Stuart Maconie hosts an evening of programmes assessing the health of the ailing British music scene. Listeners may voice their opinions by phone on [number removed], or via the website: [web address removed]
7.03 A&R, RIP or TTFN? Steve Lamacq looks at A&R (Audience and Research).
7.30 The Top Ten Guide to Getting a Number One With Kate Thornton.
7.51 The Single Is Dead; Long Live the Single
Simon Mayo assesses the future of the pop single.
8.11 The Great Rock 'n' Roll Rip-off
Tom Robinson on piracy.
8.30 One World, One Label
Paul Gambaccini traces the impact of record company mergers on consumers.
8.53 The Debate
Jeremy Vine discusses key issues with music industry experts before an audience of consumers, artists and "movers and shakers".
10.00 Janice Long
Six new acts being touted as "the next big thing", including Clarkesville, Emma Holland, Peppercorn, Bob Reynolds, Speedway and the Zutons.
10.30 Richard Allinson
A roundup of listeners' opinions, including predictions for the future of the single.
(Stuart Maconie on an industry in crisis: page 26)
A chance tonight to have your say on the price of a single and the current state of the British pop music industry
The Great British Music Debate 7.00pm R2
Will a scandalous story in one of the tabloids do more to make a hit than a squeaky-clean image? Does it matter that the top ten is littered with production-line acts created on TV shows? And the key question (that the programme makers are hoping you'll answer in your thousands via [web address removed]) is will the single survive? Even if you view the pop business with utter contempt, it is an important question: the British music industry currently contributes three billion pounds to the economy and employs 122,000 people on a full-time basis. With single and album sales falling, tonight's sequence of analysis and live debate seeks to identify ways in which to pull the industry back from the brink. So if you feel peeved at spending ã4 on a CD single when you can get a whole album for a tenner at the supermarket, send in that email or call in on [number removed].