Kelly is responsible for live performance, writing and composing for the British Musicians' Union (The MU). Kelly's role is to advise, represent and negotiate on behalf of musicians. Kelly sits on the board of LIVE, which is the UK's collective voice for the live and events sector, including everyone from artists, managers and agents to venues, promoters, festivals and productions.
The MU represents over 35,000 musicians working across the industry, and much of the union's work is collective, benefiting from both the experience of members and the activism of members who can help share issues and promote wider input from artists, audiences and consumers, as well as the political realm. The Union has a number of democratically elected commissions to address issues at regional and industry level.
As a union, the MU is able to organize its members and take industrial action such as strikes if necessary, but many issues are tackled by other means, such as campaigning and lobbying. Current projects include Fix Streaming (seeking fair remuneration for performers and songwriters) and Fair Score (fighting royalty takeovers and poor media commissioning practices) - both campaigns are run in conjunction with the Ivors Academy.
Kelly previously studied classical music at Salford University before training as a TV script editor and playing keyboards in a Manchester band.
