As we head into 2024, CMU recently sat down with the bosses of many of the music industry’s trade organisations to talk about their work, the key challenges faced by their members, and what to expect in the year ahead. Today, Tom Kiehl, interim CEO of UK Music, which brings together and works for ten other organisations which together represent artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, publishers, labels and managers.
Explore the full series of interviews
What were the biggest wins for UK Music in 2023?
It’s been a critical year for the recovery of the music industry amid the cost of living crisis, as well as the lingering impact of the UK’s exit from the EU and the pandemic. While many challenges remain, we managed to achieve notable successes in several key areas.
The government scrapped plans to introduce a broad copyright exception for text and data mining purposes to train artificial intelligence, following strong campaigning from UK Music and our members. The proposals would have seen anyone wanting to train an AI programme using music able to avoid the need to seek permission from, or pay remuneration to, creators and rightsholders.
We worked with contacts in the USA to highlight issues with a proposed price hike in US working visas. The plan would have seen some fees rise 260% and made it unviable for some UK musicians to play in the US. Thanks to our work and that of our members we were able to get them to reconsider.
We welcomed the Department For Culture, Media And Sport’s Creative Industries Sector Vision, which provided support for grassroots music and exports. UK Music and our members worked with the Creative Industries Council and DCMS to ensure music was a key part of the government’s plans.
This led to an increase in funding and a commitment to fund the Music Exports Scheme up to 2025. It also led to increased funding for the Arts Council England’s Supporting Grassroots Music fund. We were pleased that the government recognised the contribution of the creative industries to the UK through its announcement that the sector was one of its key sectors for growth.
We also welcomed action on the proposed reintroduction of the music teacher bursary, the introduction of the Creative Industries Council’s sustainability charter and the development of the Creative Industries’ It’s NOT OK bullying and harassment resource hub.
Finally, we released three reports in 2023: ‘This Is Music’, ‘Here, There And Everywhere’ and our ‘Manifesto For Music’, as well as a position paper on AI, and we made numerous submissions to governments and Parliamentary committees.
What were some of the key findings of your research work?
In 2023, we announced in our annual economic report ‘This Is Music’ that the music industry’s contribution to the UK economy in 2022 was £6.7 billion GVA. We also revealed music exports generated £4 billion and that the industry employed 210,000. We know with the right support that this number can increase.
We also revealed in our ‘Here, There And Everywhere’ report that the number of music tourists attending live music events across the UK in 2022 was 14.4 million, which included 1.1 million from overseas and 13.3 million domestic tourists.
We also revealed that music tourism generated £6.6 billion in spending and sustained 56,000 jobs. This shows the value of music tourism to regions and nation countries, which is why we produced a Music Powerhouses Toolkit for local governments to discover how they can maximise potential in their areas.
In the same report we revealed that 37.1 million people attended festivals, concerts or gigs in 2022, with 6.5 million attending festivals and 30.6 million attending concerts or gigs. With the bumper year we’ve had for concerts, we wouldn't be surprised if these numbers rise next year.
We also surveyed music creators on the impact on their earnings following the UK’s exit from the European Union. Almost one in three music creators - 30% - who responded to the survey said their earnings had been affected since the UK’s official exit from the EU on 31 Jan 2020.
Of those whose income had been impacted by Brexit, an overwhelming 82% said their earnings had decreased. Musicians, DJs and vocalists were among the worst hit. Only one in five - or 18% - of music creators said their incomes had improved post-Brexit and, in a blow to efforts to grow British music exports, 43% of those hit by Brexit said it was no longer viable for them to tour EU nations.
What are the biggest challenges facing the music industry today?
The UK is world-leading when it comes to music. We are the world’s second largest music exporter, home to iconic festivals and venues, and boast some of the most well-known and sought-after performers and musicians working today.
However, there is increasing global competition from other countries vying for a share of this expanding market. Without action, the UK risks being overtaken by countries who are more proactive and ambitious in promoting and supporting their music sectors.
In our ‘Manifesto For Music’ we identified several key areas for action.
We must ensure that AI continues to support human creativity. Many generative AI systems are being developed without regard to the rights of others and without the consent of the original music-makers or rightsholders. We are campaigning to ensure policymakers protect creators’ and rightsholders’ freedom to choose how their works are used.
