Music fans travelling to the UK for gigs and festivals helped boost the economy by £3.1 billion last year.
A new report by industry body UK Music said foreign visitors each spent an average of £751 and helped sustain almost 40,000 full time jobs.
A total of 9.5 million people travelled to music events across the UK in 2014, an increase of 34% between 2011 and 2014.
Researchers found a 39% rise in the number of overseas tourists travelling to the UK for music over the last four years.
Culture secretary John Whittingdale said: “Festivals like Glastonbury hold an iconic status on the world music scene and are one of the reasons why international tourism is booming in the UK, drawing in streams of visitors to all parts of the country.
“We know our UK creative industries contribute an astonishing £76.9 billion to the UK economy but this report confirms they are truly world-class and a powerful advert for the UK.”
Festivals like T in the Park, Celtic Connections and the Wickerman festival helped to attract 721,000 music tourists to Scotland in 2014.
UK Music chief executive, Jo Dipple, said: “More international music tourists are coming to the UK and more Brits are travelling further afield to gigs.
“The average spend by international music tourists has increased by 13% during this period, while the total exports have grown by less than 2%.
“If we want an export-led recovery, we need music tourists to keep coming to the UK.”