The South Asian Soundcheck calls for UK music industry support
15 May 2025 - Press releaseNew survey will provide the first detailed data on the South Asian experience in UK music
Lila, the non-profit initiative empowering South Asians in the UK music industry, has launched The South Asian Soundcheck, a new survey, supported by major industry bodies including UK Music, British Recorded Music Industry (BPI), Musicians Union (MU) and Music Managers Forum (MMF).
The Soundcheck, an online survey which takes around ten minutes to fill in, will provide the first detailed dataset on the South Asian experience in UK music. The insights gathered will set the stage for industry-wide action, and deliver the tools required for South Asian music to enter the spotlight.
Bobby Friction comments “This is the moment. In March, Canada’s Juno Awards celebrated a transformational shift by adding a dedicated South Asian Music Recording of the Year category. Last year, we created Arrivals in the Shangri-La area of Glastonbury; this was the festival’s first-ever dedicated South Asian space, something we’ll be continuing in 2025 with the recently announced Azaadi.
“Change, recognition and representation are happening in small but vital steps, but to make a real and lasting difference, we need the knowledge and the stats to back it up, and The South Asian Soundcheck will deliver this.”
The Soundcheck will shine a light on representation and barriers in the UK music industry, whilst also highlighting opportunities for change. South Asian music creators, managers, executives, and behind-the-scenes professionals are encouraged to contribute their experiences to the new survey, which is the first of its kind and will explore:
● Who is working in the industry and in what roles
● How and what South Asians are earning in music
● Representation and Visibility in the Industry
● How cultural identity shapes music careers
● What access there is to funding and industry support and what is needed
Vikram Gudi, founder of Lila, one of the organisations that supported Arrivals at Glastonbury comments: “This isn’t a South Asian topic, it’s an industry wide issue. South Asian artists and professionals have contributed to the UK’s music landscape for decades, but it’s widely acknowledged that we remain underrepresented across all areas of the industry-from artist rosters to executive roles, festival lineups to award panels.
“Our aim is to get to a place where there is South Asian representation at major industry events, where we have clear pathways to industry, and there is support and celebration. The South Asian Soundcheck is the first step in making that change.”
Key organisations that have consulted on the Soundcheck and will support with outreach include:
Eunice Obianagha, Head of Diversity, UK Music comments "UK Music are proud to have supported with shaping this important survey. It marks a vital step in understanding the experiences and opportunities for South Asian music artists and professionals in the UK. We believe it will spark important conversations while helping drive change within our industry."
BPI DEI Manager, Hailey Willington, said: “The Five-Year DEI Strategy the BPI launched last year is based on the fundamental belief that the more diverse and inclusive our music community is, the greater its prospects for success. Anecdotally, we can see that South Asian music is growing in its appeal and becoming increasingly influential, but it is important that South Asian members of our industry are supported and given opportunities to thrive whether they work in front of, or as industry professionals, behind the mic.
“Because of this, it is essential that we build a more complete picture of the experiences of South Asian members of our music community, supported by proper data and insights. At the BPI we welcome the South Asian Music Soundcheck survey and encourage everyone to engage with it.”
Dr Diljeet Kaur Bhachu, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Musicians’ Union said: “We are really pleased to see this survey of South Asian musicians in the UK music industries being launched, and excited for its findings. Data is a key element in mapping and progressing representation, as the MU has found with the Musicians’ Census.
“We are glad to have contributed to shaping this new survey by Lila. South Asian communities across the globe hold pluralistic, nuanced and diverse identities and experiences. The South Asian Soundcheck has the power to highlight these nuances within the music industries context, and enhance the experiences of South Asian music creators and professionals.”
MMF Chief Executive, Annabella Coldrick comments: “The MMF are fully behind this timely initiative from Lila. We’ve contributed to The South Asian Soundcheck and will be promoting the survey through our networks. A key strength of the UK’s music culture is our diversity, and this collection of evidence and data will help build an effective strategy to ensure all South Asian managers in our community are recognised and represented.”
The results will be released publicly, making this data vital for shaping practical solutions—guiding music labels in building stronger diversity initiatives, informing funding applications, and supporting targeted programs like label and management accelerators. It can also help justify more South Asian-led showcases.
This project is developed in collaboration with Sania Haq, a leading expert in music and market research who has previously designed major industry surveys focused on creators and professionals, for UK Music, IPO, BLiM, Spotify, and SoundCloud. The survey adheres to industry standards to ensure robust benchmarking with existing UK music data while adding an essential South Asian perspective that has never been explored at this scale before.
The survey takes 10 mins, is open to South Asian music creators, managers, executives, and behind-the-scenes professionals and is available here
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