UK Music, the collective voice of the UK music industry, today unveils the huge potential of music tourism to boost the economy and generate jobs in the North West.
This comes as policymakers and music industry leaders – including UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin – descend on Liverpool today for the first Modern Music Cities Conference.
The eagerly anticipated resurgence of live music in 2022, the first full year of post-Covid festivals, gigs and concerts in the UK, brought in 1.9 million music tourists to the region, showing the impressive reputation of the North West for live music events.
The figure includes 120,00 foreign tourists and 1.8 million domestic tourists, who came to the region in 2022. A domestic tourist is someone who has travelled over 33 miles to attend a show or festival.
This also breaks down as 1.6 million people who attended concerts, such as Stormzy at the M&S Bank Arena Liverpool, Elton John at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, Dua Lipa at the AO Arena in Manchester, or the BBC Philharmonic at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester.
There was an extra boost to concerts in 2022, as many events had been held over from 2021 due to cancellations caused by the pandemic.
This also includes smaller and grassroots music venues such as The Deaf Institute, Gorilla, and Night and Day in Manchester, and the Cavern Club, Camp and Furnace and Invisible Wind Factory in Liverpool.
The report also reveals that 300,000 attended festivals such as Parklife, Creamfields, Liverpool International Jazz Festival, Bluedot, Kendal Calling and Beat-Hearder.
Music tourism supported £696 million in spend in the North West. This includes ticket sales, food and beverage sales, merchandise, venue parking, camping fees, accommodation, travel, and additional spending outside of venues while visiting the UK for a live music event, as well as spending indirectly supported by such businesses’ supply chain.
The report also found that in total five million people attended live events in the North West in 2022. This figure includes locals and music tourists
UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin said:
“The North West is a real powerhouse when it comes to the UK music scene and has produced some of our best performers, including The Beatles, Cilla Black, The Stone Roses, New Order, Oasis, and Mel C.
“Venues in the major cities like Liverpool and Manchester draw in legions of music fans from across the world to see some of the best talent around, including those produced by fantastic places like the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts.
“Music has been key ingredient in the North West’s economic and cultural success – and it is critical to the region’s future too.
“By harnessing the power of music, towns and cities across the North West can generate thousands more jobs, boost economic growth and lure even more visitors to the region.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:
“The North West is the heartbeat of music in this country. The music created by our artists from Manchester, Liverpool and the towns surrounding is loved throughout the world and it’s so pleasing to see people in their millions coming here to experience live music, in the region that does it better than anyone.
“The potential our music and live entertainment industries have in the North West is huge both in terms of boosting our economy and creating good, skilled jobs. This is exactly why I have announced my ambitions to introduce the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) as a new clearer education pathway into more technical roles within our city-region’s most thriving industries.
“It’s also vital we support our upcoming artists at every opportunity we get, and I have launched my Artist of the Month initiative to help give Greater Manchester’s musicians a platform to grow.”
