CIAM Elections 2026 - Crispin Hunt
PRS
CIAM exists to give music creators a united voice on the world stage. That voice is only as strong as the societies and creators who stand behind it, and only as credible as the processes that choose who speaks for us.
I have spent my working life as a creator, first as an artist, then as a songwriter and producer, and for the past decade as an advocate. As chair of The Ivors Academy I saw what a creator organisation can achieve when it modernises: it grows more representative, more trusted and far more effective. As President of the PRS Members' Council, I was mandated to bring the same approach to PRS and to help us represent global creators at CIAM.
Over the past term, societies whose participation in CIAM had faded are back at the table, with distinguished and influential global creators actively engaged. We have taken concrete steps to ensure that positions of responsibility within CIAM are held by those democratically elected to them, because an organisation that fights for creators' rights must model fairness in its own house. And through CIAM, leaders from Latin America, the US, Europe and Asia now meet regularly, turning occasional contact into coordinated working relationships and alliances.
That matters, because the challenges we face are global: AI and the unlicensed use of our work, streaming economics that still undervalue the song, coercive buyouts, and poor metadata that leaves creators uncredited and unpaid. I have campaigned on each of these, and I know they can only be won together. This unity and the potential to choreograph global strategy across the worlds creator led societies and organisations is what makes CIAM essential.
If re-elected, I will continue to broaden balanced participation so every region is heard, work alongside distinguished colleagues to help keep CIAM's governance transparent and accountable, and work to turn our collective influence into real outcomes for the authors and composers we represent.
I would be honoured to have your support.
BIOGRAPHY
Crispin Hunt is a chart-topping songwriter, producer and artist, and a leading global advocate for creators' rights and copyright. He is President of the PRS for Music Members' Council, a Director of PRS, and PRS's Representative on the CIAM Executive Committee.
He began his career as singer and songwriter of Britpop band Longpigs, touring the world and experiencing all the highs and lows of an artist's life. As a songwriter and producer he has since worked with Lana Del Rey, Florence + The Machine, Ellie Goulding, Stromae, Deadmau5, Rod Stewart, Jake Bugg, Natalie Imbruglia, Bat for Lashes and many more.
As Chair of The Ivors Academy (formerly BASCA) from 2017 to 2022, Crispin led its rebranding and transformation into the diverse, representative and influential organisation of today. He worked alongside PRS to secure the EU Copyright Directive and launched the Fix Streaming, Composers Against Buyouts and, with Björn Ulvaeus, Credits Due campaigns. He also founded the Council of Music Makers, uniting UK writers, composers, artists, producers, managers and musicians.
Crispin has represented creators at PRS, PPL, ICE, UK Music, the IPO Copyright Advisory Panel and, as Co-CEO, the Featured Artists Coalition. He works in alliance with societies and creator organisations worldwide, from ECSA, GESAC and CISAC to ASCAP, BMI, ICMP, NMPA and SONA, and maintains constructive relationships with the major streaming platforms and broadcasters.
He has four children and lives between Somerset, Pas-de-Calais and London.