From The Beatles to Miles Davis and Bananarama and everything in between, the BBC owns more than two million music copyrights from performances broadcasted live with a catalogue stretching way back to the 1920s.

This includes Top Of The Pops, Radio 1 Live Lounge, Later With Jools Holland, John Peel, the Proms, as well as concerts and festivals across the country. We also own programme scores composed in-house, such as by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, which created the Doctor Who theme and for classic programmes like Blue Planet and Bob The Builder.

We license this to record labels or the artists themselves, for commercial release via the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988, and also work with advertising, film and other TV companies

In practice it can mean providing bonus content from a BBC performance for additional songs on album reissues, a one-off EP for Record Store Day, a live in concert DVD, or a Peel Sessions release.

For example, two years ago we delivered additional recordings to Jimmy Page, in person, for the remastered Led Zeppelin: BBC Sessions compilation album that came out later in 2016.

Due later this year is an eight-disc REM at the BBC album, and this follows others in the series such as Bowie at the Beeb and The Beatles’ Live At The BBC.

It’s not only physical releases like CDs and LPs, as streaming rights for Spotify and so on are often included in licensing deals as well, and we’re working more and more these days with Vevo and similar sites.

When music appears in adverts, films, or in games, the industry term is called synchronisation, recently we have completed large global deals for LaCoste and Chrysler, and occasionally we clear samples of recordings that are to be used in other music.

Although the vast majority of these recordings have never been commercially released, they don’t just sit there doing nothing, as part of our work is to persuade record companies to make more use of them.

The agreement we made with AIM (the Association of Independent Music) a few years ago is a good example, which has facilitated deals with AIM members like The Fall, Kylie Minogue, The Moody Blues and the Pixies.

And, of course, sometimes recordings previously thought lost or accidentally deleted years ago unexpectedly turn up, which is very exciting - especially when it’s Bowie!

We have a big focus on women composers, and on living women composers particularly this year, but what we’d forgotten was that within our own midst the BBC Radiophonic Workshop had these extraordinary people who were pioneers, in Daphne Oram and Delia Derbyshire.

I think it’s rather nice that on 23 July the Pioneers Of Sound Prom celebrates these extraordinary composers who have such a strong connection with the BBC. They were so far ahead of their time that I’m not sure even the BBC quite knew what they were up to, as there was a certain air of suspicion back then. But that whole workshop was something the corporation can be incredibly proud of - the Doctor Who music is all from that origin.

We did a very successful Relaxed Prom last year, with open access to people of all ages who might have learning disabilities or sensory or visual impairments.

Our learning department worked with the Royal Albert Hall to think about everything, such as lighting levels, the way we sign the performance for people with hearing impairments, or presenting the programme on screen with figures and signs. What was most gratifying was that the people who came really appreciated it. There are sections of the population who find it very hard to go to concerts, and we wanted to make them feel completely comfortable at this one, thinking carefully about the timing of pieces, concert length, and the time of day.

We wanted to take that a step further this year, with musicians on stage who have disabilities showing the extraordinary work that they do, and we’re pleased to be doing another Relaxed Prom in 2018 with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Resound.

They only recently formed as the first disabled-led ensemble to exist anywhere in the world and they’re appearing at the Proms, which is very exciting.

What’s great about a concert like this is that absolutely everybody can come to it: babes in arms, people in their eighties, or people with dementia who want to come with their carers, it’s a very informal atmosphere where anything goes, you don’t need to keep quiet, and if you need to walk out in the middle you can do that - we have chill-out zones that people can go to when they might need to leave the auditorium.

In 2016, my first season, we started experimenting with venues beyond the Royal Albert Hall. We went to a car park in Peckham, and to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at the Globe Theatre. Last year, because we were doing Handel’s Water Music the easy thing would be to put it on the River Thames, but I decided that the more interesting and challenging thing would be to stage it on another bit of water, in Hull, which was City of Culture last year.

