A new report, ‘Black Music Means Business: Driving Economic Growth In The UK’, has revealed that Black music is a central force powering the UK music industry, making a commercial contribution of 80% and £24.5billion out of a total £30billion UK market. The report, commissioned by UK Music, highlights the significant impact of Black music on the UK music industry over the past 30 years. It defines Black music as ‘music that has its roots and inspiration derived from the culture, beliefs, traditions, and history of Black people and the African diaspora’.
The report breaks down the figures, stating that 29 Black British genres generated over £1.24billion of the market, and 27 Core Black music genres generated £4.83billion in sales. Despite the significant contribution of Black music, the report highlights a lack of support for Black music creators and executives, with only 22% of the workforce at senior industry levels identifying as Black, Asian, or minority ethnic. The report recommends eight steps to make the playing field more fair, including recognition of Black music genres in schools and a portion of the government’s Music Growth Package to support Black-led organizations.
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