Glasvegas guitarist Rab Allan and Matt ‘Citizen Bravo‘ Brennan are to team up – to measure how much the Scottish music industry is worth to the country.

The two musicians, in partnership with the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) and Glasgow University, will measure the value of the music sector to Scotland through its sales and services.

Entitled Mapping and Measuring the Scottish Music Industry the study will be undertaken by Dr Matt Brennan, who will be known to many as a former member of Zoey Van Goey, but is also a reader in popular music at Glasgow University’s College of Arts

Joining him on the project is Robert Allan, of Glasvegas fame but also a PhD student Robert Allan at the university.

A recent report by UK Music showed that in 2018, 4300 people were working full-time in a sector which generated £431 million of spending in Scotland.

The study also follows the Mapping the music industry in Scotland study undertaken in 2003 by the university’s Martin Cloonan in conjunction with academic Simon Firth and music manager John Williamson. The new report will assess how things have changed over the past two decades.

Robert Kilpatrick, the SMIA’s general manager, said: “We hope that the launch of this project further stimulates a national conversation about the value of music to Scotland’s economy and wider culture, and we very much look forward to utilising the findings to see SMIA services, projects and events provide maximum impact and benefit to the sector for years to come.”

More at smia.org.uk.