Lisa Nandy MP addressed the UK Music Summer Party

16 July 2025 - Press release

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy MP addressed the UK Music Summer Party
(Text from AI translation, lightly edited)

It's been brilliant to work with you all and get to know you all over the last 12 months, since we won the election back in the summer of last year. It's been particularly brilliant because the passion of the people in this room for music and what music can do to change people's lives and to change our country is just really self evident, and it's lovely to work around people who are that passionate. I hope you know that this government, our government, is as passionate about music as you are. You only have to look at Live Aid and understand the power and what music can achieve. That incredible event 40 years ago that brought together people across borders, helped to heal divisions, helped them to understand one another better and to work together in common cause. If you look at what is happening in the world and in this country right now, there is no question at all in my mind that music and you are needed more now than ever. As Tom (Kiehl) said, we really believe in music. We're backing it big time in our industrial strategy, music and the creative industries are one of only eight industries that we've chosen as the fastest growing, the most strategically important industries of the future.

I was really delighted that that was recognised not just by me. Of course, I would be a champion for music and for all of you, that's my job, but by Johnny (Jonathan Reynolds), by Rachel (Reeves), by Keir (Starmer), across the board, we believe in what you do, and we believe in its potential, so much untapped potential, and so we're betting big on you guys. But you know, this is about more to us than just numbers. Of course, backing the music industry means more exports. It means more jobs, it means more growth, it means better living standards, it means the next generation of musicians to inspire us. But it also is the thing that changed the Prime Minister's life. So it's personal for him. It was the fact that he was able to pick up a musical instrument and get the opportunity to play that gave a working class boy from an ordinary background the confidence to go on and do extraordinary things with his life. So for him, this is a personal mission around music. We want every child in this country to have that same opportunity, because it's their right, and we're determined that they will. You know, we're developing a national youth strategy at the moment. It's the first in a generation. This country hasn't had a strategy for young people for over 20 years, and we put your people in the driving seat, as you would expect. They are writing it. We're supporting them. One of the most shocking things that came of that is the great isolation that a lot of young people feel is just the complete cut off of opportunity that there's been over the last decade. Only one in four children who were asked have been able to access any art or music at all in the last 12 months. Well, we are determined that disgraceful statistic is going to change.

And it's why we're seeking a better deal on touring with the EU. We know how much it matters to you. We know how much it's not just complicating what is a great industry, but it's choking off opportunity. It's bad for us. It's bad for Europe, and we're determined that it's going to change. It's why we're backing CIISA (Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority), the industry body that's set to drive up standards across the board and protect people from discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It's no use for me going up and down the country, saying to young people, as I did in my constituency in Wigan a few weeks ago, that you could make it in the music industry, if when they get into the music industry, they find not only is there a de facto glass ceiling, but they find about abuse of power as well that is too pernicious, especially in industries where it's very inflexible, where you rely very much on word of mouth and contacts, reputation for progression. We're determined that when we encourage young people to go in and do that, that we then back them to succeed. It's why we put £30m behind the new music growth package while we're cracking down on ticket touts, and we want everyone to sign up to the arena ticket levy because, you know, my town is home to the Verve, an amazing band, and they cut their teeth playing in a load of live music venues, pubs and just gigging around Wigan. Every single one of those venues is now closed. When you think about where would the Verve be able to do that now, they'd have to get into Manchester, and it's not good enough. In many parts of the country, that's exactly what it has become. It's become a desert for live music venues, and we've determined that that is going to change, and it will be remiss enough to deal with all of the issues that Tom rightly raised on your behalf, which is about copyright and protecting creators. I just want to be crystal clear with you that Peter Kyle and I speak with one voice on this, we are determined to grip this issue with you, not to you. I'm kicking off a series of roundtables this week to work with you to find the solution. Transparency and fair remuneration will be the core principles that will guide us. I want to be crystal clear on this point. If it doesn't work for the creative industries, it will not work for us, and we will not do it. That is my promise to you.

Before I get off the stage, I just want to say one other thing. Alison Moyet once said that every child is a musician until someone persuades them that they're not, and we want, we believe in the right of every child in this country to live the richer, larger life that music can bring. That is why, of all the things that we've done with you over the last 12 months, the thing that I'm proudest of, in working alongside Bridget Phillipson and Catherine McKinnell, is that we've launched a review of the curriculum with an explicit aim to put music back at the heart the national curriculum where it belongs.