This report looks at the role the creative industries can play for the Levelling Up agenda, as well as the challenges the sector faces outside London and the greater South East. It focuses specifically on regional music industry clusters in UK cities outside the London ‘hub’, in this case in North West England and West Yorkshire.
It finds that, despite its past strengths, the music industry in North West England and Yorkshire is in a particularly precarious position. The local music economy in these places remains informal, based on local social networks and communities of practice. These local scenes are insular and less well connected than the main hub of the UK music industry in London.
As a result, localised networks of trust remain crucial for access to the sector. Even in an age of digital intermediation, geography matters.
This report suggests a number of programmes and policy initiatives that could solve some of these challenges. For example, the creation of regional music business mentorship schemes, a regional music industry business specific loan scheme, improving networking opportunities, the formation of a regional music export office and developing the regional music infrastructure, particularly live music venues.
___________________________________
Image by Old Youth on Unsplash
Related Discussion Papers
Creative Industries and Place: Configurations and Scales
Download this Discussion Paper by the Creative Industries & Place Small Research Network, examining …
Screen Green Transitions
Download the Discussion Papers by the Screen Green Transitions Small Research Network, looking at di…
A Silver Lining? Consumer Preferences over Human-Made and AI-Generated Production in Two Domains
This paper assesses whether consumers are willing to pay more for human-made versus AI-generated ima…
Demand for Creativity and AI Skills in the Post-ChatGPT Labour Market
This study examines the evolving relationship between employer demand for creativity and AI skills i…
Regional Trade Agreements, Cultural Provisions and Trade in Cultural Goods
Analysing the impact of Regional Trade Agreements on the bilateral trade of cultural goods from 1999…
International Trade Challenges and the Effectiveness of Support Measures for the UK’s Creative Industries
The formidable challenges confronting the UK’s creative industries in the realm of exports, st…
Northern England’s Creative Industries
The Creative Industries are already a driver of growth across the UK economy. Export-intensive and m…
Creative Destruction? Creative firms, workers and residential gentrification
A new study by Tasos Kitsos, Max Nathan, and Diana Gutierrez-Posada finds only a minor influence of …
Speaking with One Voice
A fundamental remit of the BBC, and other public service broadcasters (PSBs) like ITV and Channel 4,…
Transitioning to Sustainable Production across the UK Theatre Sector
This discussion paper examines transitional pathways to sustainable theatre production in the UK. By…
Identifying and analysing UK fashion micro-clusters
The UK’s Fashion and Textiles industry contributed almost £20 billion to the UK economy in 202…
Net Zero as a catalyst in fashion micro and small enterprises
This report identifies examples of work taking place across three levels of change – social, e…
