Sources of Information to Help You Campaign and Organise

If you’re looking for information about a specific issue, it can be difficult to know where to start. The below is a list of resources and organisations that you may find useful.

Remember, if you’re writing a motion, thinking about a committee or advisory board agenda item, or planning a campaign, you can contact the Union for advice and support.

MU resources

• The MU publishes minutes of its Executive Committee (EC) meetings to members every month. In them, you’ll find a mix of discussion highlights and decisions made. A My MU login is required to access them.
• The MU produced the Musicians’ Census in partnership with Help Musicians. It’s the first ever Census of musicians, with close to 6,000 people sharing their experiences of working life in music. Explore our collection of Insight Reports looking at finance, mental health, women musicians, LGBT+ musicians, disabled musicians, and musicians who experience racism based on the data.
• We also have put together a jargon buster to help you navigate trade union and music industry terminology.

Music industry resources

• The MU works with many organisations that represent different sectors, communities and interest groups in music and politics. They include organisations specifically aimed at improving equality, diversity and inclusion in the sector. Explore the list.
• One of those organisations is UK Music, which is the umbrella body for the music industry. It collects and publishes data on a range of issues including the economic impact of music, equality and diversity in the music industry workforce, and topical issues such as music tourism and artificial intelligence.

Trade union and Labour movement resources

• We also work with many trade unions, directly and through the Trades Union Congress (TUC), TUC Cymru and Scottish TUC, which publish regular news, briefings and research and host free training for union members.
• The National Education Union (NEU) publishes regular news and has a library of research and resources. Other trade unions the MU works with, who regularly publish member research, include Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and University and Colleges Union (UCU).
• The Fabian Society is the UK’s oldest think tank and publishes free resources, including research and think pieces from experts and decision-makers.
• The Labour Research Department (LRD) is an independent trade union-based research organisation that provides news and insights into trade union issues – in particular employment law.

Parliament, Government and related resources

• The UK Parliament website has lots of information about all aspects of parliamentary business. There, you can find an MP or a member of the House of Lords, catch up on the business of Parliament via Hansard or Parliament TV, and explore research, data and analysis from Parliament’s libraries.
• There, you’ll also find information about Parliamentary Select Committees – groups of MPs who explore specific issues in depth via inquiries and hearings. For example, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee has held inquiries into the economics of music streaming and grassroots music venues.
• The MU advocates for members in the devolved nations. More information about devolution and links to records of proceedings, committees, consultations, petitions and press releases can be found via the Senedd Cymru/Welsh Government, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Assembly.
• Each of the UK’s four nations has a national development agency for arts and culture, distributing government funding to arts organisations and conducting research. These are Arts Council England, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales, and Creative Scotland.
• Turning to issues, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects, analyses and publishes statistics about the UK economy and society.
• You can find out information about companies via a free Companies House search – however, MU members are advised to consult the Union before undertaking a paid search as part of a union campaign.

Music education sector resources

• On education, the Department for Education makes different types of financial data available, including college accounts. HESA provides information about the income and expenditure of HE providers, subject uptake and where HE students study.
• The Office for Students is the independent regulator for schools and publishes consultation responses on a wide range of issues.
• Music Mark, Music Teachers Association, London Music Fund, the Cultural Learning Alliance and exam body ABRSM all provide research and resources on different aspects of music education.
• Focusing on music and young people, Sound Connections, Youth Music, Music for Youth, and Young Sounds UK also do research and provide resources that you may find useful.