The UK government has launched a new music strategy, ‘Turn It Up: Our Plan for Music’, as Labour politician Andy Burnham is expected to be the sole candidate in the party’s leadership election to replace outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The plan, announced on 13 July, bundles funding and policy measures spanning education, live music, exports, freelancer rights and a new ‘Music Champion’ role to strengthen ties between government and the industry.
Funding and education initiatives
- An extra £15m for the existing Music Growth Package from Arts Council England, taking the total to £45m. The government says this will support more than 2,000 projects and at least 40,000 artists and music professionals over three years. Funding will now also cover mid-career artists, band managers, labels and publishers.
- At least £12.5m from dormant assets for ‘Music in Libraries’, a scheme enabling libraries to apply for funding to create free studio spaces, recording booths, mixing desks and state-of-the-art equipment. Ed Sheeran’s foundation is a partner organisation.
- At least £10m more from dormant assets for a ‘Creative Mentoring’ scheme, giving thousands of care-experienced children and young people in-depth mentoring from creative practitioners and opportunities to explore music, art, film and drama.
Live music licensing reforms
The plan expands the number of Temporary Event Notices that venues can apply for from 15 to 20 per year, and the total event days from 21 to 26. Festivals and other events will be offered longer licences: at least three years for new events and five for existing ones.
Advocacy and freelancer protections
A ‘Freelance Champion’ will be appointed to advocate for creative freelancers within government. The new creative-industries watchdog, the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (Ciisa), will be added to the list of prescribed people and bodies, ensuring freelancers can whistleblow without fear of detriment or dismissal.
Former UK Music chief executive Michael Dugher has been named the Music Champion, a one-year unpaid role starting 13 July. Dugher, an MP from 2010 to 2017, later led the Betting and Gaming Council. The role is designed to strengthen engagement between government and the music industry.
The plan also includes a 50% boost to the UK music trade-mission programme, doubling funding for the British Music Embassy stage at SXSW.
Minister’s comments
In an interview ahead of the launch, creative industries minister Ian Murray MP described the plan as a “checkpoint” rather than a starting point.
“This music plan is not a starting point: it’s a checkpoint on the way to a much more vibrant sector… What we want to do is support the music industry so that we have greater exports and that pipeline of talent coming through for the future. Who are the Beatles, the Sam Fenders and the Harry Styles of tomorrow?”
On the libraries funding and music education, Murray said:
“We’ve got to be able to nurture the talent of the future… the libraries funding is so important because it allows people to use those community assets to be able to have that ability to springboard into other [musical] things. I’ve got a five year-old daughter, and she wants to pick up a guitar. She’s got a small ukulele. She wants to try the recorder. But she can only do that because I’ve given her access to it. We want that opportunity to be there for every single child, right across the country.”
He stressed the music industry’s integral role in education:
“It’s integral. If you look at the curriculum, and trying to get music and other other subjects back into the national curriculum, it can’t be just be delivered by schools and teachers on their own. It’s got to be delivered by industry and partnership. If you look at the National Centre for Arts and Music, which is part of the education-skills part of the plan and launches in September, those music hubs and specialist schools will work very closely with the industry, like we’ve already seen the Brit School work hand-in-hand with the industry.”
Murray added that the plan is not solely about finding future stars:
“We talk about stars of the future a lot, but it’s also just about opening the eyes of young people to enjoy music… And just being part of that musical journey, whether they’re going to be the next big thing or whether they’re just going to enjoy playing an instrument, or singing, or being part of that musical enjoyment.”
