Kelly WOOD

Kelly is the Head of Live and Songwriting & Composition for the British Musicians' Union (The MU). Kelly's role involves advising, representing and negotiating on behalf of musicians. Kelly sits on the LIVE Board, 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 production. The MU represents over 35,000 musicians working across the industry, and much of the Union's work is collective and benefits from both the experience of members, and also the activism of members who can help to share issues and promote wider input from artists, audiences & consumers, and the political domain. The Union has several committees, elected democratically, in order to address issues on regional and industrial levels. As a trade union, the MU is able to organise members and undertake industrial action such as strikes when required, but many issues are tackled through other means, such as campaigns and lobbying. Current projects include Fix Streaming (seeking fair remuneration for performers and songwriters) and Fair Score (tackling royalty buyouts and bad practice in media commissioning) - both campaigns are run collaboratively with the Ivors Academy. Previously, Kelly studied Classical Music at Salford University before training as a TV Script Editor and playing keyboards in a Manchester band.