The shock findings, which equate to almost 2,000 job losses every year for the next five years, have prompted music executives to call for swift action from the Government before "serious damage" is done to the sector.

The figures, culled from a new EU jobs report by Paris-based economics firm TERA Consultants, also predict Britain is going to be Europe's worst victim of piracy: the Building a Digital Economy report forecasts more than a quarter of a million jobs across ...