Manchester mayor pledges £2m for music beyond Oasis — SkimNews
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- Bev Craig pledged £2m in investment funding for Greater Manchester's music industry at the Beyond the Music creative industries conference held at MediaCity in Salford.
- Craig said the city has 'real intentionality' around its music scene beyond Oasis, pointing to Co-op Live arena hosting both the Brit awards and the Mobos' 30th anniversary this year.
- The funding is targeted at an industry becoming 'more and more middle-class, more and more London-centric,' earmarked for rehearsal and production space, practical support and local musician jobs.
- The £2m comes on top of a £4m Culture Fund announced earlier this month, covering everything from grassroots venues to world-renowned institutions across the city region.
- Andy Burnham convened the final day of the summit, where culture minister Ian Murray joked about a 'prime minister who picks up his guitar to murder Smiths tracks' while praising Manchester's creative drive.
- A festival accompanying the summit featured emerging Black and minority ethnic artists including Bawo, JayaHadADream and Alt Blk Era — acts Craig singled out as evidence of the city's wider talent base.
- Craig confessed she will attend Oasis's sellout tour next year, which includes 11 nights at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, but said she is equally excited to see Merseyside band the Ks at Beyond the Music.
Why it matters: Combined with the £4m Culture Fund announced earlier in the month, this £6m pipeline is Greater Manchester's most concrete cash commitment yet to diversifying a music industry the mayor herself described as increasingly middle-class and London-centric — channelling rehearsal space and festival platforms to emerging BME artists like Bawo, JayaHadADream and Alt Blk Era rather than the city's established guitar-band circuit.
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