Musicians Call For Miming Logo

A new campaign is being launched to try and persuade broadcasters to inform viewers when an artist in miming or playing live.

The Musicians’ Union is to launch the movement in March and will be campaigning for a logo to be flashed up on screen to tell the audience whether a performance is live or has recorded or mimed elements according to the BBC.

A new poll by ICM of 1,000 people has revealed that 71% believed that it should be made clear and the campaign is set to be backed by a host of high profile performers.

Horace Trubridge, assistant general secretary for the Musicians' Union, told the BBC: "Just as when you buy a can of beans and it tells you what's in the beans, we think if you are going to buy a ticket for a show or watch a band on the TV, you should know exactly what it is you are buying and what you are watching."

Malcolm McLaren and Beverley Knight have both supported the new campaign, Knight saying: "What I can't bear more than anything are those who are more than capable of delivering a show live with musicians and the whole thing and who don't.”

"Why? Because they want to save their voices. It is easy to do; they get their cheque at the end of the day."

However, former Steps member Faye Tozier defended those who mimed. "Our main reason was because you would be up at five o'clock doing kids' TV, straight away into the studio.”

She added: "There's not time for rehearsal, no time for engineers or getting your crew in, and then you would be on to your next children's TV at seven o clock. For a band like ours that were very much a TV-selling band, it was great for us and we could get our product out there."