UK MUSIC STREAMING SERVICES FUND MORE THAN 60 SEPARATE INITIATIVES SUPPORTING MUSIC

UK streaming services are funding more than 60 separate initiatives to support the music industry, according to new research from digital entertainment and retail association ERA. And 20 of them focus on new and emerging UK talent.

A full selection of these support programmes can be viewed on the ERA website here.

The research unveiled at ERA’s AGM held today (Tuesday, September 9 2025) comes just a week after ERA revealed that independent record shops are currently promoting more than 4,000 instore and outstore performances a year, the majority of them featuring UK artists.

ERA Chair Linda Walker told the ERA AGM, “DSPs and retailers are not just passive outlets for record company releases. ERA members really care about music and UK music in particular. At a time when music from this country needs all the help it can get, I see how much you are rooting for Team UK. The whole music industry should be proud of you.”

The new research reveals that the largest category of music initiatives supports diversity and inclusion, with the second largest supporting new and emerging talent. Examples of artists supported by DSPs include:

• Floating Points spotlighted by SoundCloud’s regional campaigns;

• Jorja Smith backed by Spotify’s  Riff & Runs R&B focused playlists;

• Laraaji who headlined Qobuz’s  sponsored Brick Lane Jazz Festival;

• Pa Salieu supported by Youtube’s  Legacy Series, pairing Black UK fashion designers with musicians;

• Sam Fender supported early on by YouTube  Music’s Video Tentpole

Support for individual artists is also accompanied by a range of initiatives supporting education, particularly education about the music industry. Examples include:

• Breakthrough - Amazon Music’s global artist development program, supporting emerging talent with funding, exposure, and guidance - powered by a key partnership with the Featured Artists Coalition;

• YouTube Accelerator - run in partnership with the Music Managers Forum, equipping independent UK managers with vital training and networking opportunities;

• Girls Make Beats - SoundCloud’s non-profit organization geared towards expanding female representation among music producers, DJs and audio engineers;

• Deezer Collaborates with the Featured Artists Coalition for masterclasses focused on women and queer artists, providing training on streaming, marketing, and social promotion;

• Spotify’s partnership with Youth Music to a create a fund supporting 15 grassroots youth spaces.

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “Quietly and below the radar of the industry, DSPs and retailers are funding and nurturing the future of music. This latest research uncovers the breadth and depth of that support for the very first time.”

The new report was the centrepiece of an ERA AGM which also reflected on the success of the organisation’s Future Leaders Programme, launched in March 2025, and dedicated to nurturing the next generation of entertainment executives, which directly led to this latest research.

“I think some people thought that Future Leaders was just another mentoring programme when it launched,” said Bayley, “but it’s far more than that. Future Leaders is refreshing ERA’s agenda and this latest research came directly out of our Future Leaders’ concern at the plight of new UK music.”

ERA’s first Future Leaders intake included Mitch Page ( Amazon Music UK), Georgia Butler (Resident Music), Esme Pitts (Sky Store), Melanie Davis (Songtradr) and Josh Holland (YouTube). They were joined last week by Laura Wainwright (Amazon Prime Video) and Morgan Coates (IYK GMI Inc), the latest winners of ERA’s Rising Star Awards.

Elsewhere at the ERA AGM, results were announced of elections to the association’s board with HMV (represented by Phil Halliday), Sky (Paul Newton), Ashlie Green (Davids), Wax & Beans (Lou Jackson) and Reflex (Alan Jordan) all re-elected.