A co-operative music & content festival, built to protect the people who make the work.

A progressive, co-operative global music & media conference & festival that brings together artists, policymakers, industry leaders, technologists and cultural thinkers, to help shape a more collaborative, equitable and imaginative future for the creative industries and beyond.

Read the 2026 theme → Get tickets →

Why We Exist

The
Premise

Music, film, broadcast, gaming, AV, brands and AI sit closer together each year, yet the industries built around them rarely meet in the same room. Beyond The Music gets them there, and works to protect creative ownership while they're talking.

Our two
missions

Our first mission is to strengthen the music and creative industries ecosystem across Greater Manchester and the North, building the networks, infrastructure and routes in that the sector needs to thrive.

Our second is to drive meaningful, lasting change across the wider industry, with fairer ways of working and a co-operative model others can follow.

How It Started

Founded to face the future together, not alone.

We founded Beyond The Music four years ago with the support of an extraordinary coalition of founding members, including Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Manchester City Council, Co-op Live, Factory International, MediaCity, Salford City Council, Co-operatives UK and the BPI. The ambition was simple but urgent: to create a space where music and the creative industries could come together to tackle the structural challenges facing the sector, not in isolation but collectively, while developing the creative ecosystem in the North.

Those industries are under greater pressure than ever. AI and platform monopolies, declining public investment, shifting cultural priorities and increasingly precarious careers have exposed deep vulnerabilities across the sector. Too often the response has been fragmented: we compete for shrinking resources rather than collectively asking what kind of cultural ecosystem we actually want to build.

We believe meaningful progress will only come through collaboration: new ideas, shared infrastructure and ethical solutions that help the sector support itself and thrive, rather than compete.

Co-operative model

Owned by its members, not just its backers

Beyond The Music is a registered co-operative, shaped with Co-operatives UK and our co-founder Rose Marley. The idea behind it is simple: the people who make the work should share in owning it. Everyone gets a say, every member has a single vote, and the whole thing is built to look after their interests for the long haul, not just the interests of whoever happens to be funding it.

Shared ownership: Held in common by every member.
One member, one vote: An equal say, whatever the stake.
Built for the long term: Around makers, not short-term return.

Founders

The people behind it

Oli Wilson

Co-founder · Lead music programmer

Promoter and social enterprise founder.

Sarah Pearson

Co-founder · Lead Conference Programmer

Founder of Wasted Youth Music.

Rose Marley

Co-founder · Chair

CEO of Co-operatives UK.

The team

The wider team

Gary McClarnan

Managing Director
Alex Carr

Head of Inclusion & Industry Relationships
Andy Owen

Marketing Director
Nicole Clowes

Head of Memberships
Susannah Howard

Project Manager
Peter Johnstone

Live and Club Venue Co-ordinator
Elisha Savage

Brand & Sponsorship (Artist Village/Trade Show)
Mark Sutherland

Conference Booker
Glenn Brighty

Brand & Sponsorship (Artist Village/Trade Show)
Stuart Daley

Festival Booker
James Young

Festival Booker and Copywriter
ASP

Conference Logistics
Ben Tipple

BTM Board Director

Co-op Live
Adam Rawling

BTM Board Director

Digi

Contact the team

Send a message

To: the Beyond The Music team

Partners & ambassadors

The partners and ambassadors behind 2026.

Meet our partners

Beyond The Music is backed by public bodies, programme partners, music trade bodies and ambassadors, each credited on the work they support.

2026 Annual Theme

Art is a
Human Right.

Grounded in a simple principle: art is a human right. It shapes the All Content AI Summit, the curation pledges, and a wider conversation on creative ownership.

Read the theme page →

Press

What the press say

News & press archive

One of the UK's most impressive industry events. O O O O n n n n e e e e o o o o f f f f t t t t h h h h e e e e U U U U K K K K ' ' ' ' s s s s m m m m o o o o s s s s t t t t i i i i m m m m p p p p r r r r e e e e s s s s s s s s i i i i v v v v e e e e i i i i n n n n d d d d u u u u s s s s t t t t r r r r y y y y e e e e v v v v e e e e n n n n t t t t s s s s . . . .

