PETE TOWNSHEND TO DELIVER FIRST EVER JOHN PEEL LECTURE

Pete Townshend will give the first ever John Peel Lecture, a new event that aims to become an annual institution at the radio industry's big conference, the Radio Festival.

Staged in association with BBC 6music, which will broadcast the speech, Townshend will consider how artists can prosper in a digital age where people want music for free, and whether the internet is better or worst than traditional radio at championing the sort of artists John Peel would have played on his legendary radio show.

Or, in the words of the BBC press release: "In an age of free downloads and a disposable attitude to music, can creative people earn a living, and without radio, how can the 'unpolished' music that John Peel championed find an audience?"

The lecture will be introduced by Peel's son Tom Ravenscroft, and will take place on 31 Oct, on the first day of the three day conference.

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