"Our culture benefits so much from these programmes."

Jarvis Cocker, Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno have led the signatories of a new open letter that urges the BBC to rethink proposed changes to its radio schedules.

It was confirmed last week that BBC Radio 3 would undergo major changes – including the axing of two jazz shows and the popular experimental music show Late Junction being reduced from three nights a week to one.

Other changes included condensing Music Planet, a world music show, into a single hour-long slow.

Now, Gabriel, Cocker and Eno have led the voices protesting against the changes in a new open letter that has been published in The Guardian. Other high profile signatures included those of Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite, Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor and Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway.

“Our culture benefits so much from these programmes. Music lovers tune in to make new discoveries and build new creative communities. Music makers rely on these shows as lifelines to support and share their music with enthusiastic audiences, nationally and internationally,” stated the letter.

“New works and unexpected collaborations have happened either directly or indirectly due to these shows. This flourishing cultural ecosystem will be damaged, and musicians’ careers profoundly affected, as opportunities for their work to be experienced by the mainstream will be drastically reduced, at home and abroad.

“We work in the worlds of jazz, folk, classical, experimental, electronic music and beyond, but together we share a common purpose. We urge Radio 3 to think again about the changes they are making, and how they will profoundly affect our broader culture.”

The BBC is yet to respond to the open letter.

Meanwhile, Jarvis Cocker will support The Strokes later this year at their All Points East Show in London’s Victoria Park.