Ozzy Osbourne to Become Rock Tsar of Birmingham?

A recent UK government-backed report acknowledged the importance of music-related tourism in Britain, revealing that music aficionados have boosted the economy for over $3.5 billion (£2.2 billion) in 2012.

According to Independent, the given report also points out that cities across UK should appoint “music ambassadors,” to exploit their pop heritage, naming Ozzy Osbourne as the first potential Rock Tsar of his hometown Birmingham.

As the report further reads, the Wish You Were Here study found that 6.5 million music tourist have directly spent almost $2.1 billion (£1.3 billion) on festival tickets, transport and accommodation. Food, drink and other additional expenses summed up to around $1.46 billion (£914 million) and a grand total of $3.5 billion.

As for the individual spending, an average music tourist spends around $1450 (£910) while attending festivals and around $960 (£602) when going to regular concerts. “Cities steeped in musical tradition, such as Liverpool, have already made huge progress in creating a strong tourist trade around music,” the report reads.

Finally, the report concluded that Birmingham, hometown of legendary Black Sabbath, should “establish a music ambassador,” as well as “a plaque scheme to celebrate musical achievement, a permanent hard rock exhibition and a music digital archive.”