The conference’s ambition, alongside music and art, will be making room for artists and musicians in the changing global culture economy, particularly significant at the current moment given the widespread boom in AI technology. Perhaps the foremost figure in the event is Greater Manchester Mayor and former Labour MP Andy Burnham. He has been announced to be hosting a special session on the uses and impacts of AI on the music world. Burnham said that the festival “is a vital opportunity for the sector to come together and address the challenges and opportunities facing music and content creation.”

The event has announced that it aims to “convene leading voices from music, media, technology and the wider creative industries for a programme designed to connect ideas, unlock collaboration and accelerate sector growth”.

Picking Manchester was no accident. Given the region’s uniquely growing economy, much of which is concentrated around the cultural sector, the festival seems to think that the North West could have certain lessons for the musical world. “Beyond The Music”, they say, “seeks to expand Manchester’s resoundingly successful year of musical development into the wider region; bringing Salford and its centenary year celebrations together with central Manchester to solidify the region’s identity as a central destination for music, creativity and content; no longer a local market but the core of a major, global shift in the digital industries.” This also exists as a means to move the cultural conversation away from London, seeing how the capital usually dominates the music industry in Britain.

However, the festival is not just high-minded discussion of policies or strategy. The festival will feature musical acts across the grassroots music venues of Salford. The lineup is yet to be confirmed publicly, but no doubt it will feature a plethora of young, up-and-coming artists.

This is the third incarnation of the festival. In the past, it was held at Aviva Studios and was attended by several corporate, political and musical leaders. Manchester Council’s leader Bev Craig, Warner Music’s Tony Harlow and rapper Aitch, originally from the area, all attended the last conference in 2024.

The festival’s co-founder, Sarah Pearson, says that “the ethical and economic foundations of the music and content industries demand urgent attention and bold reform. We have some of the most pioneering and innovative minds in the world, so when we gather – united, in one place, at one time – we have the power to venture beyond the music and help redefine the future of the creative economy. It is our responsibility to protect creativity in order to ensure it doesn’t just survive but thrives. Things may feel difficult, but they are still possible.”

Named Beyond The Music and based in multiple venues around Manchester, the event is uniquely designed to contribute positively toward the music industry to create a crucial change toward the industry’s most aggravating challenges, such as Brexit’s impact on touring, underpaid streaming services and Covid’s negative aftermath on live gigs.

Not only is it showcasing a line up of fresh live acts, but also conferences and collaborative features to address such issues by getting people into contact with each other. It is an original way to support the affected areas of the industry, as well as bringing a certain awareness to the table in order to bring innovation toward an unadapted sector. An event where all artists, entrepreneurs, innovators, techs, gaming brands and authors can take part.

The festival is set to take place from the 11th to the 14th of October in several venues around the city, where the chosen ambassador band, New Order, are the only to have been confirmed for the lineup. They will officially launch the event playing a live gig at a similarly designed annual festival in the US, known as Southwest Music Festival, at the Moody Theatre on the 13th March.

It is no coincidence that such a project is based in the UK’s most innovative city. Manchester was the world’s first industrial city, creating a wealth of diverse and world-changing breakthroughs which makes it perfectly fit to host said event. In this city, the festival founder’s father, Tony Wilson, founded Factory Records, the Hacienda club and the In The City music conference. Oli Wilson has followed in his father’s footsteps by creating such an ingenious, game changing notion.

Looking forward to the event, New Order express their pride toward their beloved city; “Manchester is a place where this can happen, our home and the city of revolution, and we’re looking forward to the launch of Beyond The Music with a live show at SXSW and being a part of this positive movement for the music industry.” The band is expected to be accompanied this March by two other Manchester based bands; The Orielles and Loose Articles, assisted and supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. They were also selected by the Greater Manchester Music Commission and Manchester Music Cities Network. The following day after New Orders gig, Beyond the Music will be showcasing a number of up and coming artists at the same SXSW.