Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have analysed International Standard Recording Code registration data to identify any shift in the location of music recording activity away from commercial recording studios in the UK to overseas facilities in recent years; and whether the number of tracks recorded in commercial recording studios in the UK has changed over the past ten years.

The UK’s world-class network of recording studios is a cornerstone of our status as the global third-largest recorded music market and second-largest exporter. These facilities are not only commercial hubs but essential incubators for our national talent pipeline. The creative industries, including music, have been identified as a priority growth sector in the government’s Industrial Strategy and in June 2025 we published a Creative Industries Sector Plan setting out our ambition to maximise the value and impact of our creative businesses.

No specific analysis of International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) registration data has been undertaken to identify shifts in recording activity from the UK to overseas facilities.

However, we continue to work closely with industry stakeholders, including UK Music and the Music Producers Guild, to understand the size of the UK’s commercial recording studio sector and the specific challenges faced by businesses. We also engage with Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) to provide a wider context of recorded music trends and developments within the global music market.

The Government is investing £30 million into a new Music Growth Package, launching in 2026, which will support music infrastructure, including recording studios, and ensure the UK music sector remains globally competitive.