— The Line of Best Fit

The perfect environment for fresh new bands to bust their chops. T T T T h h h h e e e e p p p p e e e e r r r r f f f f e e e e c c c c t t t t e e e e n n n n v v v v i i i i r r r r o o o o n n n n m m m m e e e e n n n n t t t t f f f f o o o o r r r r f f f f r r r r e e e e s s s s h h h h n n n n e e e e w w w w b b b b a a a a n n n n d d d d s s s s t t t t o o o o b b b b u u u u s s s s t t t t t t t t h h h h e e e e i i i i r r r r c c c c h h h h o o o o p p p p s s s s . . . .

— NME

One of the most stacked, interesting conference x festival combos going. O O O O n n n n e e e e o o o o f f f f t t t t h h h h e e e e m m m m o o o o s s s s t t t t s s s s t t t t a a a a c c c c k k k k e e e e d d d d , , , , i i i i n n n n t t t t e e e e r r r r e e e e s s s s t t t t i i i i n n n n g g g g c c c c o o o o n n n n f f f f e e e e r r r r e e e e n n n n c c c c e e e e x x x x f f f f e e e e s s s s t t t t i i i i v v v v a a a a l l l l c c c c o o o o m m m m b b b b o o o o s s s s g g g g o o o o i i i i n n n n g g g g . . . .

— Clash

An unabashed celebration of music from Manchester and beyond. A A A A n n n n u u u u n n n n a a a a b b b b a a a a s s s s h h h h e e e e d d d d c c c c e e e e l l l l e e e e b b b b r r r r a a a a t t t t i i i i o o o o n n n n o o o o f f f f m m m m u u u u s s s s i i i i c c c c f f f f r r r r o o o o m m m m M M M M a a a a n n n n c c c c h h h h e e e e s s s s t t t t e e e e r r r r a a a a n n n n d d d d b b b b e e e e y y y y o o o o n n n n d d d d . . . .

— HUCK Magazine

At Beyond the Music, everyone wins, and Manchester is once again a city where we are beginning to see some important social changes in the music industry. A A A A t t t t B B B B e e e e y y y y o o o o n n n n d d d d t t t t h h h h e e e e M M M M u u u u s s s s i i i i c c c c , , , , e e e e v v v v e e e e r r r r y y y y o o o o n n n n e e e e w w w w i i i i n n n n s s s s , , , , a a a a n n n n d d d d M M M M a a a a n n n n c c c c h h h h e e e e s s s s t t t t e e e e r r r r i i i i s s s s o o o o n n n n c c c c e e e e a a a a g g g g a a a a i i i i n n n n a a a a c c c c i i i i t t t t y y y y w w w w h h h h e e e e r r r r e e e e w w w w e e e e a a a a r r r r e e e e b b b b e e e e g g g g i i i i n n n n n n n n i i i i n n n n g g g g t t t t o o o o s s s s e e e e e e e e s s s s o o o o m m m m e e e e i i i i m m m m p p p p o o o o r r r r t t t t a a a a n n n n t t t t s s s s o o o o c c c c i i i i a a a a l l l l c c c c h h h h a a a a n n n n g g g g e e e e s s s s i i i i n n n n t t t t h h h h e e e e m m m m u u u u s s s s i i i i c c c c i i i i n n n n d d d d u u u u s s s s t t t t r r r r y y y y . . . .

— Mancunion

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A co-operative music & content festival, built to protect the people who make the work.

Founded to face the future together, not alone.

Owned by its members, not just its backers

The people behind it

Oli Wilson

Sarah Pearson

Rose Marley

The wider team

Gary McClarnan

Alex Carr

Andy Owen

Nicole Clowes

Susannah Howard

Peter Johnstone

Elisha Savage

Mark Sutherland

Glenn Brighty

Stuart Daley

James Young

ASP

Ben Tipple

Adam Rawling

Send a message

The partners and ambassadors behind 2026.

Art is aHuman Right.

What the press say

Art is a
Human Right.