UK-made music has a large following outside of Britain going by the report published by the BPI which depicts UK music performing exceptionally well in markets outside the UK. The BPI, a body that represents record labels, shows that of all the music sold globally, 13.5% is made in the UK. This means that roughly one in every seven albums sold throughout the whole world is from the UK.
Does it mean then, that the UK has been able to effectively promote its music globally or is it that UK music is in high demand simply due to its quality?
First, it could be of importance to mention the role technology has played in music distribution and consumption. If you look at different reports on music consumption, you’ll realize there is a major growth in the sale of digital music facilitated by the availability of various online platforms like Spotify. More people are preferring to listen to streamed music than buy CDs or vinyl, though a small portion of listeners still prefer buying the deluxe type package for CDs which is preferred for gifting due to its physical nature.
Aside from technological advancements, the growth in population worldwide, especially the increased population of millennials, could be favoring the music industry. Millennials are tech-savvy and have taken to the use of various gadgets for information and communication. According to the report published by Pew Research Center, millennials overtook baby boomers as America’s largest population. The report, which is dated April 2016, shows that millennials stood at 75.4 million as of 2015. America is the largest music consumer market. We can then presume a correlation between increased sales of UK music beyond its borders and the growth in the millennial population. The majority of music export proceeds received by the UK are coming from America.
The millennial population has not only increased in America; other parts of the world, including Australia and Canada, reported a rise in the population of millennials.
There’s a remarkable acceptance of British artists in the international market, partly because of their hard work, skills and creativity. Most of the UK artists who have been doing wonders in the international markets have one thing in common. They started honing their talent at a young age and have received the best training from some of the best music schools in the world. Others have passed through the hands of the most refined mentors in the music industry. They have no other option but to provide top-notch music of international quality.
Of the £5.4 billion that UK music pumped into the British economy in 2016, £2.9 billion came from music exports. In other words, more revenue came from music exports than sales on home turf, which shows how strategically British music is placed in international markets.
UK musicians playing in the international market are performing their ambassadorial roles very well. Some of the UK musicians who happen to be striking a certain chord in the international scene include Adele, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and Sam Smith.
These and several other facts provide strong evidence of UK music’s acceptance in the markets outside of the UK. There are no indications of the UK music industry declining in its international appeal anytime soon. In fact, going forward, we expect to see even higher figures emanating from the sale of UK music outside of Britain.
More up-and-coming artists of UK origin are also expected to hit the international scene after the success of Adele and others, which is bound to be inspiring a lot of young artists.