Creative works are increasingly accessed, copied and stored on personal digital devices, helping to drive the digital economy. Yet many creators and performers do not share fairly in the value generated from that use. The Smart Fund would help close this gap by creating a practical, technology-neutral route for value to flow back to the people who make creative work and to the cultural ecosystem that supports them. Technology has made creative content more accessible than ever, but the law has not kept pace with how that content is used. The Smart Fund would help return value to the creators and performers whose work underpins the digital economy.

The Smart Fund would apply a small one-off contribution, typically between 1% and 3% of the device’s sale value, to manufacturers or importers when eligible devices are sold in the UK. Revenues would be collected and distributed through collective management infrastructure, with a proceeds supporting arts, culture, education, access and local creative projects across the UK.

The Smart Fund would not be charged directly to consumers at checkout. Independent analysis found no evidence that private copying levies increase consumer device price, as comparable schemes in other countries have not led to higher device prices for consumers. The proposal is therefore designed to support creators and culture without adding costs for the public or the Exchequer.

Independent modelling suggests the Smart Fund could generate between £250 million and £300 million each year to be directed towards the cultural industries. That would provide a significant new source of revenue for UK creators, performers and cultural activity at a time when many creative workers face insecure and unsustainable incomes.

The Smart Fund would benefit creators and performers across the creative industries, including writers, visual artists, photographers and actors. It would also benefit communities by supporting cultural education, access to the arts, talent development, new creative work and grassroots cultural projects.

Yes. Private copying remuneration schemes operate in many countries around the world, including much of Europe and other major creative economies. These schemes recognise that creative works are routinely copied and stored on personal devices, and that creators and performers should receive fair remuneration for that use. In France, the scheme raises approximately €275m annually, with around €75m supporting cultural, educational and creative development projects nationwide.

The UK’s creative industries are a major economic success story contributing over £150bn to UK GVA, but that success depends on creators being able to sustain creative careers. By returning more value to the people who make creative work, the Smart Fund would help support jobs, entrepreneurship, new commissions, regional cultural activity and the long-term resilience of the creative economy.

A CMO is an organisation that manages rights and collects royalties on behalf of creators, performers and other rightsholders. CMOs make it easier for people and businesses to use creative works legally by issuing licences, collecting payments and distributing royalties back to the people whose work has been used. In the context of the Smart Fund, existing CMOs would provide a trusted and established route for collecting and distributing funds to creators and performers fairly, transparently and efficiently.

You can learn more by going to our resources page, to find briefings, research, press releases and artist testimonies.