Why music quotas can be counterproductive

As an autistic person, diversity & inclusion and equal opportunities for disabled people is very important to me personally.

There is also still much work to be done in these areas for women, ethnic minorities, the LGBTQ+ community and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

It is not my place to comment on anybody else's experience and those of us who are not affected by something owing to a certain privilege should listen and learn.

Radio 3 presenter Kate Molleson's has said that quotas should be imposed to broaden the range of classical music composers played in daytime programming.

It is not clear if Kate's suggestion was specific to the BBC or asking the same of commercial stations, but it's got me thinking, hypothetically, about what regulatory intervention in this way would mean.

Radio 3 vs Classic FM & Scala Radio

Let's take a look at its remit:

Radio 3 should aim to enrich the cultural life of the UK and reflect its musical and arts agenda.

The service should aim to educate audiences about music, broadcasting a wide range of programmes that expose listeners to new and sometimes challenging material they may not otherwise experience.

It should commission new work from composers, musicians and playwrights and draw on the best talent from across the world to create its output.

The service should produce regular special events on significant themes across a wide range of music and arts topics.

The great composers should regularly be represented on Radio 3, but there should also be a range of less familiar music in order to introduce listeners to new works.

Kate acknowledges a lack of diversity within the classical music industry. With an annual budget of £35m, and not having to play ads, the BBC is best placed to introduce lesser-known composers.

To those who are defiant against quotas: of course it has to be about quality and suitability, but there is so much great work from minority groups to be celebrated. Had the world never began to embrace diversity and inclusion, could you imagine how little progress would've been made?

Commercial radio is a more complex picture. If you made the same demands of Classic FM and Scala Radio, for example, they would come under enormous pressure.

The first step in building a sustainable music radio business is to play tracks that people know and like - and that applies to all formats.

In fact, removing music requirements from analogue local and regional licences was part of the commercial radio deregulation set out by DCMS in 2017 (yet to be legislated) to ensure the long-term viability of stations.

What makes the BBC unique is that it can afford to take risks.

Similarly, the Audio Content Fund brought diverse public service content to commercial radio and I'm disappointed that the government chose not to renew financial support for it.