With the demise of the London’s APRS Show in the late 1990s, the Association of Professional Recording Services (formerly Studios) has relied principally on the subscriptions paid by its members to fund its activities. However, as the audio landscape has changed, operating income from subscriptions has declined to the point where the APRS Board determined it impractical for the APRS to offer the levels of service and activity that its members should expect to receive.

In late 2015, the UK Government’s export arm, the UKTI, withdrew grants previously used by the APRS –these had been used to support to UK manufacturing companies attend overseas trade shows. This made it more difficult for the audio sector to generate overseas opportunities.

With this news, the APRS Board has decided to rethink its structure: ‘The highly successful Sound Fellowships will remain our principal annual event,’ it says in a press release. ‘Other events will continue to be organised throughout the year as the need arises. Members will no longer be required to pay a membership fee, instead some activities (eg the Sound Fellowship Lunch) will attract an attendance fee. Additionally, the APRS will continue with its Social Media pages to maintain a forum for debate and networking. The other professional services which the APRS has supplied, but which have had little or no take-up by the membership, will no longer be available. Nearly 70 years of tradition will continue.

‘The APRS would like to thank everyone in the audio industry who have given their time to help the organisation over the years and who have made the UK recording sector such an influential player in the global music market. We hope that these changes will herald the beginning of an APRS which is robust and fit enough for the future.’

More: www.aprs.co.uk