Counterculture was commissioned by Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) in October 2023 to research the region’s music industry landscape, identifying its strengths, challenges, needs and opportunities. Working with Tees Music Alliance, Generator North East, Arts Council England, Teesside University and other partners, the research was required to inform decisions on a sector-specialist support programme for Tees Valley-based artists, music professionals and music businesses and ambitions around economic growth, employment, skills, tourism and place-based regeneration.
The work followed a creative sector study commissioned by TVCA in 2021 which found that Music, Performing and Visual Arts was the largest creative subsector in the region and that it had all the elements of the music supply chain and a growing programme of high-quality festivals and live events, but that the region still lacked specialisation in music and the wider creative industries and needed to improve its infrastructure.
In response to the brief, we assembled an expert multi-disciplinary Counterculture team with extensive and diverse music industry experience, including Jo Wright (Partner & Vice Chair), Wendy Cave (Partner), Tara Tank (Policy & Research Manager) and Vick Bain (Associate).
Our work, included:
- Assessing the size, shape and economic contribution of the music industry to Tees Valley
- Mapping and evaluating music assets
- Case studies and benchmarking of other music industry development programmes and initiatives
- Consultation with around 50 stakeholders through interviews and roundtables, and a further 100 through an online survey
- Creating a shared vision and outline objectives for music industry development in Tees Valley
- Identifying and appraising options for intervention by TVCA and partners to help grow the sector.
It was clear that many of the issues faced by artists and professionals in Tees Valley were being experienced across the UK. For talent, a lack of investment in music education and long-term mentoring and a blocked pipeline for opportunities. For the recorded music industry, a lack of high-end recording studios and rehearsal spaces and a ‘hand-to-mouth’ environment. For live music, the loss of live music venues, lack of collaboration and difficulties attracting and maintain audiences. Then there is industry profile, where a lack of branding and marketing coupled with poor perceptions limits appeal.
But Tees Valley has many unique strengths – a resilient music community whose gritty, honest resilience and humour permeates its music; established music clusters in Stockton and Middlesbrough; a growing regional festival scene; a vinyl pressing plant; and existing regional and national music and cultural partnerships upon which to build the sector.
Our work culminated in a series of strategic recommendations to TVCA and partners, spanning sector support, governance, education, infrastructure, capacity-building and branding. We hope that these will help to inform and support the sustainable growth of a diverse and distinctive music industry in Tees Valley, for years to come.