Locally, nationally and internationally, we are still working through the impact of the pandemic on our places, which is now accentuated further by the cost of living crisis. The creative and cultural sectors have been particularly susceptible to these economic shocks, heavily reliant on consumer spending, public funding and most of all, the value that is placed on them.
While we relied on content from musicians, artists, and actors to pull us through lockdown, the venues and professionals who produce it were struggling.
When lockdowns were lifted, people rushed back to see live entertainment, from music venues to theatres, emphasising their popularity and importance. But the value the public place on these artforms was rarely reflected in the Covid-19 response, made clear with the widely criticised ‘Rethink. Reskill. Reboot’ campaign.
During Covid-19, many of those in the creative industries saw an inadequate level of financial support relative to the impact the pandemic was having on them. According to Help Musicians, 9 in 10 musicians were earning less than £1,000 per month and almost 20% considered abandoning careers due to a lack of Government support.
Many places rely on these industries for both economic and cultural reasons. However, they are underrepresented in the economic and policy space as they are difficult to quantify in the same way sectors are measured and many workers are self-employed.
This is particularly true for Northern Ireland, a region where music represents a cultural cornerstone of its economy and forms a major part of its identity. Northern Irish talent spans many genres, from Two Door Cinema Club’s indie rock to electronic artists Bicep, but its value deserves greater recognition.
Working with Lynne Best at Fourth Pillar, Northern Ireland Screen, Mark Gordon at Score Draw Music, and industry experts, we have quantified the direct and indirect impacts of the region’s commercial music industry.
Using data from 2019 to study its contribution before the impacts of the pandemic, we found Music delivered almost 6,500 jobs and generated £345m in the Northern Ireland economy.
To really put this into perspective, the music industry has more employees than Cyber Security, and a direct GVA contribution that is equivalent to TV and Video Production and Programming and Broadcasting combined. Music creators (songwriters, musicians, performers and producers) and live music account for 75% of the industry’s GVA, demonstrating the talent and the music ecosystem in the region.
The Northern Ireland music industry generates wider indirect benefits too. It plays a hugely important role in supporting tourism, where concerts and festivals attract over 1 million attendees each year. In addition, while Game of Thrones is a well-documented success for Northern Ireland, the commercial music industry has potential to return as much economic impact in one year as eight seasons of the show.
This report argues why the music industry matters to places – it creates jobs, generates value, is important to society and heavily influences the identity of a place.
In times of ongoing economic instability, there is now economic argument for why the music industry in Northern Ireland should be better recognised, celebrated and supported in the future.
*Exports were not calculated for indirect and induced impact due to data availability.
*Productivity was only calculated for direct economic impact