09.06.2026: UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl has highlighted the power of music in driving local economies and cultural communities at Music Cities Convention in Hull. 

In his speech at the event, Tom outlined the huge economic and cultural boost music can bring to communities across the UK.

UK Music’s Hometown Glory report into music tourism found that a record 23.5 million music tourists attended concerts and festivals in the UK in 2024, spending a record £10 billion in the process. The report also marked the launch of UK Music’s Local Music Action Charter, which offers local authorities a practical guide on how to turbocharge local economies through music. You can find out more and read the report here.

You can read Tom’s Music Cities Convention speech in full below.

“First of all, welcome to Hull. I’m sure lots of you have travelled from far and wide to be here over the next few days. It gives me great pleasure to be presenting and leading the first ever UK specific music cities roundtable at the Music Cities Convention.

“Hull’s musical heritage is rich and wide-ranging, spanning rock, pop, electronic and classical music. While acts like The Housemartins and Everything but the Girl helped define the city’s modern reputation, Hull’s connection to music stretches back centuries, long before the city itself was formally established.

“Viking settlers brought instruments like lyres and flutes to Hull as early as the eighth century. A traveler in the 900s even described hearing terrible songs in a Baltic town…

“The Music Cities Convention presents a unique opportunity to bring together people from the wider music ecosystem, ensuring that we are working towards securing a sustainable, long-term future for our music industry.

“That spirit of collaboration is exactly why organisations like UK Music exist. UK Music is the umbrella body for the music industry. We bring the sector together to collaborate, campaign and champion music. Our members range from creator organisations like the Musicians’ Union, Music Managers Forum, Featured Artists Coalition, the Ivors Academy and Music Producers Guild, as well as music businesses such as the BPI and AIM, the Music Publishers Association, and music licensing bodies PPL and PRS for Music. You will be hearing from my colleague Eunice Obianagha, UK Music’s Head of Diversity, later on today regarding some of the great collaborative work we do on diversity, including our recent ground breaking Black Music Means Business report.

“The UK music industry as a whole is worth £8 billion to the economy, generates exports of £4.8 billion and employs 220,000 people.

“Music also has a profound impact on other parts of the economy too.

“23.5 million “music tourists” attended UK shows in 2024 – a record and increase of 23% year on year. What is more, there was a 62% increase in people coming from overseas. This led to a surge in spending, generating a £10 billion boost to local economies.

“With no Glastonbury this year there is a genuine concern about how the lack of tourism will affect local businesses. Somewhere in Somerset, a biodegradable glitter supplier is nervously checking the spreadsheets.

“I joke, and of course the UK music industry is not just about one event. We are fortunate that we have many innovative festivals, stadiums, arenas, venues, concert halls and music business that provide us with the support to withstand a fallow year. But things are precariously placed and we look to strong partnerships with local authorities to support the success that we can achieve.

“I am personally a great believer in local democracy. I really believe that the best decisions are made at a level closest to the people.

“This is why last year, to coincide with the Local Government Association Annual Conference in Liverpool UK Music launched our Hometown Glory report.

“This vital report sets out a clear case for how supporting music can drive economic growth.

“Hometown Glory revealed that local music boosts towns and tourism, powers national and local economic growth, enhances the business environment and supports creative careers and skills.

“The public clearly love music in their local area. Polling for Hometown Glory revealed 22 million people say it is important to have access to music events within a reasonable distance of where they live, 6 in 10 adults feel local music should be better supported by their Council, and half of UK adults say that they would be more likely to go to music events if public transport matched event times better.

“At the heart of Hometown Glory is the Local Music Action Charter. This sets out a series of practical steps for local councils to take forward in support of music.

“Policymakers can use the charter to select a strategic priority, whether it’s growth, skills, high streets, tourism or inclusion which then enables them to explore relevant actions. These can be embedded into existing local plans and strategies.

“As priorities evolve, the Charter allows for flexibility, enabling local authorities to update and expand their approach to music policy over time.

“I’m delighted that here in Hull, the City Council has signed up to the Local Music Action Charter. We’ve been working with the Hull Music Board to boost their local music industry and make music accessible to everyone living in Hull.

“A total of 16 organisations have signed up to working with us on the Local Music Action Charter, with Greater Manchester also officially launching their support.

“We have provided one-to-one calls on music strategy to a number of local authorities and have provided written feedback on music strategy to local authorities who have signed up to the Local Music Action Charter.

“July will see the first in our series of online webinars aimed at local authorities, this first one introducing an evidence-based approach to supporting Black Music at local authority level, drawing on our groundbreaking research in our Black Music Means Business report. We continue to gather regionalised data on music tourism that we make publicly available and can help make the case for further investment in music at a regional level.

“The creative industries are one of eight key sectors driving economic growth. However, solely framing the power of music as just economic leaves a lot out of the story.

“The key themes being explored over the next few days show how local music reaches across many different policy areas. By embedding music into local planning, cities can activate their communities, foster collaboration, and deliver a whole-system approach to cultural regeneration and community wellbeing.

“There are practical steps that can be taken by councils across the country, right now.

“Build inclusive community access to participate in music by providing sustainable funding for community-based and grassroots music programmes. This could be done through allocating a portion of the Community Infrastructure Levy to creative and cultural infrastructure.

“Strengthen local identity and culture-led tourism. Celebrate your local talent, shout about their success. Hull is a great example of this. In 2017, Hull was awarded the UK City of Culture and has since set their sights on UNESCO music city status. Hull’s status as the UK City of Culture attracted more than five million people, £220 million in investment and 800 new jobs.

“Revitalise the local economy by using music to support growth and footfall on the high street attracting new businesses by developing a cultural strategy that embeds music into the heart of everything happening locally.

“With the latest figures showing over 1 million young people not in employment, education or training local councils must also build pathways into music careers for young people, freelancers, and underrepresented groups.

“At UK Music, we recognise that for the industry to achieve its full potential, it needs to be able to recruit and retain the best trained, talented and diverse workforce. The Music Academic Partnership (MAP) comes out of this need. UK Music collaborates with educational institutions across the UK to develop students and help them build careers out of their passion for music.

“So, as this convention gets underway, my hope is that the conversations over the next few days lead to meaningful outcomes. Cities across the UK have an extraordinary musical story to tell, but their future success depends on strong local partnerships and long-term commitment.

“We know talent is there in every part of the country. Now we must create the conditions for it to thrive.

“Thank you and enjoy a productive few days in Hull.”