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UK music owns America – well we’re doing quite well

By | Published on Thursday 17 March 2011

UK Music

Someone who can count all the way to 140, but seemingly no further, has worked out that “more than 140” UK acts will perform during this week’s South By Southwest over there in Austin, Texas. Coincidentally, this week the top three positions in the US Album Chart are all occupied by Brits – Adele, former Floetry singer Marsha Ambrosius and Mumford & Sons – the first time this has happened for 25 years.

Which sounds like as good a reason as any for some serious bragging. And who better to do that than UK Music chief Feargal Sharkey? Well, probably Billy “Bragg”, but Feargal has more experience when it comes to this kind of thing. So here he is: “It is 25 years since UK artists stood at 1-2-3 in the US album charts. This substantial achievement is testament to their creative talent and those behind the scenes who support and invest in their careers”.

He continued: “It also perfectly illustrates the diversity of world-class talent that this country nurtures, across all genres, and which is reflected in the numbers travelling to South By Southwest. The UK sends more artists and delegates to Austin than any other country outside of the US. And while the investment involved in breaking an act internationally remains considerable, I’m convinced that with increased strategic support across music and creative content industries there’s no limit to the growth we could achieve”.

Sniffing a rare good news story, that Ed Vaizey fella – the government’s “oooh, aren’t the creative industries fun” man – also insisted on joining in with the bragging.

He told everyone: “It is great to see British artists topping the US charts. The success of these artists coupled with the number of British performers at SxSW demonstrates the health and vibrancy of the UK music industry. Our creative industries are essential to the success of the UK and we need to create the right conditions for this sector to grow. That is why we set up the Digital & Creative Industries Growth Review, which will identify how we can support growth”.

I do love a good Growth Review, can’t wait to read it.



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