How Harry Styles, Elton John and Glastonbury boosted UK music tourism – but expert has word of warning
Music tourism generated £6.6bn of spending in the UK in 2022, attracting more than 14 million international and domestic tourists to live events, a report has found.
Figures show a resurgence for the live music industry in the first full year of festivals, gigs and concerts following the suspension of events during the COVID pandemic.
It was helped by the return of Glastonbury Festival after two years away and UK tours from home-grown artists including Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, and Sir Elton John, as well as big international acts including Diana Ross, Billie Eilish and Lorde.
Glastonbury was back in 2022 after two years away
The report – called Here, There and Everywhere – has been published by UK Music, an organisation representing the interests of the production side of the UK’s commercial music industry.
It found 1.1 million foreign tourists visited the UK to attend live music events in 2022.
Meanwhile, domestic music tourists (those who already live in the UK but travelled the country to attend an event) accounted for 13.3 million people.
According to the report, a total of 30.6 million people went to concerts in 2022, which included everything from arena shows to grassroots gigs.
Dua Lipa toured in 2022. Pic: Matt Crossick/Global/Shutterstock
In a further positive sign for an industry that was severely hit by job losses over the pandemic, due to cancelled shows and closing venues, the report found the resurgence of gigs helped sustain 56,000 jobs.
And 2023 is already looking to be a big year for UK gigs, with shows from Blur, The 1975 and Maroon 5, as well as the British Summer Time Festival in Hyde Park drawing huge audiences.
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However UK Music chief executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin had a word of warning.
Calling music “one of our country’s great assets”, he said: “While music generates huge benefits for our local areas, the infrastructure and talent pipeline that it relies on still faces huge challenges.
“With a venue closing every week and one in six festivals not returning since the pandemic, many studios facing huge challenges, it’s vital that we protect the musical infrastructure that does so much for our towns and cities.”
The Music Venue Trust – which represents more than 900 grassroots music venues across the UK – said grassroots music venues are closing at the rate of one a week amid the cost of living crisis.
Some fear the closures will mean emerging artists with the potential to be the next Ed Sheeran or Adele – both of whom started out playing in grassroots venues – could find their careers cut off at ground level, never realising their full potential.
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Police are taking no further action over Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury.
Officers said they had investigated “comments about a forthcoming court case made during Kneecap’s performance” at the festival on 28 June.
However, after Crown Prosecution Service advice, they decided there is not enough evidence “to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence”.
The Avon & Somerset force started investigating the Irish group’s show last month, as well as comments by punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.
It said they were looking at a possible public order incident.
Police said on Friday that the investigation into Bob Vylan’s performance was ongoing.
The London duo were widely criticised – and caused a BBC crisis – after leading on-stage chants of “death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces).
Kneecap’s Liam Og O Hannaidh appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in June. Pic: PA
Kneecap posted a photograph on Instagram, which the group said was an email from police announcing the case was being dropped.
They said their packed Glastonbury gig was a “celebration of love and solidarity” and reporting used “wildly misleading headlines”.
Fears over what Kneecap might do or say during the performance had prompted the BBC not to show it live.
The group said: “Every single person who saw our set knew no law was broken, not even close… yet the police saw fit to publicly announce they were opening an investigation.”
“There is no public apology, they don’t send this to media or post it on police accounts,” they added.
The police statement on Friday said they had informed Kneecap of their decision to drop the case.
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One of the group’s members appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year.
He was released on unconditional bail ahead of a second court appearance in August.
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Tomorrowland: ‘Devastating’ blaze destroys main stage at major festival – two days before it was due to begin
A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.
Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.
Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.
The fire gutted the main stage
Fire crews attempt to bring the blaze under control
The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.
It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.
Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.
Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky
The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.
The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.
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Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.
“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told reporters ‘a lot of people are devastated’
Despite the fire, Tomorrowland organisers said they were still expecting 38,000 festivalgoers at DreamVille, the event’s campsite.
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