Written evidence submitted by UK Music

UK Music is the collective voice of the UK’s world-leading music industry across each region and nation of the UK (see annex for full list of members). UK Music represents all sectors of the music industry – bringing them together to collaborate, campaign and champion music. UK Music promotes the music industry as a key national asset to all levels of Government, from Local Authorities, devolved parliaments and assemblies to the UK parliament and publishes research on the economic and social value of music.

The crux of this paper to the Defence Select Committee is the fact that music is important to creating positive international perceptions of the UK and UK military bands specifically have an important role within cultural defence diplomacy. Therefore, the provision of skilled musicians should be seen as a national priority to support cultural defence diplomacy alongside music’s economic, educational and cultural benefits.

Music is a national asset to the UK employing three times as many people as steel and fisheries industries combined, 145,000 vs 45,000.[1] It is also a global leader producing a product that captures imaginations all over the world. In the last year of full touring (2019) four of the top ten grossing global tours were headlined by UK artists (Ed Sheeran (1), Elton John (4), Rolling Stones (5), Paul McCartney (8).[2] The UK remains one of only 3 net exporters of music globally and in 2021 1,500 UK artists surpassed 10 million audio streams worldwide.[3]

These achievements directly shape how the UK is perceived abroad. The 2021 Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index found that 48% of respondents associated the British “brand” with music, the second highest association (“pop videos” as a distinct category was 6th on 31%).[4] The last Soft Power 30 report noted that music was one of the “greatest soft power strengths” of the UK.[5] The Integrated Review in 2021 described the UK as a “soft power superpower”, consistently in the top three on soft power indices and noted that 1/8 albums sold globally were by UK artists.[6]

A survey conducted by Public First on behalf of UK Music in 2020 found that 75% of the public are proud of the UK music industry and its heritage and that 59% believe music improves the UK’s reputation overseas.[7] The importance of music to cultural defence diplomacy specifically is expressed in the storied role that music plays in the UK military.

Music has long been part of the traditions of the UK armed forces, regimental bands developed in the 17th and 18th centuries and until the 1990s regiments often had multiple bands, indeed by the time military bands were drastically reduced in 1994 to 22 military bands it was believed that the Ministry of Defence was directly spending more on bands than the rest of the UK Government combined.[8] Each branch of the armed forces retains its own organisation for musicians Royal Marines Band Service (Royal Navy), the Royal Corps of Army Music (British Army), and the Royal Air Force Music Services (Royal Air Force).[9] These bands play an important role in UK ceremonials with the “state” bands playing events like the trooping of the colour at Horse Guards Parade, regimental bands routinely play major sporting events such the Royal Welsh’s ceremonial band’s routine pre-match performances at the Principality Stadium, and multiple bands were key to the recent funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II, one of the most important ceremonial events in the United Kingdom of the last 50 years.[10] The image of a regimental band in dress uniform is synonymous with the UK state, the royal family and British power across the world.

Military bands are also an important part of the UK armed forces cultural influence around the world, often either as a result of imitation, as in the case of the US Marine Band (“The Presidents Own” in imitation of the old British designation of “Queen’s Own” or “Kings Own”) or as a legacy of colonialism as in India, the Caribbean (e.g. the Jamaica Military Band and the Barbados Defence Force Band) or the military band traditions in the Canadian, Australian and South African armed forces.[11]

These traditions play an important role in facilitating ongoing cultural exchange between the UK armed forces and other militaries. Military bands and particularly bands in the British tradition of military music and composition play a prominent role in international military events, particularly the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which is based around military bands from all over the world and is of special interest to the Committee.[12] Tattoo performances have been held abroad, most notably in Australia and New Zealand.[13] It also builds links beyond the Commonwealth, for example screenings of the Tattoo were held across China in 2019, with future plans for live performances, curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] The 2022 military tattoo featured the debut performances by the Banda Monumental de Mexico and the United States Army Field Band.[15] These events help to build co-operation between allied services, provide opportunities for reducing tensions by encouraging exchanges with nations that are not allies and help project an image of the United Kingdom as an important international partner.

