Music industry leaders unveil 'A Manifesto for Music'

Music industry leaders have unveiled a Manifesto for Music and urged the Government to recruit an army of music teachers to avert the risk of a “lost generation” of musical talent.

Read the manifesto on our Free Guides page

UK Music, the collective voice of the UK music industry, has devised a Manifesto for Music to map out the Government support needed for the music industry and help it grow.

The manifesto urges the next Government to develop a comprehensive, medium to long-term music strategy for growth.

Ahead of an expected 2024 General Election and the looming party conference season, the blueprint sets out a five-point plan for political parties and calls for swift action to implement these key policies.

The five key recommendations in UK Music’s Manifesto for Music are:

·      Invest millions more in music education and recruit and train an army of new music teachers.

·      Ensure artificial intelligence (AI) supports human artistry through strong copyright standards, clear labelling and record keeping requirements, and contains protections for the personality rights of music makers.

·      Fix the European touring crisis by securing a Cultural Touring Agreement with the EU to help cut red tape and soaring costs.

·      Introduce a tax credit to encourage new UK music production.

·      Secure a fair deal for music lovers by ending rip-off secondary ticketing practices.

The manifesto also makes a number of other recommendations, including proposals to boost exports, protect venues and studios and promote diversity.

UK Music Interim Chief Executive Tom Kiehl warned the Government risked “a lost generation” of musical talent unless it delivered a significant boost to music education and adopted the new music strategy.

While the music industry continues to rebuild from the impact of the pandemic, key areas of the sector’s ecosystem need support to ensure the industry can grow both at home and abroad in the face of intense global competition.

In particular, music education must be a top Government priority, said UK Music. The uptake of A-level music has fallen by 45% in the UK since 2020, according to the Independent Society of Musicians. There are nearly 1,000 fewer secondary school music teachers today than in 2012, according to Department for Education data.