Record labels bow to council pressure on flyposting

by Jules Grant,, Brand Republic 14-Jul-04, 11:00

LONDON - Music executives from industry giants such as MTV and BMG have agreed to stop flyposting in Central London, following pressure from Westminster Council, which had threatened legal action.

The chief executives of six companies -- MTV, BMG, Dennis Publishing, Grand Central Records, Music for Nations and Random House -- have promised to stop sticking up thousands of flyposters each week after the council threatened to press criminal charges.

However, Mean Fiddler, the concert promoter and venue owner, has ignored warnings and could now face legal action from the council. The company was unavailable for comment.

A further four companies, East West Records, Infectious Records, Sanctuary Records and Warner Music, have yet to respond to the council, but have not put up any new posters since the start of the anti-flyposting campaign three weeks ago.

Westminster Council claims that flyposting is an illegal practice that leads to criminal damage. Last month, the council tried to raise awareness of the problem through the Street Bling site, which includes a corporate role of shame.

Record companies are estimated to save millions of pounds each year by using flyposting instead of legitimate outdoor media.

The site also claims that those responsible are not the underground companies they would like people to believe, but "multinational companies like Warner Music UK and MTV".

The action follows the lead of the Camden borough, which last month threatened to take out Anti-Social Behavior Orders against those responsible for fly-posting. Camden took Sony and BMG to court, but summons were withdrawn when bosses pledged not to continue. They escaped what could have been a five-year jail sentence.

The council claims that it costs £250,000 a year to clean up the 1,000 or more posters that are pasted up each week in Westminster.

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