Copyright Matters - The government has suffered another setback in the House of Lords over its plans to let artificial intelligence firms use copyright-protected work without permission. Yesterday (Monday), an amendment to the data bill requiring AI companies to reveal which copyrighted material is used in their models was backed by peers, despite government opposition. It is the second time parliament’s upper house has demanded tech companies make clear whether they have used copyright-protected content.
The vote came days after hundreds of artists and organisations including Paul McCartney, Jeanette Winterson, Dua Lipa and the Royal Shakespeare Company urged the Prime Minister not to “give our work away at the behest of a handful of powerful overseas tech companies”. The amendment was tabled by crossbench peer Beeban Kidron and was passed by 272 votes to 125.
The bill will now return to the House of Commons. If the government removes the Kidron amendment, it will set the scene for another confrontation in the Lords next week. Lady Kidron said: “I want to reject the notion that those of us who are against government plans are against technology. Creators do not deny the creative and economic value of AI, but we do deny the assertion that we should have to build AI for free with our work, and then rent it back from those who stole it.
“My lords, it is an assault on the British economy and it is happening at scale to a sector worth £120bn to the UK, an industry that is central to the industrial strategy and of enormous cultural import.”
Back Home - The Swiss city of Basel is going into party mode this weekend, as it prepares to welcome the Eurovision Song Contest. It's been 36 years since Switzerland last hosted the contest, after Celine Dion won in 1988. Switzerland hosted the first ever Eurovision at Lugano in 1956, but its record since Dion's victory in Dublin has been mixed. Between 2007 and 2010, and again between 2015 and 2018, its entries failed to even qualify for the final. Swiss singer Nemo finally won last year with The Code.
The head of Basel's government, Conradin Cramer, believes his city of just 175,000 residents is the natural home for Eurovision's estimated half a million visitors. Because of its borders with both France and Germany, Basel is "the heart of Europe", he says. What's more, he points out, the city has a long humanist tradition; when other cities in medieval Europe were cracking down on free thinkers, Basel welcomed them.
Mercury Rising - Newcastle is to host this year's Mercury Prize ceremony, marking the first time the event will be held outside London. The 2025 edition will be held at the city's Utilita Arena which recently hosted the MOBO Awards. The 16 October show, to be broadcast by the BBC, will feature live performances from some of the 12 artists shortlisted for the best British or Irish album of the past year.
The Mercury Prize shortlist and winner is decided by a panel of industry experts. Unlike the Brit Awards, which recognise commercial success, the Mercury Prize seeks to reward artistic achievement. Primal Scream were the first winners, in 1992, with the accolade going to Leeds band English Teacher last year. PJ Harvey, in 2001 and 2011, remains the only multiple-winner.
Jazz Notes - An abandoned Victorian theatre last used as a nightclub is expected to become an outpost of Camden’s Jazz Cafe. Stratford’s former Rex Theatre could become a mixture of a "cultural music venue", offices, and workspace, after Newham Council recommended that it be taken over by the Columbo Group. The company currently runs live music venue the Jazz Cafe in north London, where visitors can enjoy club nights, gigs and refreshment at the in-venue restaurant.
The Theatres Trust hailed the news, with chief executive Joshua McTaggart saying: "Theatres Trust welcomes the news that the historic Rex Theatre has found a new lease of life as a music venue. Built in 1896, the Rex Theatre has been home to everything from an opera house to a bingo hall.
(Jim Evans)
13 May 2025