However, the price of being able to stage and take part in these kind of events is having properly trained and highly skilled musicians and music workers, particularly with regard to orchestral players. A report by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee report; Reimagining Where We Live: Cultural Placemaking and the Levelling Up Agenda published in November 2022 found that music “has suffered from a shortage of tutors, particularly for orchestral instruments”.[16] This matches concerns that UK Music has had for some time around the lack of a parity of esteem in resources and rhetoric for creative subjects that has seen the number of pupils taking A-level music plummeting 29.4 % between 2014 and 2022 from 8,375 to 5,916 as well as a 20% fall in GCSE entrants.[17]

Access issues are particularly acute among working class communities. 50% of privately educated students have sustained instrumental tuition, conversely only 15% of state educated pupils do.[18] The DCMS Select Committee report quoted earlier further noted that this emerging skills shortage “must be addressed if the UK is to maintain its status as a stalwart in arts and culture in future.”[19] To ensure a music career is open to all with the talent for it, it is vital that access to instrumental tuition and formal music education is expanded and cost barriers broken down.

While the UK, Welsh and Scottish Governments have all brought forward proposals to arrest this decline and ensure access to instrumental tuition for pupils from all backgrounds it is vital that these halcyon visions are backed up with funding.[20] Therefore, UK Music would ask that the Committee seriously consider supporting the UK Government delivering on the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto pledge for an Arts Pupil Premium, that was also promised in the 2020 Budget but has subsequently been abandoned.[21] This would ensure that working class kids in England had the funding to pursue a career in music, including in the UKs world class military bands. UK Music would also welcome the premium being adopted by the devolved Governments. In the long-term supporting music education is critical to buttressing the UKs soft power and specifically ensuring the UK has the military bands to play the role that they need to in delivering effective cultural defence diplomacy.

Music and military bands specifically are vital to how the UK is perceived internationally. Events involving military bands such as the Edinburgh Military Tattoo provide an important chance for exchange and learnings between militaries, defusing tensions and building links with the UKs allies. Therefore, music should be seen as having a vital role in underpinning the UK cultural defence diplomacy. Music’s role in cultural defence diplomacy through military bands once again highlights how the provision of music skills in the workforce should be seen not as a “nice to have” but an integral part of the skillset that the workforce will need for the UK to be safe and prosperous in the 21st Century. The adoption of the Arts Pupil Premium would show that the UK Government is serious in addressing the emerging music skill shortage in the workforce that will be a drag on the economy and denies opportunity to working class kids across the country. Failure to act will lead to the UK playing the "Last Post" for a much vaunted music military tradition and the ability of the UK to carry out a cultural defence diplomacy that goes beyond platitudes.

Annex

UK Music’s membership comprises: -

• The Association of Independent Music – the trade body for the independent music sector and community which make up more than a quarter of the UK’s recorded music market. Representing 1000+ independent record labels and associated businesses, AIM’s members range from globally recognised brands to the next generation of British music entrepreneurs.
• BPI - The British Phonographic Industry - The representative voice of the UK’s recorded music sector. Their membership consists of approximately 500 music companies, ranging from hundreds of SME independent labels to the major global record companies Universal, Sony and Warner. They also organise the BRIT Awards, the Mercury Prize and administer the Music Exports Growth Scheme (MEGS).
• FAC – The Featured Artists Coalition - UK trade body representing the specific rights and interests of music artists. A not-for-profit organisation, they represent a diverse, global membership of creators at all stages of their careers and provide a strong, collective voice for artists.
• The Ivors Academy - An independent association representing professional songwriters and composers. As champions of music creators for over 70 years, the organisation works to support, protect and celebrate music creators including its internationally respected Ivors Awards.
• MMF – Music Managers Forum - representing over 1000 UK managers of artists, songwriters and producers across the music industry with global businesses.
• MPG - Music Producers Guild - representing and promoting the interests of all those involved in the production of recorded music – including music studios, producers, engineers, mixers, remixers, programmers and mastering engineers.
• MPA - Music Publishers Association - with 260 major and independent musicpublishers in membership, representing close to 4,000 catalogues across all genres of music.
• Musicians’ Union - Representing over 32,000 musicians from all genres, both featured and non-featured.
• PPL licenses recorded music in the UK when it is played in public or broadcast and ensures that revenue flows back to our members. These include independent and major record companies, together with performers ranging from emerging musicians to globally renowned artists. In 2021 we collected £252.8 million while also distributing money to 147,000 performers and recording rightsholders.
• PRS for Music is responsible for the collective licensing of rights in the musical works of 150,000 composers, songwriters and publishers and an international repertoire of 28 million songs.
• UK Music also has an informal association with LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment), the voice of the UK’s live music and entertainment business. LIVE members are a federation of 13 live music industry associations representing 3,150 businesses, over 4,000 artists and 2,000 backstage workers.

4 November 2022