THE 2023 Liverpool Sound City, the UK's leading independent music conference and AIM UKs:- 'Conference in The North.' The event has announced its final lineup of speakers and panels for the 2023 conference taking place this month. This includes a brand new international hub set to host speakers from:- across the world, discussing global music industry hot topics. Plus, joining the already announced in conversation speakers for the Conference:- Jamie Webster, Lady Leshurr, Bob Vylan and Denis O'Regan, are Paul Smith (Maximo Park), Sarah Wilson (Head of Tunecore UK), Dave Pichilingi (Head of Modern Sky UK), Peter Hooton (The Farm), Vanessa Bakewell (Global Client Partner of Meta), Mo Ayoub (BBC Radio 1), Francine Gorman (Keychange) and many more.

Sound City is the lead UK festival and conference for Keychange, meaning commitment to achieving a gender balance across all levels of their lineup and within its own team. For over 15 years Sound City has welcomed leading industry figures, emerging artists and aspiring music business professionals from across the UK, Europe and beyond to the North of England for a full day programme of educational panels, in conversations and networking parties. Now, Sound City is championing its Rregion once again through the 2023 conference which will include a focus on showcasing the innovative Northern creative scene to an international audience.

As always, the Sound City conference will be covering a wide range of issues that are at the heart of the current industry discussion. Some of the topics to be featured at this year's conference include:- protecting artists' mental health, making steps to make music festivals more sustainable, converting online followers into real life fans, using your creative voice to enact positive change and much more. There will also be a selection of drinks parties, and networking sessions available to VIPs hosted by:- CAPLL, AIM UK, Keychange, M pour Montreal and Vevo and Virgin Music UK.

International Hub:-

This year, Phase One will host Sound City's, brand new international hub in partnership with The British Council that will welcome a wide selection of leading industry experts from:- Mexico, The Philippines, Turkey, Vietnam, USA, Thailand and more to discuss the most important issues impacting the industry. Francine Gorman from Keychange will be leading 2 panels featuring:- Yaw Owusu (Playmaker Group), Sarah Wilson (Tunecore), Paul Jatayna (Elephant), Malfi Dorantes (Malfi Co) and Maria Gironas (Women In Music) that explore the gender balance within the international music scene. Kingsley Swim of Black Market Framework will be joined by Maria Bringsjord (MTG Music), Maya Cullen Petrovic (Jawdropper) and Alex Edwards (Modern Sky UK/Nice Swan) to discuss how to export music globally. A host of leading international festival organisers including Piyapong Muenprasertdee (Fungjai Co), Arin Sharnaz (Tala Records Asia/Juggernotes Music Management), Beril Sarialtun (Beatx by Girls/WOW Fest) and Toan Pham (VIETFEST) will delve into the intricacies of the world's festival scene and how artists can enter into the bustling circuit, hosted by Joel Mills (British Council). Maximo Park's Paul Smith will be part of a panel with:- Kelly Wood (Musicians Union), Steve Barney (Session Drummer) and Annabella Coldrick (Music Managers Forum) exploring the UK live sector's new relationship with Europe. Aaron Bogucki and Steff Hughes of AWAL will host a panel with Adel Hattem (DMUSICMARKETING), Vanessa Bakewell (Meta) and Malfi Dorantes (MalfiCo) that will look into developing an artist's social media audience in international territories.

Virgin Music in conversation with VV Brown:-

In FACT, the president of Sound City's Major Partner Virgin Music UK, Vanessa Bosåen, will be hosting a special in conversation with Virgin Music artist VV Brown. VV Brown has sold over a million albums and has been at the forefront of genre experimentation in the UK for nearly 15 years, releasing 3 critically acclaimed albums during this time.

1-2-1's:-

Running in tandem with the conference programming will be a number of exclusive 1-2-1 Networking Sessions which will provide attendees with the opportunity to connect with leading industry experts, get further insight into music business and learn from fellow industry professionals. These sessions will take place in The Jacaranda in Liverpool city centre. Included in the networking schedule is a unique 'International 1-2-1' session and an exclusive session led by and delivered in partnership with the BPI.

The full list of 2023 conference panels:-

• In Conversation With Jamie Webster.
   

• In Conversation With Lady Leshurr.
   

• In Conversation With Bob Vylan.
   

• Through The Eye Of A Lens With Denis O'Regan.
   

• Virgin Music's UK President, Vanessa Bosåen In Conversation with VV Brown.
   

• Scream, shout, let it all out: How your voice can make a difference.
   

