The BPI has appointed Beth Sidwell as its Director of Policy and Public Affairs.
The UK recorded music trade body announced the appointment on Monday (October 19), with Sidwell taking up the role with immediate effect.
She has served as the BPI’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs since June 2023, having joined the organization in August 2021.
Her appointment follows what the BPI described as an “extensive external recruitment process.”
The search began in July, when the trade body advertised for a Director of Public Affairs to report to the Chief Executive and join its Senior Leadership Team.
Sophie Jones, whose remit as the BPI’s Chief Strategy Officer included public affairs, has since left to become CEO of the Royal Television Society.
The RTS announced her appointment in April, naming her as the successor to outgoing CEO Theresa Wise.
Jones joined the BPI in 2020 as Director of Public Affairs.
In her new role, Sidwell will lead the BPI’s policy and public affairs team.
She will work with BPI CEO Dr Jo Twist OBE, as well as the trade body’s staff, members, and industry partners.
Sidwell‘s brief, the BPI said, is to help shape business and policy conditions that support UK label businesses, their artists, and the wider recorded music sector.
Since joining in 2021, Sidwell has acted as “a representative face for the industry” on issues including AI and copyright, streaming, education, and trade and exports, it added.
She has also been leading the BPI’s work on BRIT North, a specialist creative college planned for Bradford, West Yorkshire, with an opening targeted for 2028.
The Department for Education approved the BPI’s bid for the Bradford college, then titled BRIT School North, in August 2023.
Before joining the BPI, Sidwell was a senior leader at Connect, a Westminster-based public affairs and communications agency.
At Connect, she worked with clients across culture, sport, housing, education, and pensions.
Sidwell also spent close to four years working in Parliament for Conservative MP Helen Grant, who served as a government minister and as Vice Chair of the party.
“I am delighted to be stepping into this role after spending the past five years championing an industry which I feel so passionately about,” said Sidwell.
“…there’s more work to do to ensure the UK remains a world leader in music, and that label businesses can continue to invest in, and support, artists.”
Beth Sidwell, BPI
“There has been no shortage of important issues to be discussing with policymakers during that time and we’ve made some excellent progress, but there’s more work to do to ensure the UK remains a world leader in music, and that label businesses can continue to invest in, and support, artists.
“It is a privilege to work with my talented colleagues at BPI and our diverse and innovative membership, and I’m excited to see what more we can achieve together in this next chapter.”
“This is a pivotal time for our industry as it innovates and evolves, but it is also a critical time to be engaging with colleagues across central and devolved governments who share our ambition for local to global growth.”
Dr Jo Twist OBE, BPI
“Congratulations to Beth on this well-deserved appointment,” said Twist. “This is a pivotal time for our industry as it innovates and evolves, but it is also a critical time to be engaging with colleagues across central and devolved governments who share our ambition for local to global growth.
“Beth has led on many key areas of our policy and public affairs work and has had an impressive career journey prior to joining the BPI. We look forward to Beth taking this work to the next level on behalf of our members and British recorded music.”
Sidwell‘s appointment comes three months after Andy Burnham became UK Prime Minister on July 20, succeeding Keir Starmer.
Under Starmer, the UK government dropped its preferred proposal to let AI companies train models on copyrighted works unless rightsholders opted out.
In a statement on March 18, the government said it “no longer has a preferred option” on AI and copyright reform.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said at the time that the opt-out model had been “overwhelmingly rejected by the vast majority of the creative industries.”
In July, a week before the change of prime minister, the government launched Turn It Up: Our Plan for Music.
The plan included £4.8 million (USD $6.3 million) in government funding over three years for the Music Export Growth Scheme, which is administered by the BPI.
On streaming, the plan pointed to a set of label-led principles, developed by the BPI, to increase income for UK creators.
The government said it would review progress on those principles in 2027.
BPI figures reported by MBW in July showed UK recorded music exports grew 0.8% year-over-year to £800.3 million (USD $1.05 billion) in 2025.
It was the first time the annual total had passed £800 million, according to the BPI.
The trade body has set a target of £1 billion (USD $1.32 billion) in annual recorded music exports by 2030.Music Business Worldwide
