hospital.
At times I was unsure if I could finish the ride, especially on a stage that took us 227km through the Italian countryside and paddy fields in a searing 39 degrees. The days were long (and hot!) but the camaraderie was incredible.
Despite how hard it was, I’ll certainly be going back to do it all again.
To find out more, visit https://thefirefliestour.com/#story, and to support, go here: https://imperialcharity.enthuse.com/pf/paul-reynolds.
NEW MU RATES FOR SESSION MUSICIANS NOW ON THE PCAM WEBSITE
Details of the new MU-IPA Agreement on musicians’ session fees were recently sent to all PCAM members in a Newsflash and are now available on the PCAM website.
PCAM Committee member Tony Satchell is continuing to talk to Eliot Liss, Head of Production at the IPA, about the possibility of their issuing guidance on issues raised by AI.
SOUTHERN SINFONIA ORCHESTRA SEEKS NEW MUSICAL DIRECTOR
PCAM Committee member Chris Smith is a director of the Southern Sinfonia Orchestra, which is currently seeking to appoint a new Artistic and Musical Director. See below for details.
Southern Sinfonia is seeking an exceptional and visionary Artistic and Musical Director to help shape the future of music and culture in Somerset.
Based in Taunton and developing an ambitious artistic partnership with the Brewhouse Theatre and potentially Hestercombe House and Gardens, as well as the wider community of Taunton, Southern Sinfonia is entering an exciting new phase: one that aims to establish Taunton as a significant cultural destination and Hestercombe as an important centre for classical music and the arts in the South West. The Sinfonia will also continue its residency at Wellington School and is preparing to deliver a series of funded Music for Autism workshops across the Southwest.
We are seeking an inspiring artistic leader with a clear commitment to building strong local or regional connections who shares our ambition to create an outstanding professional orchestra for the future: an orchestra that is artistically adventurous, deeply rooted in its community, and capable of presenting a wide range of musical experience.
This is far more than a traditional conducting role. The successful candidate will help shape:
- a bold artistic vision for the orchestra
- ambitious programming spanning classical, film, contemporary works
- major performances, festivals and outdoor events
- educational and community engagement projects
- partnerships across culture, tourism and education
- audience growth and regional cultural identity
- Taunton’s growing ambition to become one of the UK’s leading cultural destinations
We are looking for someone who combines:
- outstanding musicianship and conducting ability
- entrepreneurial vision and creative energy
- strong communication and public engagement skills
- a passion for accessible, high-quality live music
- experience in audience development and partnership-building
- commitment to nurturing musicians and developing future talent in the area
- belief in the transformative power of regional culture
This is a rare opportunity to help create something genuinely distinctive in the South West: a vibrant, professional orchestra connected to place, heritage, landscape, and community.
Southern Sinfonia welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds and is committed to encouraging a diverse field of applicants.
To express interest, please send:
- a covering letter
- CV/biography
- examples of recent programming and artistic work
- links to performances where available to: [email protected]
Closing date: 17 July 2026.
PCAM Q&As VOLUME 6 NOW AVAILABLE!
Every year, PCAM publishes an anthology of questions sent by members to the PCAM Helpdesk over the past 12 months, and the answers provided by PCAM Committee member and Helpdesk guru Tony Satchell.
The latest Q&A anthology, consisting of questions submitted between April 2025 and April 2026, has just been published. It’s now available on the website as HELPDESK – VOLUME 6, and can be found here.
It’s always worth glancing through these anthologies of questions and answers, as most of them are addressing problems faced by many media composers.
You can also find Helpdesk Q&As Volumes 1-5, from 2020 through 2025, on the same page.
If you want to pose a question to the Helpdesk or discuss a problem, just email [email protected].
NOTES FROM THE PCAM COMMITTEE MEETING: 9 JUNE 2026
The PCAM Committee’s most recent get-together was a (mostly) in-person meeting on Tuesday 9 June at the Old Diorama Arts Centre in London. Below is a summary of topics discussed at the meeting that have not already been covered in the articles above.
