Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on the employment of freelance musicians working in music production, of the increase in non-domestic rating increase for commercial recording studios in April 2026.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK’s network of recording studios are central to our position as the world’s third-largest recorded music market and second-biggest exporter of music, and they play a crucial role in ensuring the continuation of our talent pipeline. The creative industries, and music within that, are a priority growth sector in the government’s Industrial Strategy.

We have worked with industry to make revisions to the ONS's proposed SIC 2026 framework, and once in place, future economic estimates will be available for both music publishing and sound recording separately.

At the 2025 Budget, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) announced updated property values that will take effect from 1 April 2026. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values (RVs) for some properties.  In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on business rates bills, the government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. Over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Many recording studios are also likely to benefit from Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR). SBRR is available to businesses with a single property below a set RV. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means around a third of properties in England pay no business rates at all. Tapered support is available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000. If a business expands to a second property, it will retain SBRR  on the first property for 3 years, up from 12 months previously.

The Government is investing £30m into a new Music Growth Package, launching in 2026, which will support music infrastructure, including recording studios, and ensure the UK music sector remains globally competitive. This enables the grassroots music sector, including recording studios, to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams and make repairs and improvements.

We are continuing to engage closely with industry stakeholders, including UK Music and the Music Producers Guild, to strengthen our understanding of the specific challenges the sector faces in relation to business rates, alongside the broader pressures on businesses arising from rising operating costs.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what data they hold on the number of commercial recording studios liable for non-domestic rates in each of the last ten years; and whether that data shows a rise or decline in the number of such studios up to 2026.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Valuation Office are working with the sector to ensure that recording studios are categorised as such. They publish an annual stock of properties which can be sorted by their Special Category (SCat) here: Non-domestic rating: stock of properties collection - GOV.UK. Recording studios can be found under SCat code 232. The total number of recording studios in England and Wales for the last ten years are:

2025 - 410

2024 - 410

2023 - 420

2022 - 420

2021 - 410

2020 - 400

2019 - 410

2018 - 400

2017 - 390

2016 - 390

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the competitiveness of England as a location for music recording and production; and what assessment they have made of the impact of successive increases in non-domestic rates liabilities on the ability of commercial recording studios in England to compete with facilities in jurisdictions with lower operating costs.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK’s network of recording studios are central to our position as the world’s third-largest recorded music market and second-biggest exporter of music, and they play a crucial role in ensuring the continuation of our talent pipeline. The creative industries, and music within that, are a priority growth sector in the government’s Industrial Strategy.

We have worked with industry to make revisions to the ONS's proposed SIC 2026 framework, and once in place, future economic estimates will be available for both music publishing and sound recording separately.

At the 2025 Budget, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) announced updated property values that will take effect from 1 April 2026. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values (RVs) for some properties.  In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on business rates bills, the government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. Over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Many recording studios are also likely to benefit from Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR). SBRR is available to businesses with a single property below a set RV. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means around a third of properties in England pay no business rates at all. Tapered support is available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000. If a business expands to a second property, it will retain SBRR  on the first property for 3 years, up from 12 months previously.

The Government is investing £30m into a new Music Growth Package, launching in 2026, which will support music infrastructure, including recording studios, and ensure the UK music sector remains globally competitive. This enables the grassroots music sector, including recording studios, to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams and make repairs and improvements.

We are continuing to engage closely with industry stakeholders, including UK Music and the Music Producers Guild, to strengthen our understanding of the specific challenges the sector faces in relation to business rates, alongside the broader pressures on businesses arising from rising operating costs.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact on the employment of musicians, session performers, and orchestral players of the increase in non-domestic rating increase for commercial recording studios in April 2026.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK’s network of recording studios are central to our position as the world’s third-largest recorded music market and second-biggest exporter of music, and they play a crucial role in ensuring the continuation of our talent pipeline. The creative industries, and music within that, are a priority growth sector in the government’s Industrial Strategy.

We have worked with industry to make revisions to the ONS's proposed SIC 2026 framework, and once in place, future economic estimates will be available for both music publishing and sound recording separately.

At the 2025 Budget, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) announced updated property values that will take effect from 1 April 2026. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values (RVs) for some properties.  In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on business rates bills, the government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. Over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Many recording studios are also likely to benefit from Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR). SBRR is available to businesses with a single property below a set RV. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means around a third of properties in England pay no business rates at all. Tapered support is available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000. If a business expands to a second property, it will retain SBRR  on the first property for 3 years, up from 12 months previously.

The Government is investing £30m into a new Music Growth Package, launching in 2026, which will support music infrastructure, including recording studios, and ensure the UK music sector remains globally competitive. This enables the grassroots music sector, including recording studios, to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams and make repairs and improvements.

We are continuing to engage closely with industry stakeholders, including UK Music and the Music Producers Guild, to strengthen our understanding of the specific challenges the sector faces in relation to business rates, alongside the broader pressures on businesses arising from rising operating costs.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk that rising fixed operating costs for recording studios, including increased business rates, could cause specialist production personnel to relocate to jurisdictions with lower costs.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK’s network of recording studios are central to our position as the world’s third-largest recorded music market and second-biggest exporter of music, and they play a crucial role in ensuring the continuation of our talent pipeline. The creative industries, and music within that, are a priority growth sector in the government’s Industrial Strategy.

