Sound Engineering, Visual Effects and Film Technology: The Music Industry

Mintel publishes various reports covering the UK market for Music and Other Audio, December 2023 and Music Concerts and Festivals, July 2024.

MarketLine Advantage publishes industry profiles for various economies including a report on the UK Digital Media Industry from June 2024 and UK Online Music Streaming from June 2024.

• IFPI

Representing record companies worldwide, IFPI publishes its annual Global Music Report every March. The overview (state of the industry) is freely available.

• BPI (British Phonographic Industry)

Representing over 500 record labels, BPI's members account for 85% of all music sold in the UK. Each April, the BPI publishes its annual All About the Music, a detailed look at the UK recorded music industry.

• UK Music

UK Music represents all sectors of the UK music industry, bringing them together to collaborate, campaign, and champion music. As such, it publishes its annual economic report, This is Music, previously Music By Numbers. 

• Creative Industries Council

Acting as a voice for the UK creative industries for an international audience, the Council provides statistics, case studies, relevant news and commentary, predictions and key contact details for the music industry.

• Association of Independent Music

Represents the UK’s independent music sector, which makes up around a quarter of the recorded music market. Provides strategies and case studies and highlights from its annual Aim Connected conference.

Rather than searching individual magazines, you would benefit from searching one database which contains multiple music magazines. Business Source Premier is one such database. It also allows you to search across multiple music publications such as Music Week, The Economist and The Mix.

Print and online versions:

• Music Week
• Sound on Sound
• Music Business Worldwide 

Online only versions:

• Digital Music News (American)
• CMU (Complete Music Update)

Founded in London in 1998, CMU brings together, informs and educates the global music community, and champions great music, music-makers and music businesses.

Rather than searching individual news sources, you would benefit from searching one database which contains multiple news sources. Nexis is one such database. It also allows you to search across multiple magazines and music publications such as Billboard, New Musical Express and Rolling Stone.

Legal aspect of the music industry are covered by the law database, Lexis. This database contains a section on the music industry. The music in a song, song lyrics and the recording of the song all attract copyright and other intellectual property (IP) rights that can be licensed in the UK and globally. IP rights and copyright and associated rights are therefore key to the exploitation of the works that the music industry generates.

The UK Government occasionally holds inquiries or commissions research into specific aspects of the music industry. The subsequent reports often contain representations from segments of the industry.

• Grassroots Music Venues. House of Commons Culture Media and Sport Committee, Inquiry. 7th Report, May 2023, HC 527.
• House of Lords debate on the music industry, Hansard HL Deb 17 April 2023 vol 829 cc456-459
• The Government's work on Music Streaming, summary of the work following the 2021 DCMS report below.
• Intellectual Property Office (2023) United Kingdom Industry Agreement on Music Streaming Metadata. Guidance. 
• Centre for Data Ethics & Innovation, House of Commons Department of Culture Media and Sport (2023) The Impact of Recommendation Algorithms on the UK's Music Industry. 
• House of Commons Department of Culture Media and Sport (2023) Economics of Music Streaming: Follow-up. Fifth report of session 2022-23. HC 874 (2022-23). 
• House of Commons Department of Culture Media and Sport (2023) Economics of Music Streaming: Follow-up. Government response to the Committee’s Fifth Report. HC 1245 (2022-23). 
• Competition & Markets Authority (2022) Music and Streaming. Final report.
• Hesmondhalgh, D., Osborne, R., Sun, H. and Barr, K. (2021) Music Creators’ Earnings in the Digital Era. Newport: Intellectual Property Office.
• House of Commons Department of Culture Media and Sport (2021) Economics of Music Streaming. Government and Competition and Markets Authority Responses to Committee’s Second Report. HC 719 (2021-22). 
• House of Commons Department of Culture Media and Sport (2021) Economics of Music Streaming. Second report of session 2021-22. HC 50 (2021-22).