Learning in the field at Glastonbury

Utilising their recently acquired knowledge of music and media contracts, they worked with artists and their management to ensure information was handled correctly. The team gained practical experience of intellectual property laws; the owning of performances and why an artist (who may have composed a song) may not necessarily own the rights to their performances.

Talking about the experience, BA (Hons) law student Benjamin Sherborne said, “What was particularly interesting was how quickly a contract that may have been sufficient in 2017, was now of date. This was due, in part, to the rapid developments in technology – a factor that will make Intellectual Property a subject of great interest in the future.”

They also reviewed and amended previously existing copyright contracts owned by each party - Glastonbury Festivals Events Ltd, Solent Productions (on behalf of Solent University) and the BBC - and the limits to their usage. This resulted in Solent’s Film and TV students having the opportunity to use 20 seconds of their own recordings for educational and self-promotional purposes.

Law student Elysia Shirley added, “This experience was one I will never forget and am eternally grateful to Solent for providing me with the chance to experience a range of different legal careers available to me after I graduate.”

Kevin Rogers, Director of Solent Law School said, “The focus of Solent Law School for our students is about putting the law into practice – not just learning the law with our expert tutors but providing students with the opportunity to engage with communities, the profession and society.

“The annual Glastonbury work experience is a superb example of putting academic learning into practice, and I’m so pleased that our students are able to apply their skills at this internationally renowned festival and I’m grateful to the organisers for providing this opportunity.”