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Last month the BPI, which represents the British music industry and runs the Brit Awards, also revealed that this year's Mercury Prize will be held in Newcastle in September after 32 years in the capital.

Hailing the city's "unparalleled music heritage," Burnham said Manchester would "pull out all the stops" to prove the BPI had made the right decision.

The Brits were set up in 1977 to celebrate the British Music Industry, and they are run by the BPI - an organisation funded by, and representing, the biggest record labels in the country.

The BPI also noted that emerging music superpowers in Latin America and South Korea often receive government backing, and urged the UK to protect and support its own music industry.

BPI chief executive Dr Jo Twist acknowledged it was "undoubtedly becoming much harder" for British musicians to cut through in a "hyper-competitive global music economy".