Advisory Board Elections

What are MU Advisory Boards?

The MU has 7 Advisory Boards each formed of up to 20 elected members, advising the Union’s policy in a specific area of the music industry and on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion issues.

Music Industry Advisory Boards

Previously known as Section Committees, the MU has 6 Music Industry Advisory Boards, advising the Union’s policy in the follow specific music industry sectors:

• Education
• Freelance Orchestral
• Live Performance
• Music Writers
• Recording & Broadcasting
• Theatre

Equality Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board

Previously known as the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, the ED&I Advisory Board plays a vital role in ensuring the MU is equipped to tackle relevant issues such as discrimination and inequality and stays at the forefront of best practice for equality, diversity and inclusion.

• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board

The Advisory Board brings together four different equalities communities:

• Members from the Global Majority
• Disabled members
• LGBT+ members
• Women members

Standing for Advisory Board Membership

The nomination process for members wishing to stand for election to an MU Advisory Board takes place every two years. Successful candidates will sit on their chosen Board for a two-year term from April.

Joining an MU Advisory Board is an opportunity for you to get involved in shaping the Union’s policy on issues that matter to you. Being on an MU Advisory Board will:

• Give you experience of the Union’s policy and decision-making processes
• Develop you as an activist
• Enable you to create meaningful change that helps you and others
• Connect you with other members and Union staff
• Provide opportunities to network with the wider music industry and decision-makers

There is a maximum of 20 seats on each Advisory Board. If there are more applications than available seats, a ballot of relevant members will take place to establish the 20 successful candidates. If you are successful, you will have a place on your chosen Advisory Board for two years from 1 April 2026. 

Qualification for Music Industry Advisory Boards

To qualify for a Music Industry Advisory Board seat, you must be:

• Working, paid or unpaid, in the relevant area of the industry. For example, if you would like to join the Music Writers Advisory Board, then you need to have worked as a composer, lyricist, copyist, arranger or in another role in music writing
• A member of the relevant MU Sector yourself. For example, if you would like to join the Education Advisory Board, you will need to be a member of the MU Education Sector. Candidates can check and update Sector memberships through their My MU online account
• Nominated by a fellow member of the relevant MU Music Industry Sector.

Qualification for the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board

To qualify for an ED&I Advisory Board seat, candidates must be:

• From at least one of the four communities which make up the Advisory Board: members from the Global Majority, Disabled members, LGBT+ members and Women members
• Nominated by any fellow MU member.

How to apply

To apply for a seat on one of our Advisory Boards:

• Visit this link
• Enter your details and your nominator's details
• Answer a couple of questions regarding your suitability for your chosen Advisory Board
• Provide a statement of up to 100 words setting out your experience and what insights you would bring to your chosen Advisory Board. This statement will be used if there is a ballot.

Please note that if you wish to stand for more than one Advisory Board, you will need to submit a separate form for each application.

The nomination deadline for all Advisory Boards is Monday 2 February 2026 12.00 pm (midday).

Apply now

What happens after nominations?

Once the nomination deadline has passed, the qualifying applications for each Advisory Board will be counted.

• If there are 20 or fewer qualifying applications for an Advisory Board, then all qualifying applicants will be automatically elected to the Advisory Board and will be notified accordingly.
• If there are more than 20 qualifying applications for an Advisory Board, there will be a ballot. This means an election will be held to select the 20 successful applicants. More information and guidance on how the process works will be provided to qualifying applicants if a ballot is required.

Commitment

Members of all Advisory Boards are elected for a two-year term.

Advisory Board members are expected to attend three to four meetings each year, some of which will be held online and others in-person.

Members are not expected to devote excessive amounts of time to Advisory Boards, but attendance at meetings and input on specific issues is much appreciated and useful.

The MU makes every effort to ensure that our Advisory Board meetings are accessible to all members. If you have any questions about access requirementss, please contact equalites@themu.org

Fees and expenses

When a member attends an Advisory Board meeting, they can claim a meeting allowance.

If a member loses earnings as a consequence of attending an Advisory Board meeting and needs reimbursement, they can claim ONE of the options below:

• A meeting allowance
• A claim for loss of earnings (which needs to be evidenced).

An Advisory Board member can only claim loss of earnings OR a meeting allowance, but not both.

In addition, where a member is required to attend a meeting in person, reasonable expenses (for example, travel expenses) will be covered.

Reserved Seats Policy

Reserved seats policies are in place for both the Music Industry and ED&I Advisory Boards. Reserved seats are common practice within the trade union movement to ensure fair representation and to make unions more effective when tackling issues. It is hoped that increased diversity on Advisory Boards will ensure they are fully representative, shift the MU’s thinking and offer a range of new perspectives making the MU a more inclusive trade union.

Music Industry Advisory Board reserved seats

In the case an election is required a reserved seats policy will be applied as follows:

• 7 seats for Women members
• 2 seats for members from the Global Majority
• 2 seats for Disabled members
• 1 seat for LGBTQ+ members
• 8 general seats

When the results of a ballot are received, applicants for each Advisory Board will be placed in reserved seats as appropriate. For example, the 7 highest polling women candidates will receive the 7 seats reserved for women. Any other candidates that are women are placed in the pool for the 8 general seats, unless they also qualify for another of the reserved seat categories. Once the seats have been filled with the highest polling candidates in each reserved category, the 8 highest polling applicants remaining are placed in the 8 general seats.

If there are fewer applicants than reserved seats in a category, the remaining unfilled seats are added to the general seats total.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Board reserved seats

In the case an election is required a reserved seats policy will be applied as follows:

• 5 seats for Women members
• 5 seats for members from the Global Majority
• 5 seats for Disabled members
• 5 seats for LGBTQ+ members

The 5 highest polling candidates in each reserved category will receive the 5 seats available. Where one of the 5 highest polling candidates in a category has already received a seat via a different category, the next highest polling candidate will receive the seat.

If you have any questions or would like any further information, please email AdvisoryBoards@theMU.org.