David Warburton

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David Warburton
FRSA MP
Member of Parliament
for Somerton and Frome
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded by David Heath
Majority 20,268 (33.6%)
Personal details
Born (1965-10-28) 28 October 1965 (age 58)
Burnham, United Kingdom
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Harriet Warburton (2002–
present)
Children 1 daughter
1 son
Alma mater Royal College of Music
King's College London
Website Official website

David John Warburton FRSA (born 28 October 1965) is a British Conservative Party politician who was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Somerton and Frome at the 2015 general election. He is a former composer and was the founder, chief executive and chairman of Pitch Entertainment Group.

Background and education

He was educated at state grammar school, Reading School, and co-educational comprehensive secondary, Waingels College.[1]

After a variety of jobs, including several years as a shop assistant, a cleaner and a van driver[2] while singing, playing lead guitar and keyboards in a succession of rock bands, he studied at the Royal College of Music, where he was a recipient of the Octavia Scholarship. He graduated in 1993 with a degree and a master's degree M.Mus.(Lond.) Dip.RCM.(Perf.) in music composition. At the Royal College of Music he studied under Edwin Roxburgh and Jeremy Dale Roberts, and had additional study with George Benjamin. He was the composition faculty representative on the Student Association Committee.

He then studied towards an M.Phil. and Ph.D. at King's College, London as a Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust Scholar, under the tutelage of Sir Harrison Birtwistle. Though also a Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust Scholar, he eventually left the course early due to a lack of funding.

Music and teaching career

Having spent time on the Orkney island of Hoy in 1994 studying with future Master of the Queen's Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Warburton worked as a freelance composer, winning composition prizes including the United Music Publishers prize, the Major van Someren Godfrey Composition prize, the Herbert Howells prize and the Elgar Memorial Prize.

He had works commissioned by music festivals, soloists and ensembles and studied film music composition with David Bedford at Dartington International Summer School under a Dartington scholarship.

Selected performances

Teaching

Warburton taught for five years at inner-city mixed community school, Hurlingham and Chelsea Secondary School, as a classroom and peripatetic teacher of music.[4] He also taught A Level music, music technology, music theory, music history and aural at the Hurlingham Centre and at the Royal College of Music Junior Department.

Business career

Warburton founded The Music Solution Ltd (TMS) in 1999, initially providing downloadable music content to mobile phone networks and brands.[5] As chief executive, he expanded TMS to become a service provider, offering website and mobile website branding and design, mobile content and its associated delivery, integrated payment systems and customer service on behalf of brands including the BBC, Celador, News International, Motorola,[6][7] Real Networks, MTV Europe,[8] Kazaa,[9] Sprint PCS[10] and Boosey & Hawkes.[11]

Following a trademark battle in 2001, where British Telecom prevented TMS from using the brand Yellphone.com by claiming ownership of the name, Warburton was forced to change TMS's primary consumer brand to SplashMobile.com.[12][13]

By 2005, TMS had become Pitch Entertainment Group, headquartered in Covent Garden, with operations in Australasia, Asia, South Africa, the US and across Europe. With Warburton as executive chairman, Pitch launched the first example of a mobile social network with ancillary content, and in 2007 was listed by the Sunday Times as the UK's 6th fastest growing technology company, having achieved sales growth of 326% a year.[14][15][16][17]

Pitch partnered with Third Screen Media in 2006 to expand into the new arena of mobile advertising[18] and expanded the service across its network.[19] Warburton featured both on the front cover of the business newspaper City AM in August 2006 under the heading "The musician who became lord of the ringtones" and in its "Job Of The Week" section.[20] In 2008, after continued growth it was announced that Pitch had been acquired for an undisclosed sum by US mobile content provider PlayPhone Inc.[21][22][23][24]

In 2009, Warburton set up the listed building property restoration and development companies Oflang Ltd. and Oflang Partners LLP,[25] and with two others, Loaye Agabani and Tim Lewis, Warburton launched the online business MyHigh.St in Somerset in 2012.[26][27][28] MyHigh.St allows local independent retailers to offer their products online, organised by local high street areas.[29]

Political career

Warburton was Treasurer of Wells Conservative Association from 2009 to 2010 and its Political Deputy Chairman and constituency spokesperson from 2010- to 2012.[30][31]

In February 2013 he was selected as parliamentary candidate for Somerton and Frome. He was candidate during the Somerset floods of 2014,[32] and campaigned for flood alleviation works.[33] As candidate, he campaigned for improved broadband,[34] local charities,[35] rail connectivity,[36] new schools,[37] dualling of the arterial A303 road through Somerset,[38] and reduced duty, regulation and VAT on pub sales.[39]