The success of the UK’s music industry is built on a strong copyright framework. A clear and robust framework creates legal certainty, allowing creators to monetise their work and giving music businesses the confidence needed to invest in emerging talent.
Through our meetings with policymakers and our submissions to government, we work to ensure that the UK has the most fit for purpose copyright framework in the world, capable of protecting rights and fostering innovation and growth. Doing so will cement our status as a cultural hub and the global destination to perform, record and do business.
Bureaucratic obstacles for touring musicians after the UK’s exit from the EU are holding back sector growth and we need the government to cut down the red tape by securing a Cultural Touring Agreement with the EU. While our best chance of effecting change on this won’t be until the agreement with the EU is up for renegotiation in 2016, we are keeping the drumbeat going.
Music spaces, including recording studios, grassroots music venues and rehearsal spaces, are fundamental to the sector’s success. While the government recently announced £5 million in additional funding for grassroots spaces, the decline of these spaces, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis, is concerning and UK Music takes the opportunity to raise this with policymakers whenever we can.
Audiences, meanwhile, are increasingly being exploited by unscrupulous secondary ticketing practices, further threatening the vitality of the live sector. We’re working with industry, campaigners and MPs to ensure reforms are put in place.
Music education needs investment and support. Over the last decade, GCSE music participation has declined by nearly 25% and A-Level music enrolments have nearly halved.
Government must invest in apprenticeships, vocational qualifications, and music education hubs to ensure equitable access to first-rate music education. The music curriculum needs to be diverse and inclusive, promoting high-quality experiences for all, and offering routes into a variety of specialisms.
Addressing these issues will create a stronger talent pipeline that reflects a broader range of backgrounds and perspectives. We’re working with government as part of the National Plan For Music Education Monitoring Board, as well as consulting with our Music Academic Partnership to ensure we’re on top of the issues.
Many expert freelancers have left the sector due to the lack of financial security, leaving significant skills gaps in many parts of the industry. The protection and support given to these workers is fundamental to the success of music in the UK. We work closely with our members to campaign on this issue.
Music can deliver proven health, wellbeing and societal benefits. Likewise, the industry has been working hard to expand work to combat the climate crisis. If we want to see the full benefits of what music can do for society, then the government needs to support these initiatives. We’re working closely with industry to collect the information we need to present to the government.
Finally, the UK’s network of public service broadcasters play a vital role in supporting the success of the music industry. They provide a platform for artists, musicians, songwriters, producers and composers, enabling them to reach a wider audience and gain exposure.
The BBC and music enjoy a particularly strong relationship. The corporation gives important exposure to upcoming talent and supports music exports through the global reach of its radio stations and licensing TV broadcast content to other territories. It also provides the broadest and most distinctive music offer of any UK media outlet.
The BBC is the single largest employer of musicians in the UK, employing more than 400 contract musicians and many hundreds more freelancers. It is an important commissioner for media composers and is also the UK’s largest commissioner of new classical music.
However, a mixture of cuts and uncertainty around future funding threaten the music provision offered by our public service broadcasters. Musical content represents a vital cultural expression and requires both protection and investment to ensure it continues to thrive. We will continue to call on the government to support music in public service broadcasting.
What is the year ahead looking like for UK Music?
Most notable for UK Music will be the strong likelihood of a General Election in 2024. This is an opportunity for us to work with the parties to ensure music is a key concern in their manifestos.
Last year, we attended six party conferences - Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, SNP, Plaid Cymru and Green - with the aim of expanding our reach and deepening our connections.
In 2024, we have a programme of activities planned to build on this work and to continue to raise awareness of the issues outlined in our ‘Manifesto For Music’.
Our hope is that whoever wins the next election will be fully briefed on the issues facing the music industry and the opportunities that there are for growth, and they will be able to hit the ground running in making positive changes.
We’ll also be doing our biennial diversity workforce survey in 2024. The survey focuses on understanding the diversity of the music industry workforce – those working behind the scenes; managers, A&Rs, promotors, venue managers, publishers, collection management staff and more.
The survey has a focus on ethnicity and gender, but also includes disability, sexuality and socio-economic background. Last time we carried out the survey we also looked at caring responsibilities and the menopause.
We need as many people as possible to fill out the survey so we can get the most accurate data. We’ll be publishing the results later in the year. This is an important opportunity for the industry to understand where we are and where we need to improve.
