20.10.2021: UK Music organised the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Music in Westminster’s Portcullis House for its first in-person meeting since early 2020.

Until Tuesday’s event, meetings had been held online during the pandemic. The cross-party meeting, chaired by APPG Chair David Warburton MP, was addressed by UK Music’s Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin who presented the devastating findings of UK Music’s This Is Music report.  He also discussed the challenges facing UK musicians and music workers looking to tour the EU under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement.

Jamie set out the dire economic impact of 2020 on the sector, with almost a third of jobs in the sector lost, £2.6 billion of the industry’s economic contribution wiped out and the value of exports falling sharply. But he also  shared  UK Music’s optimistic vision for the future. The report covers the industry’s main asks from the Government including:

• Permanently reducing VAT on hospitality and tickets sales.
• Boosting funding for music education.
• A tax relief scheme for the music industry.

Jamie took a number of questions on our This Is Music report including the impact of Covid on the live and recorded music sectors, the number of venues that have closed, and whether there is public hesitancy in returning to concerts.  You can read the full report This Is Music Report here.

The group also discussed the ongoing impact of Brexit on musicians and music workers looking to tour the EU, including issues around cabotage, work permits and visas, with Lords and MPs sharing anecdotal evidence of the ongoing disruption

The meeting also heard a tribute to the late Sir David Amess MP. Sir David was a dedicated member of the APPG for many years and was deeply passionate about music.

After making an important contribution in the role, Andrea Jenkyns MP has had to step back as Treasurer of the APPG due to her promotion to Government. The Group thanked Andrea for her work and welcomed Conservative MP Dehenna Davison as its new Treasurer.

The meeting was attended by a range of cross-party figures including David Warburton MP, Christina Rees MP, Jeff Smith MP, Simon Baynes MP, Kevin Brennan MP, Peter Wishart MP, Kerry McCarthy MP, Alex Sobel MP, Mark Tami MP, Lord Clement-Jones, Baroness Bonham-Carter, Lord Aberdare, The Earl of Clancarty, Lord Wood of Anfield, Lord Watts, Valerie Vaz MP, as well as representatives from the office of Damian Collins MP, UK Music members and other music sector organisations.