Great News for BIMM Graduates! UK Music Jobs Up 19%

The UK’s music industry is thriving, according to new figures from UK Music’s Measuring Music report for 2017.

Published today (20.09.2017), the annual review shows a 6% increase in growth across the music industry. The report also finds that music contributed £4.4 billion to the UK economy. On top of this, the industry has been instrumental in the creation of new jobs, with a 19% increase in employment figures across the sector.

Commenting on the results, UK Music’s chief executive, Michael Dugher, said:

“The headline figures in this year’s Measuring Music report are undoubtedly excellent news. The number of new jobs created in the UK rose at a faster pace than the rest of the employment market and our export figures shot up across the board. The outlook for the music business is better than it has been in years.”

This is great news for all BIMM students, many of whom will be looking to embark on an exciting career after their time with us.  So what’s driving these figures? We believe BIMM play a vital role as a provider of industry-standard music education, via leading lecturers and a renowned syllabus that promotes vocational learning.

Vaseema Hamilton, Business Development and Creative Careers Director – BIMM Group, said:

“The ‘Measuring Music Report 2017’ reminds us what the team at BIMM are proud to be a part of. The UK music industry – in all its diversity and constantly changing forms – is growing, thriving and making an enormous contribution to the economy and the development of new employment opportunities.”

“These opportunities cover a vast range of roles across the industry – roles which are constantly evolving as the needs of the industry, technologies and necessary skill-sets are evolving. A BIMM graduate of 2017 needs to be flexible, multi-skilled and willing to continue to learn and adapt over the years to come – while remaining passionate and dedicated to their love of music.  That openness to change and development is also one of the key attributes we look for when we select lecturers to join our teaching roster – across all disciplines. Because learning never stops in the music industry and careers can’t stand still in order to support our graduates as their creative futures form and reform we keep in touch – through our Alumni Service – which offers follow-up careers advice and access to our industry jobs boards and networking events.”

We have long supplied the music industry with talented graduates of all ages and backgrounds at BIMM, from music tech professionals to chart-topping artists, such as Tom Odell, Izzy Bizu, George Ezra and James Bay. But not every student who studies at BIMM has had ambitions of making it as a musician; our courses are diverse and take into account all areas of the industry, including music journalism and stage management.

Data from our in-house 2016 graduate survey shows that more of our students are landing new and exciting roles within the music business. BIMM’s exponential success is such that 82% of graduates now find work within the first six months of graduating. Of those, 72% are working in the music industry or wider creative industries, with roles ranging from musician to publisher via social media executive.

Furthermore, 84% of our students said they engaged with the music industry during their time at BIMM; 64% say they found work through a network established while studying here. Elsewhere, 73% of our alumni are now employed in jobs that specifically look to recruit graduates.

Phil Nelson, BIMM’s Industry Liaison and Music Industry Ambassador, added:

“We pride ourselves in keeping up to the minute with fast-moving industry developments so that our alumni enter the music industry with the knowledge that they and their employers need. We are building our own music industry ecosystem within BIMM, that not only mirrors the industry as a whole but interacts with it.”

One way we keep up-to-date with new music industry trends is through our brilliant offering of masterclasses, which give our students the opportunity to learn from the best in the business. In recent years we’ve welcomed numerous industry heavyweights from YouTube, Google, Facebook, labels, publishers, HMV, UMG, BMG and Shazam.

And what of our many hard-working and entrepreneurial students? So many have landed such outstanding roles. They include former Guitar student Vlad Matveikov, whose time at BIMM set the foundations for him to open a recording and practice studio. Vlad opened Small Pond in Brighton with the help of his fellow students. Reflecting on his experience, Vlad said: “There’s a lot of things that one can learn at BIMM and a lot of good people to meet.”

Natasha Bent who studied Vocals before working as a backing singer for Carleen Anderson. Now Natasha works for the prestigious Coda Music Agency in London after working her way up to become VP at The Agency Group/UTA.

It’s a similar story for Jade Foster, an artist who has gone on to find success in the industry after studying for a performance-based degree. Jade, who graduated from BIMM with a BA Hons in Professional Musicianship, later discovered her passion for PR. She is now a Junior PR Executive at Dawbell, which remains one of the most respected names in the industry – her transferable skills have been essential in her landing this role.

Our list of success stories does not stop there either, thanks to students like BIMM London’s Emmanuel Matthews. The immensely talented Emmanuel studied Music Business before interning at Capitol Records. Now he is enjoying life at Universal Music after landing a dream role as a Digital Promo Service Coordinator, where his day-to-day involves managing digital releases for some of the world’s biggest artists.

The conclusions drawn from our 2016 Graduate Survey prove that connectivity and knowledge of the music business are essential qualities for securing a career in music or the creative industry as a whole. Our courses combine both practical and academic studies, and the result is that BIMM students are highly employable when they leave. Likewise, we are thrilled with the outcome of UK Music’s most recent report.

These latest figures are highly encouraging for all of our students, past, present and future. We continue to support and represent all those who show a keen interest in making their name in music and have had the pleasure of contributing to a new generation of professionals throughout our 16-year existence. It’s an exciting time for BIMM, what with the opening of our seventh college in Birmingham this October. But truly it is music that has shown its worth once again.

More examples of BIMM masterclass industry guests that provide our students a valuable insight into the current music industry include:

• Simon Raymonde, a former Cocteau Twin guitarist and founder of the London-based Bella Union label (John Grant, Ezra Furman, Father John Misty, PINS)
• David Mogendorff, YouTube and Google Play’s artist content and services department
• Rough Trade Records’ Ben Ayres of Cornershop fame
• Vanessa Bakewell, an Entertainment Vertical Lead at Facebook
• Ben Hood of RCA Records A&R department
• Tom Bownes (Promoter at Live Nation)
• Huw Stephens (BBC Radio 1 DJ)
• Daniel P Carter (BBC Radio 1 DJ and Rock Show host)
• Chris Ruff (Product Manager at Atlantic Records)

If you want to kick start your music career with BIMM then you can find out about all our courses here.