Contribution of music to the economy and society

A UK Music report, Music By Numbers (November 2019), found that:

• the UK music industry contributed £5.2 billion to the UK economy in 2018;
• the Live Music sector made a contribution of £1.1 billion in 2018 – up 10% from £991 million in 2017;
• employment in the industry was an all-time high of 190,935 in 2018;
• the total export revenue of the music industry was £2.7 billion in 2018;
• music tourism contributed £4.5 billion to the UK economy in 2018 – up 12% from £4 billion in 2017;
• overseas visitors to UK shows and festivals increased by 10% from 810,000 in 2017 to 888,000 in 2018. 

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s March 2019 report (HC 733) on live music found that it made a “significant contribution to the UK’s economy and cultural life”.  However, the report raised concerns about the sustainability of the industry and the uneven distribution of its benefits both around the country and among those who work in it. The report also looked at:

• music venue closures;
• ticket touting;
• the impact of Brexit on the ability of UK acts to tour Europe and on European musicians coming to work in the UK;
• the impact of the Live Music 2012.

The Government responded (HC 2555) to the Committee’s report in July 2019. The Library has published a Briefing Paper (CBP 6996, 17 December 2019) on the Live Music Act. 

Further sources

• Music Venue Trust website

• Musician’s Union website

• Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Changing Lives: the social impact of participation in culture and sport (HC 734, May 2019) – includes references to the role of music. The Government responded (HC 2597) in September 2019.

• Parliamentary material