Inside U.K. It's Not Just Cool, U.K. Music Is Also Making Money By STEVE HILL	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
英国音楽はビッグ・ビジネス ビートルズから始まり、現代のオアシスやブラーまで、英国のロック、ポップス音楽は、常に時代の流行をリードしてきました。そしてその文化的側面ばかりではなく、英国音楽には年間5,700億円もの経済効果があることが最近の調査でクローズアップされてきました。

The Spice Girls, Sting, George Michael and the Rolling Stones are among many British musical groups who have topped the charts worldwide — and made a vital contribution to the economy here.

A report commissioned recently by the National Music Council and business advisers KPMG reveals that the British music industry is worth more than £3 billion (¥570 billion) a year. That staggering amount of money means the music industry's contribution to Britain's balance of payments is as big as that of the entire steel industry.

Since the days of the Beatles and the early career of the Rolling Stones, Britain has been regarded as an important source of musical innovation and inspiration.

The success story continued in the 1970s, when groups such as Led Zeppelin and The Who were at their most popular, and onto the 1980s, when Pink Floyd, The Sex Pistols and Dire Straits were among many to make their mark.

Now it is the turn of bands such as The Manic Street Preachers, The Prodigy and All Saints to maintain the tradition with massive sales of CDs, DVDs, videos and tickets to live shows both here and overseas, particularly in the vitally important North American market.

While the popularity of British bands is clear for all to see, the importance of their success to the economy has long gone unrecognized. David Murrell, media partner in KPMG's Information, Communication and Entertainment (ICE) practice, said in the report: "The U.K. has a worldwide reputation for the quality of its music and its performers. This report now confirms that the U.K. music industry has an economic status to match its cultural status.

"We hope the report will become a useful tool in the hands of the industry, gaining proper recognition of its contribution to U.K. plc."

The report is the most detailed of its kind ever undertaken in the United Kingdom and unveils many interesting facts.

For example, for the year 1997-98, it is reckoned that the music industry supported the equivalent of 130,000 full-time jobs. There were an estimated 35,000 musicians, in areas such as rock, pop and country, and they earned a total of £226 million (¥42.9 billion) and made gross earnings of £108 million (¥20.5 billion) from touring overseas. Those figures are yet another indication of the resurgence of interest in British music, generated by the success here and overseas of young bands such as Oasis, Blur and Suede.

Russell Jones, chairman of the National Music Council, commented: "This report provides an important perspective on the overall value of the U.K. music industry to the U.K. economy.

"Figures for exports reveal a healthy performance, despite problems caused by the strength of the pound. However, the international market is increasingly competitive.

"The government has a key role in recognizing the needs of the music business in relation to export promotion, encouraging equal competition, helping identify the threat posed by piracy, and ensuring these issues can be addressed through the enforcement of strong international copyright legislation."

The direct economic benefits are apparent, but the report makes no mention of the important indirect spinoffs.

In London, music-theme restaurants such as the Hard Rock Cafe are packed with visitors from overseas, while the recently opened National Center for Popular Music, in the Yorkshire city of Sheffield, is also attracting large numbers of tourists. They're eager to check out a range of interactive exhibits that trace the history of music from the 1950s to today.

Liverpool remains a mecca for fans of The Beatles, with many visitors taking the famous Magical Mystery Tour and staying in the city overnight to soak up the Merseyside atmosphere.

Japanese tourists are an instantly recognizable sight in London, rushing around Harrods and such major attractions as Westminster Abbey. But an increasing number of younger visitors are here as fans of particular musical groups, on voyages to discover the cities in which their chart favorites went to school and lived before making it to the big time.

One friend of my wife and mine, from Tokyo, popped in to see us recently en route to the south Wales city of Newport. She just wanted to wander around and see exactly what may have influenced the Manic Street Preachers. She wasn't the first and she won't be the last to have such a romantic attachment to music made in Britain.

Shukan ST: Aug. 20, 1999

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