Today UK Music publishes Wish You Were Here 2016 – A new report that reveals the vast contribution of both live music and music tourism to Manchester and breaks down the cultural scale and impact and the economic value to the city.
The study showed that in 2015 the total audience for live music events in Manchester was a staggering 1.9 million. The city was visited by 697,000 music tourists to attend a live concert or music festival.
These visitors generated a staggering £140 million towards the local economy, and helped sustain 1,583 full-time jobs within the city.
Wish You Were Here 2016 clearly shows the value of live music and music tourism to Manchester through live concerts and events like Parklife and the Manchester International Festival and the huge boost that it continues to bring to the area both culturally and economically.
Music festivals and concerts have been adding to happiness and wellbeing for decades across the North West and importantly music tourism has been driving wealth into recovering local economies across the whole of the UK.
Jeff Smith MP for Manchester Withington said:
“From hosting the Sex Pistols in the Lesser Free Trade Hall in 1976 to New Order’s iconic shows at the Hacienda, Manchester has always been at the heart of British music culture. Today, this proud history continues with almost 700,000 people travelling to Manchester to hear live music in 2015, generating £140 million. Manchester’s gigs, festivals and concerts attracted over 1.9 million people to the city last year. Live music is a source of great enjoyment, but also a source of jobs, growth and investment. As a former DJ and events promoter, I’m particularly pleased to see UK Music’s latest report recognising the huge impact of the live music industry on our economy and our livelihoods.”
Jo Dipple, UK Music Chief Executive said:
“The appetite for live music has continued to grow. Last year overseas music tourism increased by 16%, whilst British music events were attended by a staggering 27.7 million people in 2015. What this report shows, unequivocally, is the economic value of live music to communities, cities and regions.”
