Breadcrumb Home Impact and Insights Impact and Insights Research is vital to our mission, helping us identify barriers, shape policy, and direct funding to create equal opportunities for young people to make and monetise music. NextGen insights and impact SONG report 2024 Industry Connect Report Turning insights into action Through our work, we gather and share powerful insights into the challenges and opportunities within the music industry. By collaborating with young people, music creators, and industry professionals, we ensure that our findings reflect lived experiences and diverse perspectives. We’re committed to making our insights accessible and actionable. Whether you’re a policymaker, a funder, or a grassroots organisation, you’ll find tools, data, and evidence to support your work and amplify your impact.Together, we’re building a music industry that works for everyone. Our impact on grassroots organisations 86% 86% of our funding in the last 5 years has been outside of London. 3.4 million In 25 years, we've reached 3.4 million young people, including over 340 NextGen creatives. 41% 41% of our funded partners have considered closure in the past year. Youth Music's Industry Connect report UK Music's latest report shows the music industry's record-breaking £7.6 billion contribution to the UK economy in 2023. Youth Music's Industry Connect report outlines key pathways to sustain this growth and secure the future of the music workforce. Join the Industry Connect Movement here! Read Industry Connect Born Into Music, Locked Out of Power Music isn’t just influenced by the Global Majority - modern music exists because of it. The UK’s music identity is woven by the creativity of Global Majority, and yet many continue to face exclusion from the industry.The Born Into Music, Locked Out of Power report celebrates the musicality of Global Majority* communities and explores the systemic barriers holding them back from music industry leadership. Just 29% of young people from Global Majority backgrounds feel represented in music industry leadership compared to 53% of their White peers.*By Global Majority, we mean people who are Black, African, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or, have been racialised as 'ethnic minorities'. Globally these groups currently represent approximately eighty per cent (80%) of the world's population. Read Born Into Music THOUGHT LEADERSHIP news A New Era of Music Therapy: Young People Rely on Lyrics to Aid Wellbeing Discover the transformative power of music and lyrics in improving young people's mental health, creativity, and community bonds. Read more news Generation AI: How Young Musicians are Embracing AI How are young creatives using AI to reshape music? Discover their innovative approaches, insights, and hopes for a future where AI levels the playing field in the music industry. Read more news Are Nursery Rhymes Outdated? A new era for nursery rhymesOur latest research reveals that over a quarter of parents claim nursery rhymes are outdated. Read more Flagship Research Sound of The Next Generation 2024 Music is vital to young people's wellbeing and identity, but barriers like access and cost hold many back. Explore the findings and calls for action in the Sound of the Next Generation report. Read more The Sound of the Next Generation 2019 Ground-breaking insights into how young people value music and its impact on their lives. Explore key findings and interactive visuals. #SoundoftheNextGen Read more A Blueprint for the Future A new generation ready to transform music. This report shares insights from 1,300 young people eager to start careers but facing inadequate paths from education to employment. Read more Reshape Music Discover the barriers Disabled musicians face and the urgent changes needed to create a more inclusive music industry. Read the findings and recommendations from our groundbreaking report. Read more Youth Music Self-Expression Report Read our Self-Expression report exploring the links between songwriting, self-expression and wellbeing in young people. Read more Exchanging Notes 2018 Exchanging Notes united schools and community music to empower young people through creative, impactful learning. Explore the findings and stories. Read more Our Music 2006 A 2006 Youth Music survey reveals how young people engaged with music, highlighting their preference for making music independently or with friends over school settings. Read more Prev Next Feedback surveys Youth Music Feedback Survey 2023 Youth Music’s annual Feedback Survey gathers insights from our funded partners and applicants to help us improve. This year’s findings highlight our impact, key challenges, and recommendations—exploring funding flexibility, youth voice, and sustainability. Read more NextGen Feedback Survey 2022 Find out what young creatives told Youth Music through the NextGen Feedback Survey about how much impact Youth Music are having and what we could do to facilitate the development of young creatives' careers. Read more NextGen Feedback Survey 2021 Discover how Youth Music's NextGen community supports 18-25-year-olds pursuing careers in the music industry with paid opportunities, mentoring, and inspiring stories. Read more Youth Music Stakeholder Survey 2020 Youth Music’s annual survey gathers anonymous feedback from grantholders and applicants to assess our performance, refine our grants programme, and track industry challenges. Read more Prev Next Youth Music Annual Reports Download: 2023-2024 report Download: 2022-2023 report Download: 2021-2022 report Download: 2020-2021 report
news A New Era of Music Therapy: Young People Rely on Lyrics to Aid Wellbeing Discover the transformative power of music and lyrics in improving young people's mental health, creativity, and community bonds. Read more
news Generation AI: How Young Musicians are Embracing AI How are young creatives using AI to reshape music? Discover their innovative approaches, insights, and hopes for a future where AI levels the playing field in the music industry. Read more
news Are Nursery Rhymes Outdated? A new era for nursery rhymesOur latest research reveals that over a quarter of parents claim nursery rhymes are outdated. Read more
Sound of The Next Generation 2024 Music is vital to young people's wellbeing and identity, but barriers like access and cost hold many back. Explore the findings and calls for action in the Sound of the Next Generation report. Read more
The Sound of the Next Generation 2019 Ground-breaking insights into how young people value music and its impact on their lives. Explore key findings and interactive visuals. #SoundoftheNextGen Read more
A Blueprint for the Future A new generation ready to transform music. This report shares insights from 1,300 young people eager to start careers but facing inadequate paths from education to employment. Read more
Reshape Music Discover the barriers Disabled musicians face and the urgent changes needed to create a more inclusive music industry. Read the findings and recommendations from our groundbreaking report. Read more
Youth Music Self-Expression Report Read our Self-Expression report exploring the links between songwriting, self-expression and wellbeing in young people. Read more
Exchanging Notes 2018 Exchanging Notes united schools and community music to empower young people through creative, impactful learning. Explore the findings and stories. Read more
Our Music 2006 A 2006 Youth Music survey reveals how young people engaged with music, highlighting their preference for making music independently or with friends over school settings. Read more
Youth Music Feedback Survey 2023 Youth Music’s annual Feedback Survey gathers insights from our funded partners and applicants to help us improve. This year’s findings highlight our impact, key challenges, and recommendations—exploring funding flexibility, youth voice, and sustainability. Read more
NextGen Feedback Survey 2022 Find out what young creatives told Youth Music through the NextGen Feedback Survey about how much impact Youth Music are having and what we could do to facilitate the development of young creatives' careers. Read more
NextGen Feedback Survey 2021 Discover how Youth Music's NextGen community supports 18-25-year-olds pursuing careers in the music industry with paid opportunities, mentoring, and inspiring stories. Read more
Youth Music Stakeholder Survey 2020 Youth Music’s annual survey gathers anonymous feedback from grantholders and applicants to assess our performance, refine our grants programme, and track industry challenges. Read more
