10.12.2025: UK Music joined forces with music producers and MPs to hand in a 2,000-signature petition to Downing Street in a plea to “Save Our Studios”.

The petition calls  for recording studios to be included in the Retail Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) business rates relief scheme, which gives high street shops and hospitality businesses a 40% off their business rates. The campaign has attracted the support of music legends Mark Knopfler, Pete Townsend and Peter Gabriel, as well as almost 2,000 industry professionals.

UK Music’s Director of Campaigns and Engagement Olga FitzRoy joined MPG Executive Directors, Matt Taylor and Emma Townsend at Downing Street on Tuesday December 9 to hand in the Save Our Studios open letter and a petition with almost  2,000 signatures.

They were joined by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Music co-chairs, Alex Sobel MP (Lab) and Pete Wishart MP (SNP) as well as Bristol West MP Kerry McCarthy(Lab), music producer for Adele and Mumford and Sons, and owner of The Church studios Paul Epworth and Kensal Town studios chief Julie Burchill.

Recording studios are a vital component of our world-leading music industry and serve as invaluable cultural hubs in their creative communities.

They also contribute directly to local economies by attracting footfall to and supporting local businesses, with large London studios spending around £500,000 directly with local hospitality businesses per year. Many also offer onsite catering and host live music performances as ewll as educational and youth-focused activities. 

However, despite their cultural and economic contribution, recording studios are currently excluded from RHL support, which offers business rates relief to properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors. 

Recording studios have been hit by the cost of living crisis and the impacts of Brexit, with increased running costs and a flat market. A recent MPG survey found that 100% of those studios surveyed were unable to pass on cost increases to their clients.