Attendance:
Present: Paul Reynolds (Chair), Chris Smith, Simon Surtees, Greg Owens, Irma Holmgren Holm, Chris Green (Remote), Blair Mowat (Remote), Michelle Murchan, Bob Fromer.
Apologies: Tony Satchell, Simon Elms, Bankey Ojo, Becky Wixon, Jonathan Watts, Amelia Vernede.
New PCAM Committee member. Irma Holmgren Holm from Sounds Like Publishing, has joined the PCAM Committee. Sounds Like Publishing does publishing administration for composers, music companies, brands, etc, and works to pressure the PRS on issues such as mechanicals. Originally set up in Amsterdam, the company now operates world-wide, in part through a network of sub-publishers.
PRS Media Music Group, royalties from streaming services, and next steps. Following the most recent meeting of the PRS Media Music Group, at which Chris Smith and others forcefully raised the issue of royalties from ads on streaming services, PRS has given an undertaking that this will be an agenda item for the group in future and will be actively pursued.
Chris had told the meeting that BARB has been able to offer data from dedicated streaming platforms for at least five years, and another online attendee confirmed that advertising agencies regularly obtain data on commercials being streamed in order to report to their clients. Meanwhile, KODA, the Danish Performing Right Organisation, appears to have made a breakthrough on data-gathering from streaming platforms and will be paying royalties for commercials going forward.
The PRS is looking to develop a partnership with the digital data provider that services BARB, and will also be liaising with KODA to learn how they have managed to solve this issue.
Chris Smith will contact Dave Newton and Caryn McEwen at PRS to ask for a meeting on this subject so we can get an update and exert pressure to move things towards a result.
Report from meeting on the Education Project and the PCAM-Ivors relationship. Paul Reynolds, Chris Smith, Bankey Ojo, and Bob Fromer from the PCAM Committee held a productive all-day meeting on 1 May to update the Education Project Prospectus in light of a possible partnership with the Ivors Academy that could produce funding for the project. Another key topic at the meeting was how future relations with the Ivors might be structured.
The introductory text and the list of Education Project modules for the Prospectus has now largely been re-written based on discussions at the meeting, and once we have updated costings for the project and re-drafted the Prospectus, another meeting will be arranged with Ivors Chair Tom Gray to see how we can move things forward.
The Ivors has joint membership arrangements with other industry organisations which include discounts on membership costs, and we would like to discuss a similar arrangement between PCAM and the Ivors – an arrangement that we will think will give us much more exposure and ultimately more members.
2026 Mentorship Programme. The 2026 PCAM Mentorship Programme is now underway, with eight mentor-mentee pairs. Reports of early sessions have been enthusiastic, and the project will run into the autumn, with at least six contact hours between each mentor and mentee.
AI Updates. Shortly before the meeting, Simon Surtees had circulated an update from PRS on its discussions with the government about AI (see Feature Article above).
A key point was that the government has acknowledged strong opposition to its proposed text on a data mining (TDM) exception and currently has “no preferred policy option” on this. Instead, it will gather further evidence on how copyright impacts AI development and deployment and the potential economic impact of copyright reform, but there are no plans for legislation this year and possibly next year. All this reflects the fact that Liz Kendall, who succeeded Peter Kyle as DSIT Minister, has much more sympathy with the issues posed by AI to the creative sector.
The PRS update also notes that the EU is looking at modernising its copyright framework, and PRS is engaging with this work.
On the downside, it appears that Rachel Reeves, in her constant quest for “growth”, is looking to test AI applications in ways that current regulations would prohibit.
Chris Green told the meeting that the government is pushing sovereign AI models, and UAL (University of the Arts London) has a massive DCMS grant to develop the first UK sovereign open source music model, currently training it mostly on library music. This is a very different approach to music than the direction advocated by Creative UK, which argues that the best way forward is companies training internal AI models on data they own (see a longer statement on this topic from Chris earlier in this Newsletter).
It’s clear, Chris said, that the UK needs a very different solution to AI than is required by health, law, financial services, etc: general AI apps can work in these sectors but not in the creative industries.
