Tom Gray, Crispin Hunt and Philip Pope have been newly appointed as Writer Directors of the Performing Right Society (PRS), alongside Barry Blue, Michelle Escoffery and Steve Levine, who have been reappointed to the Board.
Antony Bebawi is appointed new Publisher Director and joins Jackie Alway, Simon Anderson, Chris Butler and Richard King, who are all reappointed.
The appointments were made by PRS members at the PRS Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 21.
Antony Bebawi is Executive Vice President Digital and Society Relations International and UK at Sony/ATV, heading up a team that manages the company’s licensing arrangements with digital services.
He also deals with collective rights management organisations, as well as regulatory and public policy matters. Previously, he has held positions including European General Counsel at EMI Music Publishing, and partner at leading London media and entertainment law firm Harbottle and Lewis LLP.
Tom Gray is a founding member and leading writer of British band Gomez. With nearly 20 years of professional composition behind him, Gray scores for film, TV and advertising.
He sits on the Songwriter Committee and Policy Working Group of The Ivors Academy (formerly known as BASCA) and is a Writer/Artist Advocate for the Featured Artists Coalition.
“As an organisation that is governed by its members, for its members, it is wonderful to have them guiding PRS forward as we continue to build on its investments and successes.”
Nigel Elderton, PRS for Music
Crispin Hunt is a songwriter and record producer, chair of The Ivors Academy and member of the UK Intellectual Property Office Advisory Panel.
His writing credits include tracks with Jake Bugg, Rihanna, Florence and The Machine, Lana Del Ray, Ellie Goulding, Maverick Sabre, Newton Faulkner, Natalie Imbruglia, Bat For Lashes, JP Cooper, Rod Stewart and many others. He is former lead singer of 90s Brit-pop band Longpigs.
Philip Pope is a composer and songwriter with a diverse list of credits to his name. He has written music for film, television, radio and theatre, including Benidorm (ITV), Horizon: Antarctica (BBC), Deluge (C4), The HeeBee GeeBees, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (BBC Radio 4), and ITV’s Spitting Image, culminating in number one hit, The Chicken Song.
He developed a long working partnership with Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse and has written for Fry & Laurie, Lenny Henry, Ben Elton and Dame Edna Everage.
PRS Chairman, Nigel Elderton, said: “It’s an absolute pleasure to welcome new Directors Antony, Crispin, Philip and Tom to the Board.
“As an organisation that is governed by its members, for its members, it is wonderful to have them guiding PRS forward as we continue to build on its investments and successes.
“Their insights and experience in the music business will be invaluable to our mission.”.
In his keynote speech, PRS for Music Chief Executive, Robert Ashcroft, observed that by year-end it is anticipated that PRS will have increased its royalty revenue by over 80% over a 10-year period.
The AGM follows PRS for Music’s recent financial results announcement for 2018. PRS collected an all-time high of £746m on behalf of its members for the use of their musical works, an increase of £31.6m, up 4.4 percent on 2017.
Pictured [Left-Right]: Antony Bebawi, Tom Gray, Crispin Hunt and Philip PopeMusic Business Worldwide
