Report shows huge growth of UK Music Industry prior to COVID-19
The latest Music By Numbers economic study has shown that the UK music industry continued to grow in 2019 across every sector before the Covid-enforced shutdown hit in early 2020.
Music By Numbers is the flagship annual economic study by UK Music and its members. Recent numbers show that the UK music sector was facing significant growth, with employment at an all-time high, prior to the impact of COVID-19.
The new figures in the Music By Numbers 2020 report show the 12 months up to December 31 2019, and they do not reflect the devastating impact of the Covid-19 just weeks later in early 2020. “Despite the buoyant 2019 figures outlined in Music By Numbers, the industry now faces a marathon effort to get back on its feet as it strives to return to pre-Covid levels of success as swiftly as possible”, says UK Music.
The report measures the health of the music business by collating data about its contribution in goods and services to the economy. That economic contribution is known as Gross Value Added (GVA), to the UK’s national income (Gross Domestic Product/GDP). Exports are part of this contribution.
Some key facts from the Music By Numbers report 2020:
• The UK music industry contributed £5.8 billion to the UK economy in 2019 – up 11% from £5.2 billion in 2018.
• Employment in the industry hit an all-time high of 197,168 in 2019 – an increase of 3% from 190,935 in 2018.
• The total export revenue of the music industry was £2.9 billion in 2019 – up 9% from £2.7 billion in 2018.
• In addition to the industry’s direct economic contribution, music tourism alone contributed £4.7 billion in terms of spending to the UK economy in 2019 – up 6% from £4.5 billion in 2018.
Read the full report here.
Brighten your day with our November playlist
Take your mind off the impending lockdown, and give your ears a well deserved treat with our carefully curated November playlist.
It's been another superb month for releases in Scotland, and our Glasgow team have put together a compilation of tracks that does mighty justice to the incredible local scene at the moment.
A playlist diverse as always, check out notable releases from Taz And The Maniacs, Tommy McGuire, Paul Mullen Music, Rigid Soul, Chris Greig & The Merchants, Lucia & The Best Boys, Ceiti and Quiche.
Listen to new music on the AMS Scotland October playlist!
What a month for releases! You can listen to our October Spotify playlist featuring some of the very best ones, right now...
Summer is gone and autumn is officially here. See in the changing of seasons with our perfect little playlist. Curated by our amazing team at AMS Glasgow, the tracks are packed with new and fresh releases that prove that no-one can stop culture, not even during a pandemic!
Featuring loads of former students and teaching staff at the Academy including, Gordon Robertson - Music, Nicky Murray, Lizzie Reid, Georgia Cécile, Cloth, The Black Denims, Ruby Gaines, Zoe Graham, Melisa Kelly and the Smokin' Crows, Lucia & The Best Boys, Anchor Lane (a cheeky cover there) Rachelle Rhienne and finally KLEOPATRA – it's enough to make you want to stay home, snug and cosy, with some bangin' tunes.
Phew – I think that's just about enough for this cold October day! Dive in and listen now via the player below.
Listen to our Lockdown playlist here, and see more from AMS Scotland on their Facebook page.
More about AMS Glasgow
The districts across Glasgow have their own unique personalities and hidden gems, from their ever-evolving food and drink scene to the iconic architecture. It boasts more than 700 bars, pubs and nightclubs and 7 cinemas. The music capital of Scotland, Glasgow is a recognised UNESCO City of Music. Paired with its unrivaled cutting-edge art scene Glasgow, has an abundance of expression and creativity.
Online learning: Since March we’ve swapped the studio for home and come September we’re confident we’ll be in a great position to offer flexible, online learning to students should we need to. We’re also spreading out, finding new spaces for learning so classrooms can be bigger and class sizes smaller. We were quick to adapt to the changes back in the Spring, and received some hugely positive feedback from our students.
Christmas songs needed for the AMS virtual advent calendar!
We all love a good Christmas song. And we know it’s a little early to be thinking about the C-word, but we’ve got something quite exciting in the works….
We’re planning something a little different for our online advent calendar this year, and we want YOU to get involved! We’re calling for AMS students, alumni and staff from every centre, including AMSonline, to submit Christmas songs to us (either originals or covers) for unveiling over ’12 days of Christmas’ throughout December.
