ABSTRACT
In one vital aspect of music, however, London could make no such claim: despite the continuing global success of British pop acts in the 1990's and 2000's, it was not the centre of the recorded music business. If Rosen and Sparrow are to be believed, then, the music business is over the Napster-led worst, and can look forward to reasonably prosperous future making and selling recordings, much as it has done since the early twentieth century. The coalition government which came to power in 2010 promised to modify the 2003 Act, specifically in order to permit the performance of amplified music in small venues, but seemed in no hurry to do so. Education remains among the important 'cultural industries' in London, and education in music is a vital part of that overall project. The Mayor's cultural strategy is not about maximising profit, or box-ticking or underlining one set of cultural norms about music and its practices as against others.
