Suffolk's Ed Sheeran helped generate £6.6 billion of spending in the UK in 2022
A new report says music spending was helped by stars like Sheeran touring
Music tourism generated £6.6 billion pounds of spending in the UK in 2022.
That's according to a new report by UK Music, which says it was helped by the return of Glastonbury festival after two years away, and tours by stars like Suffolk's Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles and Sir Elton John.
The report also found a total of 30.6 million people went to concerts in in the first full year of gigs since Covid.
In the UK, a total of 6.5 million music fans attended festivals in the UK in 2022, whilst the total attendance at UK festivals and concerts was 37.1 million.
"Music is one of our country’s great assets"
UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin said:
“Music is one of our country’s great assets – not only is it absolutely critical to the economic success of our local areas, but it also generates huge amounts of soft power and helps put our towns and cities on the global map.
“In 2022, music pulled more than 14 million tourists into local areas and supported £6.6 billion of spending in local economies across the UK. This is testament to just how important a thriving musical ecosystem is for our towns and cities.
“But while music generates huge benefits for our local areas, the infrastructure and talent pipeline that it relies on still faces huge challenges.
"It’s vital that we protect musical infrastructure"
"With a venue closing every week, one in six festivals not returning since the pandemic, and many studios facing huge economic pressures, it’s vital that we protect the musical infrastructure that does so much for our towns and cities.
“Post-pandemic, the role of music in transformative placemaking is more important than ever – and this report provides a valuable toolkit for local authorities to help them seize the benefits of being a “music city”.
“By harnessing the power of music, nations and regions across the UK can generate thousands more jobs, boost economic growth and attract even more visitors to the local area. This report shows how to turn that potential into reality.”
"Boost economic growth"
Minister for Tourism and Creative Industries John Whittingdale said:
“The UK’s stellar line-up of festivals, concerts and grassroots gigs is a magnet for music fans around the world seeking unforgettable experiences.
“UK Music’s report demonstrates that live music has come back post-Covid even stronger and shows the power of music to bring people together, support thousands of jobs and drive economic growth.”
VisitBritain/VisitEngland CEO Patricia Yates said:
“Music’s ability to promote messages of warm welcome – a top motivator in destination choice – was well and truly on show during the UK’s recent hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine.
“We know there is pent-up demand for travel and our research shows almost half of travellers already associate the UK with music. A further 44% VisitBritain surveyed were keen on attending a live music festival on holiday abroad.
“Music tourism offers hugely valuable and exciting opportunities to influence destination choice and bookings and to build on the strong recovery we have seen in overseas visitor spending in the UK.”