Immersive Audio Regional Development Survey Findings Report

This project began as an exploration of a new specialist agency for immersive spatial audio but early conversations with practitioners, industry partners and academics told us something important: before we designed a new service, we needed to properly understand the ecosystem it would serve. 

So, we changed course. Instead of building first and asking questions later, we developed four surveys and went out and listened to funders and policy makers, universities and researchers, commercial studios and venues, and creative practitioners and artists across the region. 

The result is the first evidence base of its kind for immersive spatial audio in the South West region: a shared understanding of what’s working, what’s missing, and where the region should focus next. 

26 survey responses

4 stakeholder groups

50% response rate

42/50 attended the sharing event

We wanted to hear from across the whole ecosystem, not just one part of it. Twenty-six people took the time to respond, a 50% response rate against everyone invited – spanning universities and researchers, artists and practitioners, commercial studios and venues, and funders and policy makers.

Across every group, one message came through consistently: affordable, low-stakes access to specialist facilities and equipment matters more than new buildings or competitive funding pots. For artists and practitioners, the hardest thing to access isn’t space or kit, it’s paid work itself. 

University stakeholders were clear that immersive audio graduates are not held back by a lack of technical ability. What’s missing is an understanding of commercial pipelines, mentoring, and industry-ready workflows – the connective tissue between training and paid work. 

XR and immersive experiences, games and music production were named most often as sectors offering strong employment potential for graduates – a useful signal of where current industry demand sits, even as respondents pointed to live performance, health and wellbeing as under-explored growth areas. 

These are just four of the findings. The full report also covers regional coordination, geographic reach, and the tension between academic and commercial framings of the sector. 

The full report, written by Dr Eleanor Rowley, sets out the complete methodology, findings for each of the four stakeholder groups, and a set of recommendations for the region’s next steps. 

View the full report here.

On 13 August we shared these findings live with the community. 42 people joined us online, including attendees from outside the UK. If you couldn’t make it, you can watch the full session here. 

You can also access the slides from the session here.

This research is the foundation for what comes next. We’re working to help position the South West’s immersive audio sector for future investment and international partnership.  

Applications to the 2026-27 Studio Innovation Fund will open in autumn 2026 and will focus on Immersive Audio partnership development. You can find out more here.

If you need to hire equipment, you’ll find details of our immersive audio the library on the tech hire page. Sign up to The Studio Newsletter for more information on funds and events.  

The Immersive Audio Network is currently programming its next annual festival, taking place in Bath at the end of January 2027. 

• If you’d like to get involved or have spatial audio content you’d like to showcase at the festival, keep in touch and sign up to the Immersive Audio Network’s newsletter to stay updated on our news. 

Keep in touch with The Studio by signing up to our newsletter at the bottom of the page.