We have worked with industry to make revisions to the ONS's proposed SIC 2026 framework, and once in place, future economic estimates will be available for both music publishing and sound recording separately.

At the 2025 Budget, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) announced updated property values that will take effect from 1 April 2026. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values (RVs) for some properties.  In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on business rates bills, the government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. Over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Many recording studios are also likely to benefit from Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR). SBRR is available to businesses with a single property below a set RV. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means around a third of properties in England pay no business rates at all. Tapered support is available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000. If a business expands to a second property, it will retain SBRR  on the first property for 3 years, up from 12 months previously.

The Government is investing £30m into a new Music Growth Package, launching in 2026, which will support music infrastructure, including recording studios, and ensure the UK music sector remains globally competitive. This enables the grassroots music sector, including recording studios, to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams and make repairs and improvements.

We are continuing to engage closely with industry stakeholders, including UK Music and the Music Producers Guild, to strengthen our understanding of the specific challenges the sector faces in relation to business rates, alongside the broader pressures on businesses arising from rising operating costs.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which business rates, property costs, and the availability of commercial recording studio facilities have contributed to the movement of commercial music recording activity to overseas facilities.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK’s network of recording studios are central to our position as the world’s third-largest recorded music market and second-biggest exporter of music, and they play a crucial role in ensuring the continuation of our talent pipeline. The creative industries, and music within that, are a priority growth sector in the government’s Industrial Strategy.

We have worked with industry to make revisions to the ONS's proposed SIC 2026 framework, and once in place, future economic estimates will be available for both music publishing and sound recording separately.

At the 2025 Budget, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) announced updated property values that will take effect from 1 April 2026. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values (RVs) for some properties.  In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on business rates bills, the government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. Over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Many recording studios are also likely to benefit from Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR). SBRR is available to businesses with a single property below a set RV. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means around a third of properties in England pay no business rates at all. Tapered support is available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000. If a business expands to a second property, it will retain SBRR  on the first property for 3 years, up from 12 months previously.

The Government is investing £30m into a new Music Growth Package, launching in 2026, which will support music infrastructure, including recording studios, and ensure the UK music sector remains globally competitive. This enables the grassroots music sector, including recording studios, to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams and make repairs and improvements.

We are continuing to engage closely with industry stakeholders, including UK Music and the Music Producers Guild, to strengthen our understanding of the specific challenges the sector faces in relation to business rates, alongside the broader pressures on businesses arising from rising operating costs.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have analysed International Standard Recording Code registration data to identify any shift in the location of music recording activity away from commercial recording studios in the UK to overseas facilities in recent years; and whether the number of tracks recorded in commercial recording studios in the UK has changed over the past ten years.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK’s world-class network of recording studios is a cornerstone of our status as the global third-largest recorded music market and second-largest exporter. These facilities are not only commercial hubs but essential incubators for our national talent pipeline. The creative industries, including music, have been identified as a priority growth sector in the government’s Industrial Strategy and in June 2025 we published a Creative Industries Sector Plan setting out our ambition to maximise the value and impact of our creative businesses.

No specific analysis of International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) registration data has been undertaken to identify shifts in recording activity from the UK to overseas facilities.

However, we continue to work closely with industry stakeholders, including UK Music and the Music Producers Guild, to understand the size of the UK’s commercial recording studio sector and the specific challenges faced by businesses. We also engage with Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) to provide a wider context of recorded music trends and developments within the global music market.

The Government is investing £30 million into a new Music Growth Package, launching in 2026, which will support music infrastructure, including recording studios, and ensure the UK music sector remains globally competitive.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the net fiscal effect of the 2026 non-domestic rating revaluation on the commercial recording studio sector; whether any projected increase in non-domestic rates yield has been set against the risk of lost income tax, National Insurance contributions, corporation tax, and VAT receipts arising from commercial recording studio closures and the relocation of recording activity overseas; and whether they intend to monitor those fiscal effects over a five-year period.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

No such estimates have been made. In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government has introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect ratepayers against large overnight increases in bills.

Recording studios are a vital part of the infrastructure of the music industry. The Government is doubling funding for the Music Growth Package, which will support the music ecosystem across both live and electronic music – from grassroots venues, festivals, recording and rehearsal studios to artists, songwriters, independent labels, managers, and promoters working in all genres of music.

The Government will continue to engage closely with the sector to understand ongoing pressures and ensure the UK remains a globally competitive place to create, record and produce music.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the loss to public finances of income tax and National Insurance contributions arising from the potential closure of commercial recording studios as a result of the 2026 non-domestic rating revaluation; and what assessment they have made of the number of entry-level positions in commercial recording studios that may be lost as a consequence.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

No such estimates have been made. In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government has introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect ratepayers against large overnight increases in bills.

Recording studios are a vital part of the infrastructure of the music industry. The Government is doubling funding for the Music Growth Package, which will support the music ecosystem across both live and electronic music – from grassroots venues, festivals, recording and rehearsal studios to artists, songwriters, independent labels, managers, and promoters working in all genres of music.

The Government will continue to engage closely with the sector to understand ongoing pressures and ensure the UK remains a globally competitive place to create, record and produce music.