A new report titled The Birmingham Live Music Project – authored by researchers at Aston University, Birmingham City University and Newcastle University – has revealed Brexit-related concerns voiced by policymakers, academics, industry figures and media representatives during a one day event held in Birmingham earlier this year.
An official press release stated that, “a significant drop in music tourism and an exodus of firms vital to infrastructure are amongst a number of Brexit-related concerns voiced by the music industries sector.”
One of the main issues raised was the way that Brexit could lead to fewer artists and productions travelling to the UK from Europe, which in turn could mean a marked decrease in the number of ‘music tourists’ visiting the country and region specifically for live music experiences.
Other key issues raised in the report include:
- Concerns that the summer festival season of 2020 would be negatively impacted by Brexit. It’s feared that the potential costs of running big events could spiral and lead to heavy losses due to disrupted supply chains.
- Brexit is likely to generate a massive administrative cost for UK-based artists. While larger acts will have labels, promoters and investors to support them, smaller acts will not be able to afford such costs to build up their presence on the Continent through touring and cultural exchanges.
- The future of a high number of production-companies located in the UK, which provide lighting, staging and tour management, are also clouded by Brexit, with a large number of jobs possibly moved elsewhere to minimise disruption and maximise sales.
Speaking about the research Dr Patrycja Rozbicka, lecturer in politics and international relations at Aston University said: “By bringing a variety of stakeholders together, we aimed to explore the way Brexit is likely to impact everything from the thousands of people who follow and support the live music industry, through to the musicians themselves and the regional authorities that legislate and administrate for cultural economies.. This report is the first step in a bigger project which aims to provide much needed creative solutions and recommendations to secure the future of the music industry as we know it pre-Brexit.”
Dr Craig Hamilton, research fellow at the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research, added: “Crucial to exploring the problems, questions and opportunities related to Brexit will be the mapping exercise we have built into our research plans. With so many complex, inter-related parts and relationships to map we will rely on partnerships with local stakeholders to help us gather useful and reliable data. The event that helped generate this report demonstrates the willingness of stakeholders to work with us on this exercise, and reveals the potential for growing further key partnerships in the UK.”
Birmingham city-region organisations who contributed to the report include: Arts Council England, Aston University, Birmingham City Council, Birmingham City University, Birmingham Music Archive, Birmingham Music Coalition, Hare & Hounds Birmingham and Leftfoot Venues, Musician’s Union, Newcastle University, Town Hall & Symphony Hall Birmingham, West Midlands Combined Authority.
Lyle Bignon, founder of Birmingham Music Coalition, commented: “Birmingham’s music community – from a long and vibrant music heritage right through to the exciting contemporary scenes producing global stars such as Jorja Smith, Lady Leshurr, Chris Lorenzo, and Jaykae – is built on the very principle of freedom of movement; artistically, economically and socially. The rich musical future of this multicultural city, whether new Home of Metal exhibitions, the 100,000 capacity St Patrick’s Festival, underground club nights at the Hare & Hounds, or the talent pipelines for new generations of musicians, artists, producers and vocalists through organisations like Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, is all at risk in a post-Brexit world.”
Bignon concluded: "We urge the music industry and academia regionally and nationally, local and central government, and supporters and fans of music everywhere to come together to support this important research and identify opportunities to develop and progress, in order to safeguard a hugely valuable element of society.”
In Sepetember, UK Music CEO Michael Dugher highlighted his “growing concerns” about the impact of a no-deal Brexit and warned of its impact on touring.
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