“The music industry is broken,” says Oli Wilson, founder of Beyond The Music. However, he hopes that this event will help solve the problem.
From rapper Aitch to Secretary of Culture Lisa Nandyindependent entrepreneurs to label executives, hundreds of music artists, experts and politicians gathered Manchester this week to discuss the biggest issues impacting the industry – from artificial intelligence and the economics of streaming, to struggling grassroots artists and venues, and misogyny behind the scenes.
Now in its second year, Beyond The Music is a conference by day, city festival by night – created as a cooperative as a place to address the “unprecedented and urgent challenges” facing the industry, but also showcase incoming talent and support smaller venues in a city famous for its musical heritage.
Founder Wilson says the industry is struggling “across the board” – from an economic model that means “all the money stays at the top” for both recorded and live music, to an “imminent existential threat” from artificial intelligence (AI).
It's all leading to a “mental health crisis”, he told Sky News. “It's unregulated. There is no HR department in the music industry. If you're on tour with a band or you work in a venue and you're struggling with mental health issues or perhaps you're having issues with other work colleagues around you who you go to?
Wilson, son of Tony Wilson, founder of Manchester's famous Factory Records and Hacienda nightclub, says the situation for new artists is more difficult than ever.
“There are 140,000 new songs being released every day… coupled with the fact that it is becoming increasingly difficult for record labels to take risks and invest in new artists and careers as they once did. It's a really hard time for grassroots musicians – and grassroots places.
“The government is taking action to restore arena fees for citizens. I think it shouldn't just be in the context of live performances, but it needs to be cross-sectoral, so record labels and publishing houses should also do this, we're putting it into the grassroots pipeline.”
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Jen Smith, chief executive of CIISA, spoke on the misogyny panel. Photo: Anna Marsden
Following the work of the previous Women and Equality Committee misogyny in music reportreleased at the beginning of the year, activists also discussed the problems that women have faced in the past – and that still face them.
Jen Smith, chief executive of the newly established Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), says the organization will go some way to filling the staffing gap Wilson described.
“There is a persistent problem with behaviour, there is a gap in the ability to deal with and prevent this behaviour, and CIISA is trying to address this,” he says.
He adds that this body is not an HR body, but will be a place where you can get confidential, anonymous advice and report any disturbing behavior. “And in serious, most complex cases, CIISA would conduct an investigation. As we are a 70% community of freelancers working in creative industries, there are often jurisdictional gaps, if you will, as to who the responsible body is.”
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Zelda Perkins, who has campaigned against the use of non-disclosure agreements to prevent people from speaking out about abuses in the creative industries, also spoke at the event.
“It's a cultural and systemic issue,” he says. “But I really think that if the legislation is there to protect people, and if the legal sector also takes responsibility for its role in protecting powerful people so they can basically do whatever they like, then that would make a huge difference quite quickly.”
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Annabella Coldrick, chief executive of the Music Managers Forum, says it can be a lonely industry for artists and managers because they are essentially “individual businesses”.
When it comes to making money from streaming and touring, he points out that streaming has “put the recorded music industry back on the rise” after piracy took hold, and that there is money to be made from it – “but that's largely the most important part at the end”, making it harder for smaller artists and individuals working with them.
“I'm not saying everything is terrible – it's not, but it's a difficult match,” he says. “It's a long game and often it doesn't make money for a really (long time). So people play the game because they love it – and sometimes they get to the point where they've been playing it long enough that “I've finally convinced enough people that there's an audience there.”
Lala Hayden was one of the artists performing at venues in the city's Northern Quarter. Photo: Antonio Ross
Despite the serious problems, there is much to celebrate, Wilson says.
“My belief – and this is the greatest thing about doing this in Manchester – is that we can create local markets that support artistic careers. I think it's possible to create an economy in an area like Greater Manchester or across the North that would sustain artists' careers.”
He says there is more music in Manchester and across the UK than ever before. “This year, we received over 3,000 applications for the festival. The quality of the music is really high and covers every genre of music, which is brilliant.”
He hopes the meeting of “key players” will help develop new ideas and new ways of working. “We are here to make a change.”