• Northern Powerhouses:- Building a successful business from the ground up.
   

• Keeping it Real:- Followers don't mean fans.
   

• Trust Issues:- (Mis) Information people build their careers on.
   

• I'm Only Human:- Understanding and dealing with artist burnout.
   

• Targeted Action Works - Keychange Pledge Action Plan.
   

• International A&R:- Exporting Music Globally.
   

• Rocking all over the world:- Breaking boundaries in the international festival scene.
   

• Half The World Away - Exploring the UK Live Sector's New Relationship With Europe - Presented by MU.
   

• AWAL Presents:- The Social Symphony - Building a Global Fan Base Through Social Media Harmony.
   

• Obsession with Progressi:- Striking notes for gender balance and inclusivity in international territories.
   

• Help! I Need Somebody:- Exploring Mental Health and Accessibility in the Music Industry.
   

• Get Your Groove On (and Your Carbon Footprint Off) Rocking Towards a Sustainable Future for Music Festivals - CAPLL.
   

• Imagined Futures:- The Legacy of Factory and Zoo Records.
   

• Music Video Masterclass with Vevo.
   

• 'This Is How We Move' An Introduction to Label Services.
   

• 'Let Me In' Pathways into the music industry.
   

• 'Notice Me' Growing the UK Rap scene outside of London.

Pay it forward:-

This year, Sound City is calling on you, the music industry, to Pay It Forward, offering the chance for businesses to use their industry position to enact positive change and support the next generation of young creatives. By adding a small additional fee when purchasing your Sound City 2023 tickets you can offer the chance for young people from North-West communities to attend the conference, who otherwise may not have had the means to do so. The creative scene is kept alive by industry leaders paving the way for the next wave of aspiring individuals, sharing their knowledge and allowing people from all backgrounds to overcome their circumstantial barriers to achieve their potential. The industry needs businesses like yours to help shape a positive future and keep the creative world thriving. Now, you can do just that by joining the likes of confirmed contributors, Scotts, Tessuti, Bruntwood, DAM Good Media, GR&F and Tunecore and Pay It Forward. Register to Pay It Forward now.

Tickets:-

• Sound City Conference, taking place on:- Friday, 28 April 2023, at venues across Liverpool City Centre, including:- FACT, Phase One, Leaf and The Jacaranda, was founded to champion the rich and diverse creative output of the North of England, while welcoming and celebrating exciting artists and leading executives from all over the world, every year. Tickets are on sale now at:- SoundCity.UK.Com.

Conference Partners:-

• Association of Independent Music (AIM) will be back once again at Sound City next year to co-curate the conference in what will be AIM's lead event in the north in 2023. Nina Radojewski, AIM said:- "We are very proud to renew and further develop our partnership with Liverpool Sound City as AIM's 'conference in the North'. 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 UK-wide organisation with members everywhere. Our partnership with Liverpool Sound City is an important part of our commitment to level the playing field, to be present and to serve our members wherever they are in the Rregion and devolved nations."
   

• Sound City Conference is made possible through the support of a range of funders, sponsors and partners. Main funders are Arts Council England and CAPLL. Conference sponsors include:- SAE Institute, Virgin Music, Discovery Partner gigseekr (who provide the conference app), Bruntwood, and Liverpool based distribution company Ditto Music. Conference session partners include:- AWAL, BPI, creative industries legal firm Gelfrand Rennert and Feldman, Musicians' Union, Tunecore, VEVO and talent management agency YMU.

The Sound City Conference is proud to work alongside many leading and innovative funders and partners. These include:- Arts Council England, who supported Sound City through the challenges of Covid19 and recognise the unique contribution made to the music industry through its inclusion, as a National Portfolio Organisation, with its funding renewed for another 3 years from 2023; North of England based, premium fashion retailer Tessuti and terrace and gig fashion specialist scotts, with 50 stores between them, from:- Harlow to Glasgow and across the midlands and North; long standing supporter CAPLL Ltd is sponsor of the Sound City Emerging Talent and Training programme; global creative industries education provider SAE Institute as:- Principal Creative Media Education Partner for a second year; and sector leading digital music distribution company Tunecore returns as:- Lead Sponsor of Apply to Play. Sound City's Innovation Partner is Amplead and Gigseekr is Exclusive Discovery Partner, both part of DAM Good Media. In 2023, Sound City announced a new 2 year partnership with Major Sponsor Virgin Music Label and Artist Services. Sound City also works with a range of organisations to programme unique, insightful panels and masterclasses with 2023 partners including:- Musicians' Union, AWAL and Vevo.