By Matt Cartmell, Chief Executive, Music Technology UK
It’s been a year that saw AI move from music’s margins to its mainstream; when high profile deals were struck between tech challengers and rights holders; and when many looked for innovative ways to ignite catalogues, fans, and live experiences.
In all this, MTUK made steps towards becoming a comprehensive business enabler for the UK music tech sector.
The Sound Investments Report: Making Our Voice Heard
The launch of our inaugural Sound Investments report in July was a big moment for MTUK. Hundreds of downloads in the first days told us that there’s genuine hunger for proper, data-driven analysis of the UK music tech investment landscape.
Sound Investments showed that UK music tech isn’t just a nice idea – it’s a sector with real growth potential. It gave our members ammunition for their investor conversations, whilst giving policymakers the evidence they needed to take us seriously.
But it’s just the start. We’re already working on the 2026 edition – and we’re launching an industrywide survey in the new year to bring even more insight to light.
Taking UK Music Tech to Los Angeles
In June, I joined ten MTUK members on a trade mission to Los Angeles, in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade. Standing in room after room of music industry executives watching our members pitch their innovations – that was a moment!
It’s what being part of a collective like MTUK enables. Not just individual companies accessing bigger conversations, it was about showing the world that the UK has a coherent, thriving music tech ecosystem. This mission reinforced what we already knew: UK music tech companies need targeted export support. We’re now planning similar initiatives in other priority markets, aligning with the Government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan.
The Music Tech Embassy
Our Music Tech Embassy event with Music Tech Europe in June was our chance to prove something. After years of watching SXSW in Austin showcase global music tech innovation, we had the opportunity to do something similar on home turf. Could London host a world-class music tech gathering? The answer was a resounding ‘yes’. And the experience has given us a foundation for what we’re planning for SXSW London 2026. We’re thinking bigger, better and more high-profile. Get in touch if you’d like to be involved.
Addressing the Hard Questions
We launched our female founder group FemTUK this year, and it wasn’t box-ticking. Only 17% of our members are female-led companies, and they receive just 2% of VC funding. Those statistics are uncomfortable, but ignoring them won’t make them better. By bringing together accomplished female leaders to share experiences and create pathways for the next generation, we’re trying to shift the dial.
The Partnership Foundation
Our relationships with Innovate UK, Digital Catapult, the Department for Business and Trade, Music Tech Europe, the Music Managers Forum, and more aren’t just nice to have – they position us within an interconnected ecosystem that actually works.
We launched our first investor networking evening in partnership with KPMG, bringing investors together with startups. The genuine curiosity from investors, the quality of the conversations that continued into the night – all reminded me why we do this work. And there are more to come.
Building Our Community Infrastructure
Numbers don’t tell the whole story, but they tell part of it. We finish 2025 on the cusp of 200 members. The startups and scaleups that fill our Full Membership and new free Explorer membership (for pre-revenue startups) tiers number 150. They sit alongside six associate members – KPMG, Amazon Music, Vistex, Music Foundry, Russells, and Songtradr – each bringing significant resources and expertise. And the Academic Members and Expert Members bring their own unique insights to the community.
We hosted 46 events, keeping H.O.M.E as THE leading hub for music and tech innovation in London.
The Strategic Shift
What comes next? We’ll continue developing our membership model to appeal to a wider range of industry stakeholders. We’ll replace informal benefits with structured programmes of support. We’ll deliver real, tangible value.
We’ll also be building creative hubs of activity outside London, in partnership with valuable initiatives like Liverpool’s Music Futures. The potential of what they’re preparing to build in the Liverpool City Region – a Creative R&D Cluster for Music Innovation – is fascinating. Speaking at their inaugural event in November, I spoke about the importance of building infrastructure to enable growth and investment.
Looking Ahead
In the Sound Investments report I highlighted the brilliant entrepreneurs dealing with daily challenges alone – challenges that could and should be solved collectively.
That remains our focus for 2026: the founders working impossible hours to build something meaningful; the established companies choosing to invest their time and resources in supporting the next generation; and the investors taking risks on this sector because they believe in its potential.
Thanks to the extended MTUK team and friends that gave so much of their time, effort and insight this year: Our Chair Cliff Fluet, Helena Kosinski, Gareth Deakin, George Wright-Theohari, David Simkins, Simon Scott, Rick Gleave, Rufy Ghazi, Andy Allen and the H.O.M.E team, Rachel Lyske, Mark Jennings, Jo Alford, the brilliant team at Fourth Pillar, Linzi Goldthorpe, Lewis Silkin, Rachel Beach, Emma Fadlon and the Innovate UK folks, Charlotte Caleb, Mark Sanders and the Russells team, Helen Sartory, Westgate Communications, Claire Mas, Jon Eades, Amanda Schupf, Jane Dyball, Valentina Baccianella, Paul Trueman, Rosanna Connolly, Rebecca Krol and the KPMG team… and many more.
Here’s to 2026. Let’s see what we can achieve together.