So, in addition to the Proms In The Park in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and having taken one Prom outside London last year, we’re doing it again. The reason we’ve chosen Lincoln is because The Soldier’s Tale has a specific link to the First World War, one of our big themes this summer, and as the Drill Hall was opened in 1890 for the 1st Lincolnshire Volunteer Battalion it seemed a perfect location.

Other things I’m really excited about are our late night Prom with the Aurora Orchestra, taking apart Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony for a general audience, and The Sound Of An Orchestra, which leaps off from the starting point of what Leonard Bernstein did with his young people’s concerts and television concerts. It unpicks what an orchestra is, how it works, and how composers put instruments together.

I hope it’ll be the sort of thing that if you know a lot about classical music you’ll find stimulating, and if you know nothing about classical music it’s the perfect starting point for you.

The 2018 BBC Proms season begins on Friday 13 July and continues until 8 September.

 

I’ve worked out I’m now on day 100 and since joining BBC Radio 3, I’ve been really energised by what I’ve seen. On the day we launch the BBC Proms season for 2015, I wanted to share some of what I observed, touch on some of the vision I have in my role as Radio 3 controller and share some of the personal highlights I’ve discovered in the Proms brochure.

For the past three months I’ve seen nearly all of what the station puts out on-air from a demonstration of high definition sound, to the Celtic Connections Festival up in Scotland, a gathering of the Private Passions guests celebrating twenty years of the programme and, of course, the station’s nightly Live in Concert series. What I’ve observed are enthusiastic programme makers, passionate about their subject area, all wanting to make great radio for our listeners.

Soon after I started I attended a training day with our Director of Radio, Helen Boaden. She and I made a radio programme together (you may have read about it in some of the interviews I’ve given recently). The day also gave me an insight into the work of a studio manager and threw light on something I really like about Radio 3 – and that’s its sound. During that day and other visits to programmes across the station I saw something else which has really energised me at Radio 3: the craft of broadcasting. I’ve seen the breadth and depth of Radio 3’s programmes being made – from live concerts, to discussion programmes as well as drama that makes the network distinctive.

As Controller of Radio 3, the BBC Proms and the BBC’s performing groups I want to build on the popularity and affection the greatest musical festival in the world has amongst its audiences and encourage those same audiences which step into the Proms to listen to Radio 3 when the festival is over. Developing the connections between the different parts of the area I am responsible for – Radio 3, the Proms and the BBC orchestras and Singers is an important part of that.

Today, is the launch of the BBC Proms 2015. The programme of nearly 100 concerts isn’t down to me, of course. Edward Blakeman as Director of the Proms has been responsible for the season’s concerts. There are also some elements which have some of my predecessor Roger Wright in them too.

The season, as you would expect, is yet again an exciting series of events throughout the summer. You can find out more about each concert on the Proms website or via the brochure on sale today. For me, my personal highlights are the late night Prom concerts. These events have a fantastic atmosphere about them and I can think of no better way of hearing some Bach Sonatas and Partitas.

Many of the world’s leading orchestras come to the 2015 Proms including the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra (their first appearance in 14 years), St Petersburg Philharmonic, Vienna and John Wilson Orchestra will be back once again. There are the classic events that could only happen at the BBC Proms, like Yo-Yo Ma playing all six of Bach’s Cello suites in one sitting, a focus on piano concertos with the complete Beethoven piano concertos performed by Leif Ove Andsnes and some rarely performed cantatas by Nielsen and some Shostakovich too.

Once again the broadcast offer of the festival is extraordinary too. The BBC Proms is the world’s largest broadcast classical music festival with every Prom live on BBC Radio 3. All the BBC Radio music networks are at this year’s Proms, 6 music make an appearance, as well as Jarvis Cocker with his Wireless Nights Prom and the Radio 1 Prom with the Heritage Orchestra.  Over on television, there will be three nights of curated programmes on BBC Four exploring great soloists, symphonies and the very highlights of our season. For the first time, conductor Mark Elder will be curating a part of this programming for the Sunday night Symphony series with Katie Derham. Proms Extra returns to Saturday nights on BBC Two along with the first night of the Proms and the first half of the last night and BBC One will bring the UK together for the finale of the Last Night of the Proms.  

