More than 14m travelled to UK music events in 2022

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Concerts and festivals generated an estimated £6.6bn of tourism spend in 2022 as millions of Britons and international visitors travelled to hear live music in the UK, according to a new report from industry body, UK Music.

The 'Here, There and Everywhere' report calculates that 14.4m fans, including 1.1m people from outside the UK, travelled to concerts and festivals in the UK during the full year with no COVID-related restrictions since the pandemic. The body estimates that music-related travel by both domestic and international audiences helped support 56,000 UK jobs in 2022.

Total attendances at UK live music events reached 37.1m, with an estimated 30.6m people going to concerts and gigs, and 6.5m visiting music festivals.

UK Music argues that UK music tourism could increase significantly by 2030 – with the support from government, local councils and others to spread growth and job across the UK.

Its report focuses on the action that towns and cities across the UK can take to use music to help grow their local economies and support jobs.  

A special toolkit outlines how local authorities and others can utilise existing funding and spaces to help music thrive across the UK.  

The toolkit includes four recommendations for local councils on how to build their own music communities:

• Use data to ensure music is at the heart of planning and licensing policy.
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• Create a register of available spaces and places to support music activities.

• Enshrine music and the local community in regeneration and development.

• Set up or support city-wide music advisory boards

UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin said: “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.”

Download and read the report.

More on the UK music industry at UK Music.

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