The BBC is good for UK Music - so says the BBC's research

The British Broadcasting Corporation has "made a significant positive contribution to the £3.8 billion that the UK music industry generated in the UK economy in 2013" according to accountancy firm KPMG.  KPMG has been looking at the impact of the BBC in response to the UK government's recent green paper on the future of the Corporation. One of the areas that the BBC Trust-commissioned research considered was music, with the conclusion that "the scale of the BBC's music-related activity suggests that its economic impact in this area could be significant":  "BBC radio was the first to provide airtime for the majority of London Grammar's tracks", the research notes. "Of seventeen songs played on UK radio, fifteen were played first on the BBC. In their record label's view, the BBC was likely to have played a role in the estimated £4.3 million that album sales of London Grammar's 'If You Wait' generated to the UK economy" as well as identifying that "The BBC was the first to play Sam Smith singles, on Radio 1, in 2012 and 2013, and Ed Sheeran had his first ever UK radio play on Radio 1Xtra. Radio 1 playlisted two Clean Bandit singles and supported three before any commercial radio station had played Clean Bandit's music. And the BBC's support for emerging artists like Andreya Triana and Shaun Escoffery has boosted their careers and their contribution to the music industry".