Expanding on the growing audience for digital, which last year saw 56% percent of all unique browsers to our website coming from tablet and mobile, this year more content will be available online than ever before across PC, mobile and tablet. All music performed during filmed Proms and not broadcast on television will be available to watch on special online BBC iPlayer collections via the BBC Proms website www.bbc.co.uk/proms.

This event, the concerts, talks, broadcasts, digital offer, is testament to the way in which a great team of people across the BBC come together to make the BBC Proms every year. I really hope you all find something to enjoy in the season this year and that if you haven’t already, you’ll discover something you like about Radio 3 too.  

Alan Davey is Controller, BBC Radio 3

• Discover more about this year's concerts on the BBC Proms website. 

This year sees 50 years since the iconic movie-musical Mary Poppins was released. 50 years of Feed the Birds, Chim Chim Cher-ee, A Spoonful of Sugar, Step in Time (to name just a few) and of course the brilliant tongue-twister Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. The BBC Proms are celebrating this in true Last Night of the Proms style with a brand new sing-along medley, arranged by Anne Dudley, in the Royal Albert Hall and at Proms in the Park in London, Swansea, Belfast and Glasgow.

Everyone in the Hall and at the Parks can join together to sing the medley and create a really special moment across the country. But, this year the Proms have taken this one step further and are giving the opportunity for anyone to be involved in the Last Night celebrations by being part of their very first virtual choir.

A virtual choir? Yes, a choir made up of anyone and everyone who wants to be involved – and has the courage to film themselves singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Then, we’ll put as many of the videos as we can together and the finished film will be played out on the big screens in the Parks and online during the Last Night of the Proms on Saturday 13 September.

Not for the feint-hearted, it’s no easy feat as the song goes at quite a pace. Practice, practice, practice until you get it practically perfect – and to give you a helping hand we’ve enlisted BBC Singer Rebecca Lodge to give an online singing lesson. There’s also a backing track to sing along to (recorded by none other than the BBC Symphony Orchestra) and lots of hints and tips on how to get the best out of your video on the Proms website.

It’s such an exciting opportunity for any Mary Poppins fan, and you don’t have to be the best singer, just have the courage to sing loud. You can get together with friends and family, or you can be the only star, it’s totally up to you. You also don’t need fancy equipment, a smartphone or tablet works brilliantly.

We’ve had some fantastic videos sent through so far, and if you want some inspiration here’s one the Proms team made earlier

You’ve got until Sunday 31 August to send your videos in so get singing and have fun!

 

Victoria Peet is Marketing Officer, BBC London Performing Groups.

• Find out more about the Last Night celebrations on the BBC Proms website.
• Discover more about Mary Poppins author, PL Travers on the BBC Arts website.

Jon Jacob attended the photo shoot for the 2014 BBC Proms season and spoke to Radio 3 Controller and Proms Director Roger Wright about his time as Director and how he felt about leaving the organisation. He also saw a horse, kind of.

When the BBC Proms gets underway on Friday 18 July, seasoned prommers will greet one another with a “Happy New Year!” before exchanging a knowing smile. Like the “Heave! Ho!” exchanged between arena and gallery prommers when a piano lid is lifted by a stagehand, or the ripple of excited applause when the orchestra leader plays an 'A' on the instrument to tune the band, welcoming one another to the new season is one of many idiosyncratic Proms traditions which ensure a sense of continuity from year to year. Long may such things continue.

There is another. On Proms launch day (this year, Thursday 24 April) the official Proms Guide is made available to the public. This along with the press launch is, to many of us, a welcome springtime milestone (and to others a reminder that time before the season gets underway is fast running out), so the Proms Photo-Shoot is another albeit lesser-known part of the Proms calendar. For those of us who haven’t toiled over the administrative challenges of shaping, planning and typesetting the season, the annual shoot – always set against the obvious backdrop of the Royal Albert Hall – is a special affair with a deliciously low-key sense of anticipation about it.

