Music charity Youth Music has launched a new report on music careers, called ‘Industry Connect’, which sets out four recommendations for how the music industry can collaborate with music education to “better safeguard and support its future workforce” and “ensure the health of the creative industries”.
Based on research that involved 280 people from 200 organisations, and 50 young creatives from across the UK, the report calls for more joined-up thinking, more careers skills in the curriculum, more support for non-formal pathways, and more focus on establishing safer working cultures.
It also urges industry professionals, music educators and policy-makers to “pledge their support” and “mobilise as a joint force” to “revolutionise young people’s access to music” and “close the gap from learning to earning”.
Adopting these recommendations, says Youth Music CEO Matt Griffiths, is “vital to establish an inclusive music industry fit for the future”. Industry, education and government, he adds, “must commit to revolutionising the learning opportunities on offer, to ensure that young people have access to the necessary support to succeed”.
In terms of joining the dots, Youth Music endorses the call from cross sector trade group UK Music for a national music strategy from the UK government.
Different aspects of music education and the music industry are handled by different government departments. Meanwhile, in both music education and the music industry, many people and companies operate in silos. All this disconnection, says Youth Music, “creates barriers to young creatives entering and progressing in work, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds”.
When it comes to formal music education in schools, colleges and universities, the report says too many programmes fail to teach young people the skills they need to pursue a career in music.
“70% of the music industry workforce is self-employed”, it adds, “yet most college and university courses don’t prepare learners for this”. There are also many more courses focused on artist and performer roles, “with fewer opportunities in areas of skills shortages such as digital and other offstage roles”.
The report is also keen to stress that many young people will pursue careers through non-formal pathways, which are too often ignored by policy-makers and funders. Among other things, the report suggests that young people who do not go to university and instead progress their careers through informal programmes and activity “should be able to access routes to finance akin to student loans”.
Finally, the report notes that “bullying, harassment, exploitation and poor working conditions are too common across the music industries”, and “young and marginalised people are disproportionately affected”. Which is why it’s so important for the music industry and music education to together build “safer working cultures”.
The report, put together by independent researchers Kate McBain of BIMM University and Dan Tsu of Lyrix Organix, is available on the Youth Music website.