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With that in mind , he had initially gone to Richard Branson ( at the time as owner and founder of Virgin Records ) for help who , believing that it should be a music-industry led initiative , went to the trade association , the BPI , to galvanise support .
In 1989 , the UK recorded music industry , through the BPI , specifically set up what was called the BRIT Trust , a charity to raise funds for the school , and immediately diverted monies from the annual BRIT Awards show which four years earlier had started to be broadcast on terrestrial TV .
Providence , as they say , is the residue of good planning . A huge amount of executive time , coupled with the generosity of the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy charity ( which the industry had been supporting for 21 years ), led to the huge Knebworth concert on June 30th 1990 .
It was ( another ) rainy day but that didn ’ t dampen the ardour of the fans ( present was the future PM , Tony Blair ) nor the majesty of the moment . Knebworth had a stellar cast ( featuring the UK rock royalty of the day : Eric Clapton , Phil Collins , Dire Straits , Genesis , Elton John , Paul McCartney , Pink Floyd , Robert Plant , Cliff Richard , The Shadows , Status Quo and Tears for Fears ). It has been called the “ best British concert of all time ”.
Providence stepped in when public demand for VHS and later DVDs of the show exceeded all expectation of finances raised by the show . Coupled with record company money , the building of the School could continue based on a financial footing that months earlier had seemed highly unlikely and which helped reassure government support .
The design of the new building ( its futuristic appearance has lasted well given its age ) reflected the arts education imperatives of the time – to provide rehearsal , practice and technical classrooms to support productions in the School ’ s theatre spaces .