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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) economic and (b) cultural impact of songwriters and composers in the UK.

The music industry is vital to the economy and culture of the UK. In 2019, the music, performing and visual arts sector contributed an estimated £10.5bn in GVA to the UK economy. PRS for Music, the organisation that pays royalties to over 160,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers, saw overall revenues in 2021 reach £777.1m, a 22.4% increase on 2020.

The cultural impact of music is also invaluable. According to UK Music’s 2021 ‘This is Music’ Report, the UK public listens to an estimated 60 billion hours of music a year. Songwriters and composers form the bedrock on which the overall success of the music sector is built. Despite the challenges of Covid-19, songwriters and composers continued to have significant impact; UK Music’s 2021 ‘This is Music’ Report states that over 5 million songs and compositions were registered with PRS for Music, nearly one third more than in 2019. The Government wants to ensure this success continues.