SXSW London: U.K. Music Tech Sector Calls for Greater Recognition and Funding: ‘We Want to Get Something Done’
Categoria: Musica
The trade association hosted a takeover at the U.K. conference and festival earlier this week.
Por Billboard | 04/06/2026
The U.K.’s music technology sector has called for greater recognition following the publication of a brand-new report at SXSW London 2026 . On Monday (June 1), the trade association MTUK (Music Technology UK) released its Sound Investment report and hosted a number of panels and keynotes at the London conference, which runs from June 1-6. Related U.K. Music Industry Celebrates as Government Abandons AI ‘Opt-Out’ Approach How Access Opera's John Burton Kickstarted Ye's Touring Comeback: 'He's Like the Michael Jordan of This Thing' Clive Davis Hospitalized in New York After Respiratory Issue Matt Cartmell , MTUK’s CEO, spoke to Billboard U.K. on the pressures the industry is facing and the current trend that’s seeing music technology companies struggling to fulfill their potential. The Sound Investment report found that while music tech startups are able to attract investment in their seed phases, investments do not always follow through to the growth stage, which causes the U.K. to lag behind other markets. According to the report, investment in growth-stage companies has fallen by 90% — from £101 million ($138 million) in 2020 to £10 million ($13.7 million) in 2025. “The U.K. has a strong pipeline of music innovation, but scaling globally requires more than capital. It needs earlier access to the right commercial guidance and networks to help level the playing field and translate innovation into growth,” says Patrick Molyneux , head of the venture fundraising advisory at financial giant KPMG. MTUK defines a company as one that “makes its primary revenue from the development, production, and exploitation of technology, rather than from exploiting the commercial assets of the music industry (musical compositions, master recordings, live musical performances, or artist brands) or from analog product manufacturing (vinyl, guitars).” The report says that in 2020, the level of investment in U.K. music tech companies matched up to 76% of funding compared to the U.S. But in 2025, that number dropped dramatically — to just 21%. Through 2023, the formation of U.K. music tech companies remained stable, with 66 new companies. But in 2025, that had fallen to just 28 new companies. The Sound Investments report also exposes the U.K.’s concentration of music tech companies in London and the southeast of the country, with the region encompassing 64% of those companies. Meanwhile, companies based in Wales, the North East and Northern Ireland have registered little to no investment since 2020. “There’s a problem with recognition of this as being an actual sector,” Cartmell tells Billboard U.K. “First of all, we’ve got to get really back to brass tacks right and recognize the fact that this is a sector that deserves funding. The way we look at it is that music tech is the infrastructure layer for the music industry and the global music economy.” Cartmell explains that a clearer narrative would help music t