Yesterday, the sight greeting me after I’d strolled up Prince Consort Road in the sunshine subtly broke with the Proms Photo Shoot ‘tradition’. A bright green carpet (surely it should have been red, shouldn’t it?) stretching all the way back towards the monument in front of the Royal Albert Hall. "Did you mean to choose this colour?" I ask someone important looking with a mobile phone in her hand. "Oh yes," she replies, "all will make sense in a moment."

The star of the show of the shoot isn’t – I’m sure she won’t mind me saying this – presenter Katie Derham (looking resplendent in a ruby red evening dress), nor violinst Janine Jansen (looking equally glamorous) or conductor BBC Symphony Orchestra Sakari Oramo. No, the real star – the one causing the passers-by to stop passing by and take pictures - is instead a horse. Joey, the horse. The horse from the National Theatre production of War Horse.

“It’s not a real horse,” I mention to a tourist who is momentarily aghast I felt the need to point the blindingly obvious out to her. I apologise immediately and offer a hastily drawn up defence. It's not difficult: the likeness created by the NT puppeteers – in ‘character’ from the moment they step out of the nearby props van until they get out of their costume an hour or so later – is compelling. So compelling in fact, that it’s not long before I’ve forgotten about the men inside the costume and started worrying whether the ‘horse’ is being treated properly given the unusual situation it finds itself in.

Joey the horse features in the ‘War Horse Prom’, a concert which on paper caught my eye and caused my nose to wrinkle a little. It’s one of the questions I plan to put to Proms Director Roger Wright when I interview him later: Is the War Horse Prom stretching the meaning of a ‘Prom’ just a little too far? My question is deemed pointless when I realise just how absorbing and endearing Joey the horse is. I’m transfixed.

It’s a testament to their skill, dexterity and breathtaking attention to detail. But it’s also a fitting reminder of many other Proms experiences I’ve had over the years: the concert series enduring appeal for me has been the way its events take me by surprise and how enriched I feel when they have.

My connection with the Proms is fairly loose. I’ve skirted around the edges making videos about the season, strolling ‘walk and talks’ inside, outside and behind the scenes at the Hall and even made a short piece illustrating using my intense dislike of anchovies as a metaphor for "try the music of Stockhausen: because you might just like it after all’.

Despite that, I’ve never actually worked for the Proms team, nor worked for Radio 3. I think of myself as corduroy clad, cardigan-wearing cling-on or rubbernecker. Consequently, the day seems auspicious when I woke up this morning. First thing, I sense a feeling of urgency about my scheduled interview with Proms Director Roger Wright. This is his last Proms, his last Proms press briefing and his last Proms photo shoot. It’s the last time I’ll get to interview him. I stare at the wardrobe carefully and choose to mark the occasion with unusually smart clothes for my working day. That said, I didn't bother to shave.

Our video interview covers the main points covered in this year’s media pack – orchestras from across the world, concerts commemorating the start of World War One and the Proms’ central and ongoing commitment to classical music and new music. I gloss over the fact that the interviewer is struggling to ask even the most straightforward of questions by noting that only Roger's answers will be used. Video done and cameraman sent packing, Roger and I move to the nearby café for a chat over a cup of tea.

It’s here I get a chance to test Roger out. At least, in my head I’m testing him out.

As Director he appears to me today as he always has - the complete package: knowledgeable and passionate about his subject, he engages in conversation effortlessly with an infectious charm and a keen sense of humour (some might suggest corny). ("He's such an avuncular looking-chap," says my partner to me when I show him my selfie with Roger at the end of the day.) At the same time Roger lives the BBC’s values, nailing the important messages someone of his standing needs to whenever he answers a question - regardless of how frivolous it first appears to be. And of course, he also runs one of the BBC’s most treasured of institutions. But given his departure (he’s off to Aldeburgh Music where one of the events he’ll run is the world-famous Aldeburgh Festival) after 15 years at Radio 3 and seven years running the BBC Proms, would I see the real Roger, assuming the real Roger is any different from the one I’ve interviewed for the past few years? Would he let his guard down a bit?