There’s 12 slots available so send us your tracks now for a chance to be featured!
Ideally, we’ve love some video content submissions, but if you don’t fancy showing your face, that’s absolutely fine, you can also send us an audio recording of your track for consideration.
Tracks can be either re-worked covers of existing Christmas songs, or your own original material! If can you, aim for the track to be between 2 and 3 minutes long.
Please send entries via email to our social media manager Isobel: [email protected]
Or you can message us on any of our (main UK) social channels: @ams_uk | Facebook | Twitter
We can’t wait to hear from you!
AMS x
"Women in Music" The online course challenging inequality in music
According to ‘Counting the Music Industry‘, a study conducted by Vick Bain published recently in Music Week, just over 14% of writers currently signed to publishers and just under 20% of acts signed to labels are female. This large gap is indicative of widespread discrimination against women in the music industry – and a very real problem. A similar study conducted by Women In Ctrl found that just 19% of female songwriters are among the top 100 played songs on the radio in 2020*, while female producers make up just 3% of this.
Bain, former BASCA CEO now freelance music industry consultant and director of the board of Parents & Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA), hopes her study will be a “wake up call” for the industry. Her experience on on the UK Music board, the UK Music Research Group and the UK Music Rights Committee, as well as the UK Music Diversity Taskforce, has cultivated her expertise and passion for equality in the sector and is one of many women in the industry today fighting for a greater sense of equal opportunity.
Empowerment and Employability
Our short course (taking place over 2 weekends, 3-11 October) will be led by two formidable women in music and AMS colleagues, Melisa Kelly and Karlyn King, and is aimed at female identifying students and women in the industry. While laying bare these deep-rooted problems, the class sets out to be an empowering experience that will provide women in music with the tools and knowledge of gender dynamics in the industry, and hopefully inspire an upcoming generation will the vision to create a more balanced sector.
From feedback of Women In Music courses been-and-gone, we found that one of the most important and valuable things students took away from class was the incredible sense of community and support found within the class – even though it was delivered online for the first time this summer! It was a great chance for students to network and connect with other women in the industry and develop a solid sense of community and uplift.
Throughout the week-long course, attendees will cover everything from getting a background of gender and representation in the industry, to creative CV and mock interview skills, an introduction into music management, and a songwriting/performance masterclass. Day 1 and 3 will be hosted by Karlyn, while day 2 and 4 is to be hosted by Melisa. Take a look below for a day to day outline of the course.
There’s certainly a long way to go before equal representation and opportunity is achieved. These gaps are of course far more prevalent for women of colour and other marginalised groups in the industry too. While opportunities for women in music are much more varied and appreciated than they used to be, it’s still a long road ahead. As a male dominated sector, feeling empowered and valued as a woman within it is a vital step to changing the status-quo. Our WIM short course not only aims to share knowledge of the gender gaps and disparities in music, but to empower and build a sense of community between female and female-identifying producers and creatives.
Women In Music Short Course: 3-11 October
The course will take place over two Weekends, starting on October 3rd and ending on October 11th.
Day 1: We will cover why the course is necessary and start to reflect on what valuable skills and experience we already have and want to gain.
Day 2: Refine your creative CV and mock interview skills.
Day 3: Learn how to deal with challenging work situations and get an introduction to music management.
Day 4: Songwriting and performance masterclass with Melisa Kelly (professional singer and songwriter and academic).
You will gain info on what other areas there are available to work in music, and how to gain access to them whether its performance or business, writing – how to monetize is a big focus.
APPLY NOW
Check out some of Melisa Kelly and Karlyn King’s work…
Melisa is a successful performing artist and music tutor, perhaps best known for her leading role in the group, Melisa Kelly and the Smokin’ Crows.
Karlyn is a prolific academic, who specialised in music business and the vinyl record industry.
TEDxYouth Virtual Conference at Exeter Gandy Street
TEDxYouth at Gandy Street is a virtual conference coming to Exeter on the 21st of November. They are looking for young student speakers like yourselves to speak up about what important issues matter to you.
TEDxYouth is independently organised event, promising a program of local, self-organised events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live virtual speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. A great opportunity to share and spread knowledge!