State of the industry. There was a brief discussion on the current state of business in the applied music industry.
Irma Holmgren Holm told the meeting that she hasn’t seen much change in the level of activity, though some music companies were doing more than others. However, everyone is worried about the effects of AI as well as energy costs and Agencies taking production in-house.
Paul Reynolds reported that morale in production and ad music is low, with “no stimulus in the UK for doing well, only punishment”. Though a lot of companies have buried their heads in the sand, this is probably the new normal, not just a downturn.
Greg Owens said that while craft and high quality still have a future, this was less true for standard multi-version productions or library music.
Paul agreed: we’re still seeing the middle ground disappearing, he said, which is unfortunately where a lot of PCAM members sit. Spending on music for ads is probably up overall, but most of it is going to the big companies.
The advice for PCAM members is to keep overheads low and debt manageable, and while PCAM recommended rates should still be used in pitching for jobs, members should be prepared to negotiate.
This does raise the question of whether PCAM recommended rates are too high – but the consensus was that to bring them down as a starting point would only accelerate a race to the bottom.
Next ECSA Conference. Chris Smith told the meeting that the next ECSA Conference will be held in conjunction with the Camille Awards in Vienna on 22 September 2026. Chris and PCAM Chair Paul Reynolds are planning to attend.
Remaining PCAM Committee Meeting Dates in 2026:
- Tuesday 8 September (Remote)
- Tuesday 10 November (Remote)
All PCAM Committee meetings are open to members to attend. Any PCAM member interested in attending a PCAM Committee meeting should contact PCAM Administrator Bob Fromer ([email protected]).
MUSIC INDUSTRY ASSISTANT
With extensive experience across the music and creative industries, I’ve worked with organisations including BASCA/Ivors, BBC, Arts Council England, TV production companies, and numerous media composers. This background gives me a deep insight into the unique needs of creative professionals.
I’d love to discuss how I can support your projects and help streamline your workflow.
Thanks, Michelle
CASE STUDIES FROM THE PCAM HELPDESK
Below is a question-and-answer exchange from the PCAM Helpdesk (the questioner’s contributions are in black type and the replies from Helpdesk guru Tony Satchell are in blue).
Q: I recently signed up to PCAM and I’m annoyed I didn’t sign up sooner — so invaluable! I do have a quick question where I need some help please.
I am writing a 50-second opening titles track for a six-episode extremely low-budget web series. From the off, the producer explained how they wanted a ‘buyout’, which I explained isn’t a thing and probably not what they actually require. It is clear they haven’t the funds to pay a proper fee for a sync license at this point, but they have a confidence (and I believe them) that this could well get picked up and therefore bring in money. Is there a way of inserting a clause into an agreement that requires them to re-negotiate a proper sync license and further composition fee if this were to happen, meaning I couldn’t lose out long term?
Thank you for any help!
A: I would use the PCAM contract, downloadable from our website, and on the second page there is a box for “Special Stipulations” into which you can insert any clause. The clause should spell out exactly what you have agreed, so that there is no confusion or argument at a later date, if and/or when the series is picked up. Just make sure that you all initial the insertion as well as signing the contract.
Definitely DO NOT agree to a buy-out! An email can also work as a “Heads of Agreement”, again making sure everything you want from the agreement is covered and precisely spelled out — just print it out and get them to sign it.
Q: Thanks a lot. And finally, as it is six episodes, would you say that an episode counts as an ‘additional script’, and therefore the extra 50% per episode should be factored in? I was unsure if there was another way to say the track can be used for their entire campaign.
A: Normally, there would only be one single charge which would cover the Production Fee, the Composition Fee and a Licence for the six-part series. Then if it went to a further series, they would pay a new Licence Fee per series. Obviously, you should retain 100% of the Publishing and 100% of the Composition and therefore get any royalties due from PRS/MCPS directly. Good luck!
PCAM SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest news on PCAM seminars and workshops, our new series of podcasts, plus industry-wide events and initiatives, be sure to follow PCAM on our socials.
Our previous podcast series are now available on SoundCloud.