Music tourism generated almost £4bn in 2015

More than 10 million music tourists visited festivals, concerts and small venues across the UK in 2015, generating almost £4bn for the UK economy, according to a new report into the live music industry.

Wish You Were Here, UK Music’s latest study into the economic impact of live music and music tourism in the UK, has also revealed that overseas tourists spent an average of £852 whilst in the UK, helping to sustain an estimated 39,034 full time jobs.

The report is built on “vast quantities” of raw ticketing data collected from festivals, concerts and grassroots venues where live music was the primary attraction.

The research measures direct and indirect spending – which includes accommodation and travel – across England’s regions and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It defines music tourists as people who either live overseas or travelled at least three times their average commute to reach the event.

Across the regions

The report finds the highest total direct and indirect spend was in London – almost £1bn. The East (£316m) and North West of England (£375m) generated a higher total spend than Scotland.

Wales recorded the highest proportion of music tourists (45%) among its audiences for live music events, but London welcomed the largest overall number of music tourists (3.2m) and reported the most full time jobs sustained by music tourism (7,500).

Launching the report, Andy Heath, Chairman of UK Music commented on the need for policy-makers to recognise the value of the music sector. He said: “The future of British music is dependent on emerging talent, both in performance and business. Securing our future depends on the creation of optimum conditions to support young people to become musicians, songwriters, creative technicians and one of the 39,034 jobs in this report.

“This report must focus policy makers on creating the right conditions for the future of an industry that astounds, entertains and attracts the world.”

John Whittingdale MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport said: “This is a fantastic achievement and a great testament to both our live music industry and the musical talent it supports. This is no surprise given British artists account for just over one in seven albums purchased by fans around the globe.”