The UK music industry is said to have contributed £5.2bn to the UK economy in 2018, according to the Music By Numbers study published by UK Music.
In recent years, a new wave of investment and artists in the UK music industry, particularly in the pop, hip-hop and rap genres has produced some sensational and world-famous acts, boosting the British economy. From the likes of Stormzy and Dave, to Dua Lipa and Sam Smith, new sensations are constantly emerging and boosting the UK music game.
The rise of new talent in the recent years is not only a result of an increase of self-promoting artist but the true support shown by British consumers, almost creating a smaller market fed by amateurs and young locals. This has led to things such as British rap becoming more fashionable, and now much more commercial, popular and accessible to other countries, particularly America. An example would be Octavian who has released a single with Take A Daytrip, an American producer duo who have previously worked with the likes of Cardi B, Lil Nas X, and produced “Mo Bamba” a viral hit in 2018 with Sheck Wes, which peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Top 100 and achieved 3 x platinum. These opportunities that are becoming more frequent and prevalent for famous artists, particularly in London, open new opportunities to reach a demographic in the US that can attract millions to the UK music scene and boost not only streaming and song sales income, but music tourism and travel to shows and concerts from abroad. Statistics show that music tourism contributed £4.5 billion to the UK in 2018, on a rise of 12% from 2017. With more exposure to other countries and international mainstream media, these figures can undoubtedly double.
This kind of potential profit also catches the eyes of major investors, that are scoping for new talent, and providing more opportunities to upcoming artists. This year, the BBC produced a show called “The Rap Game UK” with the famous London rapper duo Krept and Konan, in which small, unknown rap artists entered a competition in the hopes of joining the duo’s new music label, competing challenges in front of some of the largest acts in the UK industry right now such as AJ Tracey and NSG. The winner has already racked up 50,000 followers on Inatagram and will be performing in the O2 Arena in London alongside Krept and Konan in their upcoming UK tour.
New media such as the long-awaited revival of the BBC series “Top Boy” has provided as a gateway for London acts to showcase their music in the soundtrack, even with one of the largest rappers in London, Dave, playing a major role in the series. Rapman, a rapper and film-producer who had originally created a series on Youtube about crime on the streets of London that gained tens of millions of views, has now released a full-blown feature film named “Blue Story” which tackles major isssues in London such as knife crime and poverty, and is currently screening across all cinema chains in the UK. The film also features major British artists in the soundtrack, and is providing more exposure.
The future appears to be very bright for the UK music industry, and is currently on a track of rapid growth. More renowned acts are yet to come, and provide a pathway for more people to explore British music and the surrounding culture.
