Chris Tams
Chris Tams is the Director of Membership and International at the BPI – The BPI champions the UK’s recorded music community, safeguarding the rights of its members and of the artists, performers and label members of collecting body PPL. The BPI’s membership consists of well over 500 independent labels and the UK’s three ‘majors’ – Universal Music UK, Sony Music Entertainment UK and Warner Music UK. Its total membership taken together accounts for around 90 per cent of legitimate domestic music consumption and 1 in 10 streams around the world.
The BPI promotes British music at home and overseas through its trade missions, the Music Exports Growth Scheme and The BRIT Awards, which it owns and organises. It administers The BRIT Certified Platinum, Gold and Silver Awards Programme, co-owns the Official Charts Company with ERA, and is home to The Mercury Prize. The BPI encourages and supports innovation and technology through its Music & Tech Springboard Programme, and additionally provides insights, training and networking with its extensive free masterclasses, networking events, Insight Sessions and reports alongside its communications and public affairs work.
Chris is responsible for running the BPI’s Membership activities which cover the entire spectrum of events and training to help Independent Labels.
He also runs BPI’s Trade Missions which recently have expanded from the more traditional markets such as the USA and Europe into the exciting fast growing overseas music markets such as China, India and South Korea. He also is responsible for running the Department for International Trade’s Music Export Growth Scheme which helps UK based Acts with International touring.