The music industry contributed £8 billion to the UK economy in 2024 according to the latest annual report from UK Music, the umbrella organisation that includes industry bodies such as BPI and PRS for Music.
That figure – a 5% rise from the £7.6bn in 2023 – includes revenue brought in from tours via ticket sales and tourism, as well as record sales, streaming, commercial deals and other revenue streams generated by recorded music. Massive stadium tours among the biggest contributors to the figures, was a banner year for touring, with Taylor Swift’s Eras tour and Charl xcx’s ‘Brat’ tour.
A net total of around 4,000 new jobs were also added to the UK music industry according to the This Is Music 2025 report, taking the total up to 220,000. The number of creators (i.e. musicians, composers, producers, engineers, songwriters, etc.) rose by 2.9% to 157,800. However, the caveat to those figures is that 43% of those people reported earning less than £14,000 a year from music.
UK Music chief executive Tom Kiehl welcome the boost in UK music revenue, but remained cautious. “While it is brilliant news that the government now acknowledges music as a high-growth sub-sector,” he said, “ultimately the government needs to be judged in terms of the progress it makes in regulating artificial intelligence and unlocking EU touring. The status quo on these two big issues is currently tilted against music’s interests.”
The report also highlighted fears over the ongoing impact of Brexit on the ability for UK artists to tour in Europe and for artists from the continent to tour over here. The survey found that 32% of musicians and performers had been affected by the UK leaving the EU in 2024 (up 4% from 28% in 2023). Of those affected, 95% experienced a decrease in earnings since Brexit (up 8% from 87% in 2023).
Among the reasons cited were the added bureaucracy and costs making it harder to tour across the EU. Timelines and costs for visas to the US were also up. Respondents also spoke of the impact on royalties since their music was being performed less in Europe.
In response, UK Music urged the UK government to strike an agreement with the EU to lift visa and work permit requirements, and to cut costs relating to the “carnet” required to move goods (such as instruments and touring equipment) across EU borders. It added that a similar arrangement with the US would also be welcome.
The threat of Artificial Intelligence was also cited as the popularity of AI music-making tools and AI-generated music increases. More than half of musicians and artists polled said they would never use AI, producers were less opposed. Over two-thirds said they either already used it or would consider doing so in the future.
UK Music outlined a series of actions it would like the government to take to mitigate the threat of AI. It urged the government to reject any copyright exception that undermines the basic principle for how music is used and compensated for. It also wanted to see legal obligations placed on AI developers to disclose copyright works used in training and establish a legal requirement for clear labelling of AI-generated music.
It also wants the government to make sure that companies accessing UK markets comply with UK laws on AI and copyright and explore personality rights to provide individuals with legal protection over the use of their image, likeness, voice, and personal identity.
This time last year, a survey from the NTIA reported that 90% of UK nightlife venues struggling with rising costs.
Earlier this year, an IMS Business Report 2025 found reported that the value of the global electronic music industry had reached $12.9 billion.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source djmag.com ’
