Chris Bryant discusses rising costs, AI and copyright issues at IPG Spring Conference

Sir Chris Bryant, the Labour MP for Rhondda and the shadow minister for the Creative Industries and Digital, spoke about the challenges of rising costs, AI and copyright on the first day of the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG) Spring Conference, which took place on 27th February. 

He argued that "Brexit has challenged the talent pool for good editorial and marketing staff” for UK publishing, and also argued for reform of the Apprenticeship Levy "so that it better meets the needs of the creative industries”. While he recognised that this may not help some of the smaller presses, he said that “the Apprenticeship Levy simply doesn’t work for the creative industries” as it stands today. He also challenged independent publishers to work towards raising awareness about careers in the creative industries among young people in schools all over the country.

The MP was asked about the issue of copyright and said that “you could argue that it’s the most successful form of international trade deal that has ever been signed up” and that “it will be a mistake to dismantle it” going forward. “With the government’s planned voluntary code on Artificial Intelligence and the creative industries having collapsed a couple of weeks ago, we will need to examine the right way to strike a balance between encouraging innovation in AI, while protecting the copyright of publishers and authors," he added.

Independent publishers have “advantages” when it comes to helping policymakers across the country understand the issues faced by the industry, according to Bryant, who highlighted that there is a lack of awareness around the issues facing the sector.

“I’m often struck by the fact that the politicians talk a lot about the automotive industry, for instance, but hardly ever about the publishing industry — or any of the creative industries — and I suspect that’s because it’s simpler to understand some older industries rather than newer ones,” he said. “You have constituency Members of Parliament, and you should go and make your case to them; you should invite them round, you should help them understand.”

Bryant also recognised that "costs have rocketed" in recent times, and said that "the single most important thing a Labour government needs to do is bring stability to the industry and to our economy”.