On the same day that Prime Minister Theresa May announced a surprise snap election, UK Music has issued a positive response to Government’s industry strategy green paper, highlighting a number of key areas that could help benefit the music business.
The green paper, entitled Building Our Industrial Strategy, promises to ‘close the gap between the UK’s most productive companies, industries, places and people and the rest, as well as to make the UK one of the most competitive places in the world to start or grow a business. More specifically for the music industry, following UK Music’s call for an industrial strategy for the creative sector in the wake of Brexit, the green paper earmarked the creative industries as one of five sectors to be given an ‘early sector deal’ to help address its needs in relation to intellectual property and physical infrastructure.
And while the green paper was “warmly welcomed” by UK Music, it also highlighted a number of issues that must be considered moving forward.
“The sector deal must deliver firm commitments and statements from the Government in relation to its support for the intellectual property framework,” UK Music said in a statement. “This provides a backbone to our commercial success and endeavours. Growth would be severely inhibited if copyright is not protected or its value not recognised.
“Physical infrastructure is important to the development of the music industry. Without modern venues, studios and rehearsal spaces it would be impossible for new and existing artists and musicians to develop and grow audiences and fanbases. Proposals such as the Music Venue Trust Sound+Vision Project, which can deliver high quality sound, lighting, audience and artists facilitaties in grassroots music venues should therefore be integrated in any sector deal.”
UK Music also pointed to five key areas for Government to address in order for the UK to remain “an attractive place for a talented and creative music industry”.
The five areas are: intellectual property, skills and education, finance and investment, international action and regional development. These, said UK Music, are particularly necessary following UK withdrawal from the European Union.
“Supporting these priorities will in turn enable the Government’s overarching objectives for industrial strategy to be realised,” UK Music’s statement continued.
The music industry contributes £4.1 billion in GVA to the economy, accounting for £2.2 billion in exports and employing almost 120,000 people. The sector has grown by 17% over the past four years, with the number of overseas music tourists visiting the UK increasing 16%.
You can read UK Music’s response to the green paper in full here.
