Beyond The Music takes over MediaCity for four days of panels and gigs
Beyond The Music will take over MediaCity U.K. in Salford, Greater Manchester, from 6 to 9 October for four days of industry debate by day and live music by night.
The entire conference and festival will be based at MediaCity U.K., according to Billboard. The 200-acre complex has been home to the BBC and ITV since it opened in 2011. Delegates are expected from music, media, technology and policy.
The festival runs from 7 to 9 October across MediaCity Studios and Salford venues, with more than 150 emerging and established artists booked over three nights, according to Beyond The Music. Tickets are priced from £18. The billed acts include ALT BLK ERA and Cody Frost.
Two of the early performance picks are set for 7 October at the University of Salford’s MediaCity Campus. SpaceAcre and Another Country $$$$ are both scheduled to play there as part of the festival programme.
The daytime conference will feature more than 100 speakers, with summits and keynote conversations with leading artists spread across 7, 8 and 9 October. Listed guests include Alice Webb, chief executive of MediaCity U.K., Jo Charrington, president of Capitol Records U.K., Stacey Tang, co-president of RCA Records U.K. and chair of the BRIT Awards organising committee, Michael Adex, chief executive of Northern Quarter, and Tommas Arnby, manager of Yungblud.
The opening night on Tuesday 6 October is built around film. Beyond The Music will stage a 24th anniversary premiere of 24 Hour Party People, followed by an on-stage conversation with director Michael Winterbottom and actor Steve Coogan.
Technology is a central thread. A core part of the programme is a global Creative Industries AI Summit, described by organisers as a first of its kind. The final day of the conference will feature an AI-focused summit convened by Andy Burnham.
Other confirmed sessions include Billboard U.K.’s inaugural 40 Under 40 honours event on 7 October, with welcome remarks from Bev Craig. The list recognises 40 executives and creatives under the age of 40. That same afternoon, the panel ‘The Convergence of Music and Video Games: Marriage Made in Heaven or Unholy Union?’ runs from 16:10 to 16:55 at MediaCity. On 8 October, ‘Tom A. Smith and Seb Lowe: Finding Your Way Through’ is scheduled from 10:45 to 11:15.
What makes this stand out is the single-site plan. Panels, summits and gigs sit side by side in working TV studios and university rooms, so a daytime conversation about games, streaming or artificial intelligence can finish within a short walk of the evening’s first set.
