Live Music Industry: Support

Question

Asked by

To ask His Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held recently with the live music industry about support for the sector.

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and draw noble Lords’ attention to my entry in the register.

The Government engage regularly with the live music sector on our shared goal of a sustainable grass-roots music ecosystem and to maximise opportunities for growth. Today we have published our Creative Industries Sector Plan as part of the industrial strategy, including up to £30 million for music. Ministers have recently convened two round tables with the live music industry to drive progress on the industry-led ticket levy, in addition to a round table on improving ticket resale and combating touts.

I thank my noble friend for that Answer. This week, 200,000 people will gather at the world’s greatest live music event, but Glastonbury is simply the apex of the great pyramid of the UK’s live and electronic music sector, which generates over £6 billion for our economy and brings immeasurable pleasure to millions. The base of that pyramid is in danger of crumbling without due care and attention, so the Commons Culture Committee has asked me to head a fan-led review of live music in the coming months. Will my noble friend the Minister commit our Government to engaging seriously with the findings of that review and doing their bit to support our world-beating live music sector?

I cannot think of anyone better than my noble friend to carry out this work. We welcome the launch of Parliament’s fan-led review of the live music industry and look forward to considering its findings. From the industry’s own recent fan-led review, we know that fans are deeply invested in supporting live music, particularly local artists and independent venues, but rising financial pressures, dynamic pricing concerns and the closure of beloved venues threaten long-term sustainability. We recognise those same challenges, which is why today, as I mentioned previously, we have announced a major investment to drive growth in the UK music industry.

My Lords, will the Government, particularly in the light of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, ensure that existing music venues are fully protected in areas that face redevelopment? If the agent of change principle were to be incorporated by government into primary legislation, that would be very welcome.

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that new developments should be able to be integrated effectively with existing businesses and community facilities such as music venues. Existing businesses and facilities should not have unreasonable restrictions placed on them as a result of development permitted after they were established. We want to enable new developments such as housing to coexist with culture and infrastructure such as music venues.

My Lords, will the Minister give us some undertaking that the Government will look at well-being and things such as mental health that go with participation in live music, particularly at accessible events? If we lose sight of that linkage, we are losing much of the benefit.

My own health is considerably enhanced by being able to attend events. From a government perspective, it is key that all children have the chance to realise their musical talent and that music events are open to all. That is why the Government are working with Young Sounds UK on a four-year music opportunities pilot to break down barriers to music education for disadvantaged students.

The noble Earl made an excellent point about the agent of change. The ad hoc committee on the review of the Licensing Act 2003, which I had the honour to chair, made a specific recommendation that the agent of change should be enshrined in law. Without that, real pressure is put on existing music venues, which suffered terribly, along with the hospitality sector more generally, during Covid. Will the Minister look favourably on enshrining the agent of change into law to ensure a vibrant future for existing music venues?

The Government are committed to developing a truly plan-led system with a policy framework that is accessible and understandable to all. To that end, we intend to consult on a set of national policies for decision-making later this year. As I mentioned in a previous response, we want to enable new developments such as housing to co-exist with cultural infrastructure such as music venues. I understand the frustration behind the noble Baroness’s question.

The Minister’s response is very welcome. Although the agent of change principle was introduced—I played some part in that in my role in the other place—local councils still do not seem to be getting the message. Does she accept that the money in music these days is in venues and events and therefore that people need to be able to learn their trade in small venues? Otherwise, our enormously successful music industry will not maintain its position. Nobody starts by playing at The O2; they start in local venues. Can we get that message through to local authorities?

I think that many local authorities recognise the significance of grass-roots music venues, not least as a way of attracting people to live in their areas. The Government are also of the view of my noble friend that supporting grass-roots music is vital. To that end, we are providing £2.5 million for Arts Council England’s Supporting Grassroots Music fund for the coming year.

My Lords, one way in which the next generation of talent develops its skills and craft is through international touring, which has been so important in building fan bases and growing skills. The mention of artists touring in the post-Brexit UK-EU summit was very welcome, but it is not clear what next steps are being taken to resolve the absence of touring arrangements in the post-Brexit agreements.

The noble Baroness is correct that it is a positive sign that it was mentioned in the announcement following the UK-EU summit on 19 May. Both the UK and the European Commission are committed to supporting travel and cultural exchange, including the activities of touring artists. We are continuing to engage constructively with the European Commission to address the challenges that touring artists and their support staff face, while respecting regulatory frameworks on both sides. My colleague, Sir Chris Bryant, has held a number of bilateral meetings with other countries and the Commission to try to move this forward.

Given that music has disappeared from many state schools, what are the Government doing to bring music back, particularly to primary and secondary school children?

This Government are absolutely committed to ensuring that every child has access to quality creative education, including music. As noble Lords will be aware, we launched an independent curriculum and assessment review, which seeks to deliver a broader curriculum so that young people do not miss out on music and the arts. The Government are also working with Young Sounds UK on a four-year music opportunities pilot to break down barriers to music education for disadvantaged and SEND students.

My Lords, I welcome the publication of the sector plan which the Minister mentioned today. As that recognises on page 50:

“Grassroots venues are struggling to break even”,

why are the Government making their job even harder with their changes to business rates and national insurance contributions?

On the business rates question, I will throw back to the noble Lord this Government’s fiscal inheritance. We recognise that grass-roots venues have faced a challenging set of circumstances in recent years, and that is why we are committed to working with industry to maximise the uptake and impact of the voluntary ticket levy.

My Lords—

My Lords, I declare my interest as a governor of an independent school—and give way to the noble Lord.

I am grateful to the noble Lord. Can the Minister hear the noise from today’s discussion, in which Members are raising all sorts of problems that the cultural industries face? Do we not need a complete strategy that deals with all these issues, and do we not need to be clear about how we are going to support the arts and culture in the UK?

I thank my noble friend for allowing me again to draw attention to the fact that the department has today published its Creative Industries Sector Plan. That identifies the music industry and other parts of the cultural sector as a high-growth subsector and sets out the actions from the Government and industry to drive music sector growth. As a number of noble Lords have highlighted, this has to include action on grass-roots music, which is the platform on which so many people start their careers.