This new, New Deal could mean a great deal indeed for the industry.

Editorial Paul Williams

AHEAD OF THE G20 GATHERING IN LONDON LAST WEEK, Gordon Brown spoke of the world's leaders doing "whatever it takes to create growth and the jobs we need".

The UK Government's delivery of this so far has been largely about the country trying to build its way out of recession, with the Prime Minister in January, for example, announcing the biggest council house building programme for decades; a move that would both help the housing crisis and give a desperately-needed boost to the ailing construction industry.

Brown is adamant the UK can spend itself to safety, despite the concerns of others, not least the Governor of the Bank of England. But, while the debate about the PM's approach rumbles on, what is clear is that so far there has been one vital component missing in any economic stimulus to try to get the UK working again: the part that can be played by its creative industries.

The launch of the New Deal Of The Mind (NDOTM) can correct that huge oversight, however. And given the creative industries make up more than 8% of the UK's GDP and are growing at a faster rate than the rest of the economy, their input could make a serious difference in trying to turn the UK's economic fortunes around.

Music will play a central part in this initiative, which owes its origins to President Roosevelt's New Deal of the 1930s when the programme rolled out was not just about the likes of road-building and constructing bridges and public buildings, but achieved much in education and arts, too.

For this new, new deal, these are very early days. For starters, the music industry has not yet even submitted its proposals to the ...