British music exports top $1 billion, but…
Image credit: Ian Taylor
British music reached a record high for global revenues last year, though there’s more than meets the eye to the astonishing figure.
Music is one of the most visible exports for every country. You’re more likely to know their top artists than the vegetable they send out to the world the most. In Britain, the figure is becoming significant.
The BPI (British Phonographic Industry) have released a new figure, showing that British music industry exports exceeded $1 billion USD in 2023. That’s £775 million earned from sales, streams, and uses of British music around the world outside of Great Britain.
This record figure shows Britain at a new height of significance in the global market. However, the rate of growth is actually down to 7.6% year-on-year growth pushing the new highest figure. It seems reasonably modest growth, however in 2022 British musical exports grew an astonishing 20% year-on-year.
BPI CEO, Dr Jo Twist said: “We can and must do even better in the face of fierce global competition as rival markets grow at pace.”
That said, the figures still represent a fantastic sign for the British music industry’s international sales and streams. In the U.S., the BPI report $417 million/£320.9 million of income, a figure that is more than the combined revenues generated by the 9 export markets beneath it.
India is interestingly developing a new love for British music in a big way. Their market is only 19th in value on the export nation’s list, but grew by a whopping 26.3% year-on-year. This is likely – at least in part – down to India’s quickly growing uptake of digital music services.
How independent British artists can reach the world
As countries around the world listen to more and more British music, there’s no better time to find success as a British artist. With RouteNote, artists can easily upload their music to markets all around the world.
RouteNote offers free distribution to the top music platforms, like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and many more. As an independent artist, you can use RouteNote to reach every corner of the globe and find your fanbase as more listeners discover British music every year.