Jamie Webster, Lady Leshurr and Bob Vylan lead the line up for Liverpool’s Sound City

Liverpool’s Sound City announces its first wave of panels and in-conversations for the 2023 conference.

Liverpool’s Sound City, the UK’s independent music conference and AIM UK’s ‘Conference in The North’, today announce its first wave of speakers and panels for the upcoming 2023 conference. For over 15 years, Sound City has remained at the fore of global music conference and industry leadership, welcoming leading industry figures, emerging artists and aspiring music business professionals to Liverpool for a full-day programme of educational panels, in-conversations and networking parties. Sound City 2023 is a must-attend for music professionals, artists, entrepreneurs and aspiring creatives alike, as music lovers and industry leaders from all over the world join  in the North of England for an unrivalled day of innovative, forward-thinking industry discussion. Taking place on 28 April 2023, tickets for Sound City Conference are on sale now via  www.soundcity.uk.com.

In-Conversation speakers revealed.

Fresh off the back of a whirlwind 2022 that saw him become only the second Liverpool artist to sell out the city’s M&S Bank Arena, Jamie Webster will be joining Sound City Conference for a highly anticipated in-conversation session which will explore his rapid rise to fame and ability to stay connected to his down-to-earth, Northern roots, all whilst creating two critically acclaimed albums, collaborating with the likes of Billy Bragg and constantly championing new music in the North. As always, the Sound City Conference will welcome speakers from across the UK, Europe and beyond. Influential rap artist Lady Leshurr will be taking a look back through her incredible career so far, shedding light on how she’s remained socially conscious in her lyricism and open with her sexuality while rising to the top of the music scene, claiming a British Empire Medal for her services to music as well as a MOBO Award and countless memorable TV and live appearances. Acclaimed rock/rap duo Bob Vylan will be sitting down for a special in-conversation to discuss how their decision to break free from a major label allowed them to become their true selves. They have since gone on to win a MOBO Award, be awarded Kerrang’s ‘Best Album’ for 2022 and become the first self-recorded, self-produced, self-mixed and self-released artists to achieve a top 20 UK album. 

A brand new international hub.

As the UK’s lead Keychange festival, Sound City continually welcomes a diverse selection of key industry figures to the annual music conference. Sound City is excited to welcome music industry professionals and leaders from around the world to this year’s conference, hosted in the heart of Liverpool. There will be a brand-new international hub at independent city centre venue Phase One, boasting a specially curated and extensive programme on a global scale, as part of the Sound City Conference. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with, and hear from a broad, diverse and talented group of music industry innovators from Norway, Canada, Republic of Ireland, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, Indonesia, Asia and the United States of America via Sound City’s partnership with the British Council.

More conference updates.

The one-day conference programme will also feature and in-depth look behind the lens of legendary David Bowie, AC/DC and Queen photographer, Denis O’Regan, a music video masterclass from the world’s leading music video network Vevo and a selection of curated panels that will cover a wide range of industry issues from the misleading data-driven world of social media, the recent rise in artists becoming overworked and the art of turning your creativity into a viable business. There’ll be panellists from the likes of Record of the Day, Vevo, AIM, CMU, Amazing Radio, Scruff of the Neck and more, sharing their insights, ideas and opinions on a world stage right here in Liverpool, with many more still to be announced.

Sound City conference panels

• Scream, shout, let it all out: How your voice can make a difference
• Northern Powerhouses: Building a successful business from the ground up
• Trust Issues: (Mis)Information people build their careers on
• I’m Only Human: Understanding and dealing with artist burnout
• Keeping it Real: Followers don’t mean fans
• Through The Eye Of A Lens with Denis O’Regan
• Vevo – Music Video Masterclass
• Half The World Away: Exploring the UK live sector’s new relationship with Europe – Presented by MU

Pay it forward.

Sound City is calling on all of its music industry peers to Pay It Forward. The industry is urged to come together to trigger positive change by supporting the vital next generation of young creatives and aspiring professionals. By adding a small additional fee when purchasing Sound City Conference tickets, businesses and industry professionals will be able to offer disadvantaged young people from the North-West the chance to attend the Sound City conference; talented young creatives with a big contribution to make who otherwise may miss out. The music industry is kept alive by industry leaders paving the way for the next wave, sharing knowledge and holding the door open for young people, regardless of their backgrounds so they can achieve their full potential, and keep the creative industries thriving. The industry needs its leaders to step up to help shape a positive future and keep the creative world diverse, innovative and thriving. Imagine if someone had done it for you. For more information, please visit https://plus.soundcity.uk.com/.

Sound City is delighted to confirm Scotts Menswear, Tessuti, Bruntwood, AIM, Amplead, Gigseekr, Tunecore and CAPLL as partners for Pay It Forward, early adopters of the scheme who have already pledged their support to allow for young people to attend the Sound City Conference 2023.

New music Friday.

Following the daytime conference, there’s a brand new nighttime music billing, running from 6pm-11pm on Friday 28th April titled ‘New Music Friday’. This new addition to the Sound City weekend will see the most exciting emerging artists perform across intimate local live music venues, as attendees are invited to explore Liverpool city centre. Sound City is renowned for uncovering new talent, with past alumni including Ed Sheeran, Lizzo, Stormzy, Grimes, Yungblud, The 1975 and more. Having just been named ‘Best Metropolitan Festival’ at the 2022 UK Festival Awards, Sound City has an unrivalled reputation for showcasing the next wave of new music from the UK and internationally and so New Music Friday will be the perfect way to close the Sound City Conference in style, explore the thriving music scene in the heart of the city and discover your next favourite artist.

Conference partners.

Association of Independent Music (AIM) will be back once again at Sound City this year to co-curate the conference in what will be AIM’s lead event in the north in 2023.

Nina Radojewski, AIM’s Head of Membership said, “We are very proud to renew and further develop our partnership with Liverpool Sound City as AIM’s ‘conference in the North of England’. Our organisations are deeply aligned on supporting the growth of ethical creative careers and businesses in music. The music industry in the UK remains very London-centric, but AIM is a whole UK organisation with members everywhere. Our partnership with Liverpool Sound City is an important part of our commitment to level the playing field for independent music, to be present and to support and serve our members wherever they are in the regions and devolved nations of the UK.”

Tickets

Sound City Conference takes place on Friday 28 April 2023 at venues across Liverpool City Centre including FACT, Phase One, Leaf and The Jacaranda. Tickets are on sale now.

• Conference Only Ticket: £79.50
• New Music Friday Ticket (access to Conference & New Music Friday showcases): £94.50
• Conference, New Music Friday & Festival Package (as above plus full VIP access to festival): £129.50 (plus booking fee)

Festival

Sound City Festival is the must-attend celebration of music discovery, and undisputedly the UK’s independent festival for new music, headlined this year by Maisie Peters and chart-toppers The Reytons. Kicking off the festival season with a plethora of the most exciting emerging acts spanning a multitude of genres, Sound City delivers the ultimate festival to discover the sounds of the future. Welcoming music loving attendees and artists from across the UK and the world over, Sound City takes place in its Liverpool home, a city with a buzzing live music scene and a rich musical heritage. In what’s set to be a bumper year for Liverpool, which has been hand-picked to host the Eurovision Song Contest, Sound City runs from 28-30 April 2023.