The North of England has produced incredible talent that has significantly influenced not only music, but popular culture, globally. From The Beatles, Oasis, Corrine Bailey Rae and, more recently, Youth Music Awards winner English Teacher, some of Britain’s most-loved bands and artists hailed from the North.
However, our new research has painted a stark picture of the current state of musicality in the north of England.
Our SONG (Sound of the Next Generation) Report, published to mark our 25th anniversary, looks at young people’s relationship with music. In it, we found that only half (52%) of young people in the north of England see themselves as musical in comparison to 62% of people in the south.
The research, which polled 2,100 children and young people across the UK, also found that:
- People in Yorkshire (49%), North West (57%) and North East (52%) are among the least likely in England to feel supported when making music;
- Only 25% of young people from the North of England have recently played their music in public;
- Only a shocking 2% had the chance to play at a local music venue, further highlighting the deterioration of opportunities across a region that is regarded as a musical powerhouse.
The decline in young people playing musical instruments could also have contributed to the decrease in feelings of musicality in the North. Young people in the North East, home of cultural icons such as Sam Fender and two-thirds of Little Mix (Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall), are nearly a fifth (18%) less likely to be playing an instrument than those in London.
“We’re an afterthought”
We asked young creatives from Allstar in Bradford how this situation had come about. Femi said, “I just don’t think the North is funded properly for anything. We’re an afterthought”.
According to our CEO Matt Griffiths, "Levelling up’ was always just a strapline, not a reality”. Decades of underinvestment have required the North to consistently punch above its weight, often fostering innovation. Several northern cities have placed music at the core of their economic and cultural strategies. Manchester Music City and Liverpool Music City are leading examples, with Sunderland set to follow suit. These initiatives not only bolster the local music scene but also aim to curb the ‘brain drain’ by allowing young people to pursue their career goals without leaving their local area.
The new Northern Music Network is a cross-regional partnerships of grassroots organisations who have come together to provide a united voice to support the music sector in the north of England. This collaborative approach has great potential to spark further innovation and give underrepresented talent the platform it deserves.
Is it a North-South divide, or rural-urban?
It’s not as simple as a North-South divide. Our research found that you’d be more likely to be making music if you live in London or a large city.
Wales is the only country in the UK where most young people don’t feel musical. Anthem Wales CEO Rhian Hutchings says, “I think if we dug into this a bit further we would find that young people in Cardiff would feel more connected to being musical, but anyone outside of Cardiff would really struggle to understand how they can access music. If you are a 15 year old in Rhyl or Newtown or Llanelli, it's not obvious where you could go to make the music you want to make - you would probably need to work hard to find out”.
More funding is needed
The fact is that more investment is needed, across the whole country. Our National Lottery investment has been the bedrock of support since our establishment in 1999, but its value has fallen 45% in real terms over this time. Demand is rising, income is falling, and people are having to do more with less. This takes its toll. 88% of our funded projects have reported concerns about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on children and young people, together with the workforce supporting them. Around one-quarter of the grassroots music organisations we surveyed earlier this year told us they were at risk of closure.
We see the cost of living impacting local music scenes too. As Allstar’s CEO Julie Whiting points out, “In Bradford, we used to have a huge night scene. There were so many places for people to perform. But there’s been a huge decline in those places, pubs, clubs closing down, which means a huge decline in opportunities for aspiring performers”.
We're calling on the new Government to recognise the value of music to children and young people, and make sure the work of local grassroots music organisations is properly funded. Our first recommendation from the research is for the UK Government to invest in a long-term strategy for growth that includes grassroots youth and community music. Building on UK Music’s Manifesto for Music, this plan should recognise the vital work of the grassroots and address the current mismatch in how the industries are funded, to create a diverse talent pipeline.
Our CEO Matt Griffiths says “The new government must pledge to invest in this vital infrastructure and workforce, providing safe, creative environments for young people across the country.
Now must be the time for the new government, working collaboratively with music education and the music industry to step up, ‘Root for Grassroots’ and invest to ensure a more diverse, inclusive and creative music ecosystem across the UK.”
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