Have your say on plans to support and promote vibrant Greater Manchester music scene

MUSICIANS, venue operators, managers, promoters, and everyone with an interest in the Greater Manchester music scene can have their say on plans to support the sector at an open forum this Friday (8 July).

The Greater Manchester Music Commission, which works to champion music and arts throughout the city-region, will host an open session as part of the Unconvention music conference taking place across Manchester this week. The event will be held at the Rose & Monkey from 5pm, and is open to anyone with an interest in music in the city-region.

Members of the Commission will be on hand to listen and take forward recommendations on what the group should prioritise, as well as provide advice and answers on where to access current support. The event is free to attend and refreshments will be provided.

The Greater Manchester Music Commission was set up Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham in 2021 to advise him on how best to support music in Greater Manchester, including through talent development, increasing diversity and representation, safeguarding wellbeing and mental health, and supporting venues, community spaces, and marketing.

Cllr Neil Emmott, Greater Manchester’s Culture lead, said: “This will be an important forum for anyone with an interest in supporting our city-region’s music scene to come and have their say, and help guide the work of the Greater Manchester Music Commission.

“The members of the Commission have been drawn from right across the industry, with a broad range of backgrounds and experiences – but we know there are so many different perspectives and insights out there, and we want to ensure the Commission reflects this diversity in everything it does.”

Greater Manchester Music Commission members Jay Taylor and Rivca Burns said: “From the start we wanted the Greater Manchester Music Commission to properly represent the views and experiences of people working in, making and enjoying music across Greater Manchester.

“This is an opportunity for people to tell us what we should focus on and who we should be speaking to. There’s a huge amount of expertise within the Commission so we’ll also be on hand to point people in the direction of support already out there.

“UnConvention is the perfect place for us to hold what we hope is the first of many of these types of events and we hope that as many people as possible come along to chat to us about how we can make the music scene in Greater Manchester even better than it is today.”

The Greater Manchester Music Commission meets four times a year and has representation from across Greater Manchester including representation from existing groups from across the city-region, including the Manchester Music Cities group and the Salford Music Creative Cluster.

Un-Convention is a series of music conferences, showcases and events that have brought together thousands of artists and music professionals, both nationally and internationally over the course of 107 events on 5 continents, to share ideas and discuss the future of the independent music sector.

Article Published: 07/07/2022 11:44 AM