This inaugural theme is set to cover "Bridging the Gap", and the conference aims to "create a sustainable and collaborative future for future generations." In a statement the team behind the event said; "we are passionate about providing a platform to inspire the generations to come."
They also invited young people to apply to speak about topics they are passionate about, be it science, politics, sustainability and even music! Applications closed on 14 September.
Watch this space for more details about the event! In the meantime, ahead to the TED official website for more info.
More about TEDx
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).
More AMS news here.
Meet alumni Michael Rennie, smashing it as Yungblud's drummer!
AMS Alumni Michael Rennie has been killing it drumming for hugely successful hip-hop-punk-pop infused artist YUNGBLUD. Read more about their recent collaboration with Bring Me The Horizon, and an interview with our very own Michael….
Michael Rennie has been smashing it on the drums for YUNGBLUD for a while now. And things are going pretty well – having just collaborated with British rock group Bring Me The Horizon on a killer new track ‘Obey’, there’s bound to be exciting stuff on the ‘horizon’ for Rennie and YUNGBLUD.
Check out the track in the player below, and scroll down to read a great little interview with Rennie originally published on the official Marshall website! The music video features some epic CGI animation of a cyber-robot having a stomp, and has over 4 million hits! Keep on shredding Michael.
Andrson launches Uploaded competition for unsigned artists
Andrson, an A.I. artist discovery platform, has launched Uploaded – an international song competition offering emerging musicians the chance to win a grand prize of €10,000. Open to artists globally, the competition runs until 11th November 2020 with monthly prizes available and will culminate in a live event showcase to declare the eventual winner – due to be held in Dublin, February 2021. Uploaded will not only reward unique musical talent, but will showcase some of the world’s best undiscovered artists.
Andrson invites all aspiring and emerging musicians, across all genres of music to enter by submitting an original song which will be judged by top level music industry execs. With no limit on the number of submissions, artists can enter up to one song per month until the competition closes in November – creating as much music as they like.
Each month, twenty-three artists will be chosen to advance to a semi-final whereby eventually the long list of semi-finalists will be whittled down to a shortlist of 10 talented finalists – chosen by a leading panel of handpicked judges from the music industry. The 10 finalists will then be invited to perform live in Dublin next year for a chance to battle it out to win €10,000. Additionally, a second prize will be available at the event offering the public a chance to vote for their favourite artist in the People’s Choice award and a cash reward of €2,500.
To enter the competition, artists can simply download the Andrson app from the App Store or Google Play, then upload their chosen song and lastly complete the entry form on the contest landing page. The grand final will take place in Dublin, in February 2021. The 10 finalists will be invited to perform their songs live in front of fans, music industry execs and a select panel of judges. Winners will be announced during the evening.
Neil Dunne, Co-Founder of Andrson, commented: “We want to be a course of inspiration and support to all budding musicians globally. By launching Uploaded, we hope w’eve created a space whereby not only can their music be heard by the right people, but ewe will hear the incredible talent from some of the best undiscovered musicians.”
To launch Uploaded, Andrson has partnered with children’s charity, Make-A-Wish Ireland. Twenty percent of sponsorships and donations from the competition will be committed to the charity – raising vital funds to help grant wishes to seriously ill children.
Uploaded is an opportunity for all budding songwriters to showcase their talents whereby their music will be judged on originality, lyrics, melody, composition and the potential to be a ‘smash hit’.
A sound-driven A&R platform, Andrson is a brand new A.I.-powered tool which connects emerging artists to the right industry professionals, helping them to become discovered. For more information and to enter Uploaded, head to andrsonuploaded.com.
For full rules and eligibility of the competition, please head to andrsonuploaded.com/rules.
Our partner UWL reaches top 40 in The Guardian's official guide!
Some excellent news has just come in! Our partner university, UWL (University of West London) has climbed an impressive 23 places to become one of the top 40 universities in the UK according to the influential Guardian University Guide.
The university is now ranked 34th in the UK – their highest position of any league table ever! They were also the top university in England for teaching satisfaction and the ranking reaffirms their position as the top modern university in England.
