Hometown Glory: why music must be part of the plan

The UK’s grassroots music scenes generated £7.6bn in Gross Value Added in 2024 and supported 216,000 jobs – more than the pharmaceutical, steel or aerospace sectors. That’s one of the headline findings from Hometown Glory, UK Music’s latest report on the power of live music in driving local economic growth. Published on 1 July 2025, the report shows how music tourism, grassroots venues and local cultural ecosystems are not just enriching communities but underpinning jobs, revenue and regeneration across the UK. 

The report follows closely behind the UK Government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan, published on 23 June 2025 as part of Labour’s wider Industrial Strategy. It makes clear that national economic growth and productivity will depend heavily on the creative industries in the years ahead. 

Together, these reports send a strong message: music isn’t an optional extra – it’s core infrastructure for successful places. 

More than a feeling 

In 2024, 23.5m music tourists attended events across the UK, generating £10bn in spending and supporting 72,000 full-time equivalent jobs.  

London welcomed 7.5m music tourists in 2024 – more than any other region – and generated £2.7bn in revenue. The North West, including Greater Manchester, generated £1.2bn, while both the South West and South East brought in £1.1bn each. 

This nationwide impact is good news for all – and London’s role seeding that growth should not be discounted. According to London & Partners, 15% of international visitors to London go on to explore other UK destinations, contributing an additional £640m to regional economies. 

Live music has become a cornerstone of placemaking and a serious asset to the visitor economy. But its power is most clearly seen when zooming in at a local level. 

Cigarettes and alcohol (and bucket hats) 

At Greenwich Peninsula, one of the capital’s fastest-evolving new districts, our client Knight Dragon reports a 137% increase in sales at Canteen Foodhall & Bar on nights when a show is on at the neighbouring O2 arena. Canteen provides six permanent units for a rotating line-up of global street food vendors, many of them London-based start-ups stepping out of the food van and into a unit, and often graduating from Canteen to their first bricks-and-mortar restaurant. That regular surge in trade is essential for early-stage food businesses to move up this ladder. 

During the ‘Summer of Swift’ last year, Quintain themselves saw a 75% uplift in sales across Wembley Park during Taylor Swift’s eight-night Wembley Stadium residency, with increased footfall, media coverage and investor attention all feeding what’s been dubbed “Swiftonomics”.  

These figures echo what venues, promoters, developers and local authorities already understand: live music doesn’t happen in isolation. It delivers measurable returns for hospitality and retail, it supports local enterprise, the night-time economy and neighbourhood vitality – all the ingredients of a great place.  

And sometimes the halo effect of music is even more playful. Ahead of this summer’s Oasis reunion tour, brands in the North West are tapping into the moment. Lidl launched an exclusive £30 Oasis jacket beneath a 30ft “wonderwall” in Manchester, while Aldi rebranded itself “Aldeh” (imagine my excellent Manc accent) and sold bucket hats, generating fan selfies and media buzz. These are more than gimmicks – they’re examples of how music can spark spin-off marketing, energise local pride and boost sectors well beyond the stage.  

We built this city 

These examples—from global superstars to tongue-in-cheek supermarket branding—show just how powerful music can be in shaping perception, driving spend and creating identity. But what if you don’t have a Wembley Stadium or Co-op Live in your development or borough? 

Hometown Glory makes clear that this impact starts at the grassroots: a local gig in a civic hall, a community-run venue, a rehearsal space above a pub.  

Whether you’re shaping a town centre strategy or delivering a new neighbourhood scheme, the principle holds: music is a strategic asset. It shouldn’t be treated as programming – it should be built into the bones of a place. 

The report sets out a practical roadmap for local authorities, developers and investors: 

• Integrate culture into planning: The first step is to develop or update a cultural strategy. Place-based strategies should explicitly support live music, creative clusters and local talent development.  

• Protect and grow infrastructure: Tools like the Agent of Change principle, or introducing an Asset of Cultural Value (ACuV) designation (alongside the existing Asset of Community Value (ACV)) can safeguard existing venues, while meanwhile use and zoning strategies can unlock new spaces. 

• Invest in culture via CIL: Community Infrastructure Levy is typically used to invest in transport, schools and green spaces – often overlooking cultural infrastructure. Allocating a portion for creative spaces and music venues can deliver strong economic returns. 

• Align transport and access: According to the Music Fans’ Voice survey, 53% of respondents said they would attend more music events with better transport links. Lack of public transport also limits early-career music professionals from taking up opportunities. This is exacerbated outside metropolitan centres and disproportionately affects young, disabled and lower-income people. Smarter strategies here can boost access, attendance and civic morale.

• Use music in place marketing: Music should be central to local tourism strategies, offering authentic, memorable experiences that celebrate local identity and attract visitors and investment. Or – with a bit of creativity and tongue-in-cheek – unlock national attention and local footfall via place branding and spin-off campaigns. 

Please don’t stop the music 

As UK Music states in its report, every town and city has the potential to turn its local music scene into “a driver of growth, identity and renewal.” 

Music can be a differentiator. A destination-driver. A community-builder. A catalyst for economic growth. Music offers something few other sectors can: it builds emotional connection. It makes people feel something about a place. In a landscape where every development is striving to offer a unique experience, that matters.