| Biography | Fran Nevrkla OBE is a former world class violinist and leading music industry executive.
Born in Trebíc, Czechoslovakia in 1945, Fran Nevrkla joined the Czechoslovak Chamber Orchestra aged 17 while still a student at the Prague Conservatoire of Music, rapidly becoming a prominent feature of its violin section. He moved to the UK in 1966 to study at the Royal College of Music, before the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and subsequent repression of personal and political freedoms, removed any chance of returning to his homeland. Accused of defection and tried in his absence, he was stripped of his citizenship and faced a jail sentence if he returned. Remaining in his adopted home, he quickly became a regular in the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic, playing for audiences across the world and featuring on film scores for Maurice Jarre, John Barry and many more.
In 1976, his career as a violinist was suddenly cut short by an untreatable shoulder injury which made playing impossible. After a year processing this diagnosis, Nevrkla joined Warner Music's customer services team in 1977. By 1981, he was responsible for the record company's business affairs in the UK, and in 1985 he became Director of Business and Commercial Affairs, also serving two terms as Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) Rights Committee.
In 2000, he left Warners to become Chairman & CEO of Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL), holding these roles until stepping down as CEO in 2011 and stepping down as Chairman, and retiring altogether, in 2016. During this time, he transformed PPL into one of the most important, well-respected, and valuable organisations in the music industry. In 2007, in a landmark development, he oversaw the inclusion of performers into the organisation for the first time through a merger with PAMRA (Performing Artists' Media Rights Association) and AURA (Association of United Recording Artists). Described as the most transformative moment in PPL's history, it meant that PPL could represent both record companies and performers on equal terms, ensuring that each enjoyed a balanced voice and robust advocacy of their rights.
During his tenure, PPL more than trebled the annual royalties it paid to its members, becoming a crucial income source for thousands of performers at a time when digital piracy threatened to uproot their livelihoods. He was also one of the music industry's most influential advocates to government, instrumental in a number of momentous causes for the sector, including the extension of copyright protection on sound recordings; the enforcement of the music licence for public spaces; and the increased protection and enforcement of music copyright in the face of online piracy. Nevrkla also sat on the board of trustees of the BRIT School and the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM).
In 2013, he was awarded an OBE for services to the music industry. |