UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl speech at UK Music Summer Party 2024

16 July 2024 - Press release

It's fantastic to see so many familiar faces here from worlds of politics and music.

It's especially exciting to see so many new MPs here. Congratulations on your victory. 

We're delighted to see you here - and I hope you all sign up for our All-Party Parliamentary Group on Music, so we can tell you more about what we do. 

To borrow a line from Sir Keir Starmer, the general election marks a time of huge change - not just of the political landscape, but for the UK music industry too. 

Music brings great joy to millions of us every day - and is crucial to our health and wellbeing.

Music contributes almost  £7 billion a year to our economy, supports 210,000 great jobs and a £4 billion export market. 

When I say "we" - I mean all our amazing members at UK Music. Together our ten member organisations, PPL, PRS for Music, BPI, AIM, MPA, MPG, MMF, FAC, Ivors Academy and the Musicians Union are the collective voice of the UK Music industry.  We represent all sectors of our industry – and we work together to collaborate, campaign, and champion music.

We all want the UK music industry to continue to grow, creating decent well-paid jobs - cementing our position as the best place in the world to make and experience music.

And, we want to help thousands of young people fulfil their dream of a career in the music industry. 

But we face big challenges to make that happen. 

Without urgent action, we risk losing an entire generation of musical talent. 

• It's absolutely vital this new Government maintains our strong framework on copyright which is essential to music creators and the whole sector.

• When it comes to artificial intelligence, music has always embraced innovation and we're excited about the potential of AI. However, we need safeguards to ensure human creators consent to their work being used and that they get paid for its use too.

• British bands and musicians need far more help when it comes to getting rid of the barriers and red tape when touring the EU.

• This is something that Rachel Reeves and her colleagues talked about in Opposition, so we hope to see some real changes and will be working hard with the Government to achieve that. 

• Above all, we need a long-term music strategy from the Government to help safeguard grow our world-leading industry. 

 

So, UK Music will continue our work with the Government to make the music industry a bigger success across the globe - stronger and more resilient than ever.

Part of our work involves highlighting the importance of our sector in bringing in visitors from across the world to the UK - whether that's to join the unique celebration of music at festivals like Glastonbury or simply to see their favourite band or performer on stage here in the UK.

It is worth remembering however, there wouldn't be any music without music creators. The singers, songwriters, musicians, producers, sound technicians, and everyone else in our industry needs to learn their craft and hone their skills.  

The opportunities for many artists are becoming increasingly squeezed, with continued problems for music venues, studios and rehearsal spaces - and we need an army of new music teachers to help nurture the talent pipeline on which the music industry relies.  

You will have heard a taste of that talent here tonight with the fabulous Brixton Chamber Orchestra's string quartet who are providing the music for us.

I would like to say thanks to the small team at UK Music who continue to punch way above their weight when it comes to events like this and their work throughout the year. 

On a personal note, I have worked at UK Music for 12 years and it has been a labour of love for me. I was absolutely delighted to be recently asked to take on the role of UK Music's permanent Chief Executive. I have learnt a lot from the other inspiring CEOs and Chairs I have worked with at UK Music and will put all my energy and passion for the sector into this role, to ensure that the organisation succeeds in its mission.  

And to conclude, I know everyone here loves music just as much as I do - and would be lost without it.

But we all need to work together and ensure we use this time of change to ensure music is at the heart of the new Government's plans for a healthy, happy and successful UK.  

Thank you for listening - and I hope you all have a fantastic time!