"We are so proud to be working with this progressive and outstanding university," says The Academy's own Mel Baxter.
Congratulations UWL!
About the University of West London
The University of West London is ranked as the top modern university* in London, 8th modern university* in the UK and ranked as the 50th university nationally by the Guardian University Guide 2019.
98% of our graduates are in employment or further study within six months of graduation**.
You can read more about UWL on their website, add check out our London College of Music validated courses here.
Our Free Short Courses in Scotland are back!
Academy of Music and Sound’s free online short-courses have returned for 2020-21 offering ‘Sound Production’ and ‘Hip-Hop and Rap Beat-making feat. Steg Gilfoyle (A.K.A rap legend Steg G). The courses will be available to everyone living in Scotland.
We’re really excited to be able to bring back our short course programme in the new academic year, now fully adapted and optimised for online execution. This time around we’re brining back some of our favourites. The term kicks off with Sound Production, a week long free short course designed to explore the fundamentals of recording theory and best practice through streamed group classes and individual 1-1 lessons with the guidance of experienced industry professionals. Plus our songwriting course will be back as well as our Women In Music masterclass, previously led by Karyln King and Melisa Kelly.
There’s also the new addition of a hip-hop and rap short course led by Glasgow’s own hip-hop legend Steg G. It comes ahead of our newly announced hip-hop HND Pathway, which will be available for anyone studying the HND with us at either of our Scotland centres.
Each short course includes one to one and group sessions with our faculty and upon completion be posted a certification. All dates and more details for the rest of this year can be found via our dedicated short course page or scroll down for dates already announced.
Applications are open for all dates and you can apply here. If you’d like to speak to our Scotland teams about learning more, you can also get in touch with us at [email protected] for our Edinburgh centre or [email protected] for our Glasgow team.
We look forward to hearing from you all!
Sound Production
Glasgow Dates (2020)
- Starting Monday 21st September and concluding Friday 2nd October.
- Starting Monday 12th October and concluding Friday 16th October.
- Starting Monday 9th November and concluding Friday 20th November.
- Starting Monday 7th December and concluding Friday 18th December.
Edinburgh dates (2020)
- 6 weekend course starting Saturday 5th September and concluding Sunday 11th October.
- 6 weekend course starting Saturday 17th October and concluding Sunday 22nd November.
Hip Hop and Rap
Glasgow Dates (2020)
- Starting Monday 28th September and concluding Friday 2nd October.
- Starting Monday 12th October and concluding Friday 16th October.
Women In Music: Empowerment and Employability
Edinburgh dates (2020)
- This is online course will take place over two Weekends, starting on October 3rd and ending on October 11th.
Apply now
AMS Exeter welcomes new L3 students as record results achieved
AMS Exeter is set to welcome a wave of new students, as record results from this years class of 2020 was announced last week.
Last week it was Results Day for our RSL Level 3 Diploma students, and we were so pleased and proud to announce that there was a staggering 97% high grade pass results from our L3 Diploma students in Exeter!
Congratulations to all our incredible students who got their results last week. We know you all worked incredibly hard and we are certain the future is going to be very bright indeed!
"We are so so proud of our students and staff today," says Jemma of our Exeter team.
And it's good news for the next wave of L3 Students. Ahead of GCSE results day (20 August 2020) our Exeter centre announced that anyone who has applied and passed their audition for the L3 Music Diploma at AMS Exeter, has been automatically accepted and can look forward to starting their course at our Exeter centre in September – so for some, the stress is significantly off for results day. Well done to everyone who passed and thank you everyone who applied. We can't wait to meet you and see all your faces in September!
https://twitter.com/of_exeter/status/1296210062189494275
Check out our electrifying August playlist....
Our monthly playlist is back! Courtesy of AMS Glasgow.
We got some mixed vibes and all-round great tunes on our sunny August Scotland playlist, curated by our staff at AMS Scotland (Glasgow division). It features a whole host of great tracks, perfect to soundtrack these hot sunny days! There’s some brand new songs from the likes of Zoe Graham (Know By Now), Atlas Run (Abstain), Layaway (Until Then), static union (Can I Be Loved?) and The Black Denims (You Weren’t There)!
Enjoy the complete playlist in the player below!