He doesn’t. Conversation is easy and like all the good managers I’ve had the benefit of working with in the past, I feel like I’m talking with an adult and on an adult level. Sometimes we underestimate how important a quality that really is.

In conversation Roger combines a unique skill of maintaining an authoritative air whilst at the same time engaging with anyone or everyone he comes into contact with. And that's quite a force to be in the company of. And for people like me who still struggle to articulate a simple interview question devoid of tiresome and unneccessary sub-clauses, his unswerving ability to articulate a clear and thoughtful response in such a way I feel as though I’ve been let in on a secret, is as valuable as it is appreciated. Even now. Seven years on.

Such individuals leave a lasting impression on the people they meet. Either that, or he’s just used to dealing with me.

• Listen to Roger Wright talk about how he thinks the BBC Proms has changed over the past 7 years, programming the 2011 Comedy Prom and leaving the BBC.
• More information about the 2014 season can be found on the BBC Proms website. 
  
• The season starts on Friday 18 July 2014. Tickets can be purchased from 17 May onwards. 
• Follow @BBCProms on Twitter. 

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New job, first day, first meeting with the boss, first item on the agenda: 'Proms database'. The need to complete this project became more apparent the further we got into it. We all know how easy it is to find out facts about other major events: if you need to know how many matches in the Third Round Proper of the 1983 FA Cup went to a second replay (just one, Sheffield Wednesday eventually saw off Southend United 2-1) it takes micro-seconds to find out. But what about The World's Greatest Music Festival? As gaps were identified in Proms history, our now default reaction - 'I'll Google it...' - wasn't much help, as so much information just simply wasn't out there.

For the Proms team, the project was worthwhile in many ways. So much of what we do these days - from programming, participation events and the extended Proms Plus series all the way through to each season's visual identity - is about taking things forward, and introducing and nurturing new audiences. The Proms Archive is a nod to our heritage, and to the fact that all of us who are lucky enough to work at the Proms are aware that we are merely custodians of this unique musical institution.

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My biggest worry in the lead-up to launch was the relative simplicity of what we had to offer. No sound, video, pictures, celebrities, animations - just a list of who has played what, when, and where at the Proms. But so rich is the history of the Proms that (for the time being at least) the information is enough in itself. It's as if the Proms Archive has become a kind of sixth sense to people - just seeing the details of a favourite concert on our website seems to have the ability to sweep a tidal wave of memories, sights, sounds, and nostalgia over those present. The feedback from the press has been hugely gratifying, but emails from users have reminded us all just what a special place this series of summer concerts has in many people's lives.

From the personal to the academic: we're hoping to further develop our relationship with Professor John Deathridge and the Music Department at King's College London to use the Archive as a research tool into musical and social trends over the past 115 years. What can the archive tell us? For example, that Wagner is the most performed composer in Proms history may not be a surprise, but the fact that he remained so during 1914-18 and 1939-45 is certainly worthy of further investigation.

So four years on - our complete set of Proms Guides and concert programmes will now be repaired and retired, and those of us involved in getting the Archive ready will take a few minutes to enjoy the reaction to its launch. Of course, some have been slightly put-out that the Archive does not contain an equally comprehensive library of Radio and TV broadcasts. That is certainly on our wish-list too.

John Bryant is the BBC Proms Publications Editor

• Visit the BBC Proms Archive on the Radio 3 website

• John Bryant explains how the Proms Archive came about

• The BBC World Music Archive is launched

• The photo from the First Night of the Proms was taken by Chris Christodoulou

• The photo of one of the volumes of old programmes stored in the Radio 3 office - this one is from 1901 - was taken by John Bryant