Beyond The Music: The Festival Celebrating the Past, Present and Future of Manchester

Above: New Order launch Beyond The Music at SXSW, 13 Mar 2023 - Credit: Warren Jackson.

‘This is Manchester. We do things differently here’ are the words of the late Tony Wilson, founder of Factory Records. This timeless quote is one that resonates when you visit the Northern powerhouse, the city exudes a palpable energy that something incredible is always around the corner. Manchester has always had its finger on the pulse, continually shaping and defining global culture. Firmly rooted as a cultural checkpoint to the masses since the 50's, it's a city that has not only moved with the times but shaped them. This rainy city has brought nothing but sunshine to our lives, with a collective discography that challenges any other in the world. In the words of Roy Walters, “what Manchester does today, the world does tomorrow”. Manchester is inextricably linked with its musical heritage that has seamlessly evolved from Northern Soul in the swinging sixties, to the Madchester era of the 80s where bands like The Stone Roses, Oasis and the Happy Mondays accentuated the cities global appeal. Whilst Manchester's sound has developed, its core values as city have endured. The city is still revered for its output of working-class musicians appealing to the masses in style, whose poignant lyricism and restless endeavour for social change make them profoundly relatable. Never a city to bathe in rose-tinted nostalgia, it's a Mancuinian attitude to look back, not stare. The city has have a firm foot forward, with an ever-burgeoning DIY scene, with an array of independent venues and underground nightclubs.

A growing population helps to fuel the abundance of new bands and keen gig-goers, shaping a constantly evolving music scene. Factory Records and the Hacienda may be no more, but independent music is still thriving in the city energy that something incredible is always around the corner. Manchester has always had its finger on the pulse, continually shaping and defining global culture. Firmly rooted as a cultural checkpoint to the masses since the fifties, it's a city that has not only moved with the times but shaped them. This rainy city has brought nothing but sunshine to our lives, with a collective discography that challenges any other in the world. In the words of Roy Walters, “what Manchester does today, the world does tomorrow”.

Manchester is inextricably linked with its musical heritage that has seamlessly evolved from Northern Soul in the swinging sixties, to the Madchester era of the 80s where bands like The Stone Roses, Oasis and the Happy Mondays accentuated the cities global appeal. Whilst Manchester's sound has developed, its core values as a city have endured. The city is still revered for its output of working-class musicians appealing to the masses in style, whose poignant lyricism and restless endeavour for social change make them profoundly relatable.

Never a city to bathe in rose-tinted nostalgia, it's a Mancuinian attitude to look back, not stare. The city has a firm foot forward, with an ever-burgeoning DIY scene, with an array of independent venues and underground nightclubs. A growing population helps to fuel the abundance of new bands and keen gig-goers, shaping a constantly evolving music scene. Factory Records and the Hacienda may be no more, but independent music is still thriving in the city.

Above: (New Order launch Beyond The Music at SXSW, 13 Mar 2023 - Credit: Warren Jackson

Epitomising this developement is Beyond The Music, the new global music conference and festival set to take place in Manchester, UK, from 11-14 October 2023. As industry continues to shape and define global culture, it is also facing unprecedented and urgent challenges. In response, Beyond The Music aims to explore, define and tackle those issues to shape the future of the music industry and turn the challenges into opportunities to overhaul and advance.

Taking place in Manchester - the beating heart of the UK’s cultural enterprise and a city historically known for social change - Beyond The Music will create a global forum and live music festival, defining the music industry’s place in the new cultural economy by bringing together tech, AV, gaming, brands, and literature to build a creative alliance for the future. Beyond The Music is a place to gather artists, entrepreneurs, creatives and music industry professionals over the course of three days with funders, businesses and organisations in order to maximise impact and take solutions to scale whilst putting the spotlight back on live and new music discovery alongside world class artists.

At the heart of Beyond The Music will be four days of live music by the most exciting new and established artists from around the world, alongside a series of conferences exploring The Past, The Present, The Future and The Summit, identifying everything from the entrepreneurs who have aided in defining Manchester’s music DNA to the new wave, the right to sustainability, ownership and equality within the industry, and how to find music’s place within the new cultural economy of tech, gaming, branding and film & TV.

Above: (Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, speaks at SXSW - Credit: Warren Jackson)

Beyond The Music is founded by producer, presenter, promoter and social enterprise founder Oli Wilson, working alongside BTM Director Sarah Pearson, Founder of Wasted Youth Music, and Chair Rose Marley, CEO of Co-Operatives UK, and a committee that includes Michael Adex, CEO of NQ, and Jane Beese Director of Music, MIF / Factory International. With Beyond The Music, Oli Wilson intends to build upon the foundations laid by his father Tony Wilson, a broadcaster, journalist and creator of Factory Records and the Hacienda nightclub, responsible for some of the world’s greatest music.

An impressive array of founding members have been brought together including Mayor Andy Burnham (GMCA), Bev Craig leader of Manchester City Council, John McGrath of Factory International and Vaughan Allen from CityCo with a host of trade bodies, content creators and industry organisations all swiftly signing up as members, ensuring this is the place that all those organisations can come together cooperatively and implement true change.

Beyond The Music aims to unify on a global scale to deliver an international strategy for music through meaningful debate, necessary decision making, inspiring talks and unforgettable live music for all.

First wave tickets for the first edition of Beyond The Music are available from today, at an exclusive price for a limited time at £30 per day / £90 for 3 days for festival goers, and £200 for conference & festival delegate pThe festival has also launched a Pay It Forward option in order to maximise accessibility for those facing financial difficulties. Tickets are available here.