At the 2015 general election, he was elected with 53% of the vote and, at 18.3%, the largest constituency swing to the Conservative Party. As an MP, he has petitioned Downing Street to prevent the EU imposing excise duty on sales of small-scale cider producers.[40]

As of June 2015, he is one of 125 MPs who employ a member of their family; he employs his wife as a communications officer and personal assistant.[41]

Warburton sits on several All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs). He was elected the chair of the British Council APPG, chair of the APPG on Small Business and chair of the Micro-Business APPG. He is also vice-chair of APPGs on both Music and Bullying. He is secretary of the APPG on Eggs, Pigs and Poultry, and secretary of the Music APPG. Warburton is also treasurer of the APPG for Taxation and for the Shops APPG.[42]

Personal life

He married public relations professional[43] Harriet (b. 1969, née Baker-Bates) in 2002. She is the daughter of the diplomat Merrick Baker-Bates CMG, former Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia and British Consul General in Los Angeles.[44][45]

Warburton is a member of Mensa,[46] a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a Trustee of Down’s Syndrome support charity Ups and Downs Southwest.[47]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Pink News Seat embroiled in row over gay marriage. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  3. ↑ Songs of the Half-Light, for Chamber Orch and Voice, David Warburton, at the British Music Collection Archive. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ NME Showing BBC TV News November 2000. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  6. ↑ Motorola and The Music Solution Offer Downloadable Ring Tones for Mobile Phones. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  7. ↑ Motorola and The Music Solution offer downloadable ring tones for mobile phones, Mobile Internet (Boston, MA), 1 July 2002
  8. ↑ MTV Plans direct portal to sidestep mobile operators. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  9. ↑ Kazaa to Sell Ringtones Along with MP3 Downloads . Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  10. ↑ Sprint PCS gets musical with 127 instrument ringtones, New Media Age, 17 January 2002
  11. ↑ Boosey and BBC play for mobile users, The Mail on Sunday, 6 March 2005
  12. ↑ BT wins trademark battle with Yellphone.com. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  13. ↑ Yellphone.com ceases trading.Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  14. ↑ 2007 Tech Track 100.Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  15. ↑ 2007 Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track 100 league table..Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  16. ↑ Pitch Pitches Into Sunday Times Tech Track 100.Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  17. ↑ Pitch Pitches In at No.6.Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  18. ↑ Reuters and Pitch(TM) Partner with Third Screen Media to Make Mobile Advertising a Reality.Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  19. ↑ Pitch - Using Mobile as a Cold Acquisition Tool.Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  20. ↑ The ringtone innovator with Perfect Pitch, City AM, London 30 August 2006
  21. ↑ PlayPhone acquires Pitch Entertainment Group for European mobile expansion.Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  22. ↑ PlayPhone Inc acquires Pitch Entertainment Group.Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  23. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2008/05/05/daily39.html PlayPhone merges with Pitch Entertainment].Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  24. ↑ PlayPhone partners Pitch to offer mobile entertainment content globally.Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  25. ↑ Oflang Partners LLP Company people
  26. ↑ MyHigh.st - The High Street Revolution.Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  27. ↑ Independent retailers from England’s smallest city selling through new marketplace MyHigh.St.Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  28. ↑ Digital high street launches in Somerset.Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  29. ↑ Could virtual high streets save local shops?.Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  30. ↑ Secret affair backlash against Lib Dem MP.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  31. ↑ BBC News Channel, 9 May 2010.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  32. ↑ Parliamentary candidate shocked by flooding.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  33. ↑ Locals call for Muchelney road raising.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  34. ↑ Superfast broadband campaign launched by parliament hopeful.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  35. ↑ First bus sorry to tiny Frome charity.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  36. ↑ Campaign to re-open Langport and Somerton stations.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  37. ↑ Somerton school suffers minor hiccup.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  38. ↑ David Warburton brings Chancellor to Wincanton.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  39. ↑ Save Our Pubs petition starts in local pubs.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  40. ↑ Somerset MP takes save scrumpy campaign to Number 10.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/contents.htm
  43. ↑ Film, theatre and ents specialists form Premier PR.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  44. ↑ British Consul to Talk on Education Issues, Los Angeles Times, 21 October 1997.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  45. ↑ Brit spreading the news about Utah's economy, Deseret News, 1 September 1994.Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  46. ↑ "The ringtone innovator with Perfect Pitch", City AM, London, 30 August 2006
  47. ↑ David Warburton walks over hot coals for Ups and Downs.Retrieved June 12, 2015.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Somerton and Frome
2015–present		 Incumbent
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