{"id":101972,"date":"2024-12-02T11:19:15","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T11:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=101972"},"modified":"2025-07-30T09:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T08:30:00","slug":"uk-music-industry-is-thriving-but-still-faces-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/uk-music-industry-is-thriving-but-still-faces-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Music Industry is Thriving, But Still Faces Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UK Music report lobbies the government to address issues otherwise future growth cannot be guaranteed.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The UK music industry is booming, but the latest \u201cThis Is Music\u201d report by UK Music reveals pressing vulnerabilities which could hinder sustained growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UK’s Music Industry is Thriving\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

UK Music has published its annual \u201cThis Is Music\u201d stats report, offering a comprehensive snapshot of the industry\u2019s economic and cultural impact. Central to the report is the concept of Gross Value Added (GVA)<\/a>, which measures the economic contribution of the music sector through activities like music sales, concerts, recording studios, touring, and music tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This year\u2019s report reveals a remarkable 13% growth in GVA, climbing to \u00a37.6 billion<\/a>. Music exports also rose by 15% to \u00a34.6 billion, fueled by the continued global appeal of British artists such as Harry Styles, Adele, and Ed Sheeran. Together, these superstars contributed to record-breaking music export revenues of \u00a3775 million in 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employment within the sector is another standout achievement, reaching a record 216,000 full-time equivalent roles. These figures reflect the strong \u201cinternational appetite\u201d<\/a> for UK music, indicating the industry\u2019s resilience and recovery following the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe music industry is a real British success story. These impressive new figures underline how vitally important it is to be driving growth – as it boosted its value to our economy by nearly a billion pounds in one year.\u201d<\/p>Lisa Nandy, UK Government’s Culture Secretary<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

…or is it?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Despite these achievements, it\u2019s not all sunshine and rainbows for the UK\u2019s music industry. The music industry is \u201cat a tipping point,\u201d according to UK Music CEO Tom Kiehl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not a time to be complacent\u2026 the UK music industry has vulnerabilities too.\u201d<\/p>Tom Kiehl, UK Music CEO<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Whilst many upper-end venues have bounced back to normality after the pandemic, grassroots venues are still struggling. Over the past year, 125 grassroots venues closed, and 350 more face potential closure. Festivals are also under threat, with 192 disappearing since 2019 and many more postponed or cancelled in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These struggles are compounded by obstacles for artists. Brexit and US visa costs make international touring increasingly unattainable for developing artists to grow their worldwide reach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n