T T T T h h h h e e e e g g g g l l l l o o o o b b b b a a a a l l l l m m m m u u u u s s s s i i i i c c c c & & & & m m m m e e e e d d d d i i i i a a a a 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 & & & & 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 . . . .

Name: Beyond The Music 2026
Start: 2026-10-06T10:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-10-09T23:00:00+01:00
Location: MediaCity

150+Artists
100+Speakers
3Days + 4 nights
1Location

Delegate pass from £255 3 Day Festival Ticket from £70

Countdown to Beyond The Music 2026

Tuesday 6 October 2026 · MediaCity, Salford

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Just Announced

Conference · 7 to 9 Oct

The conference schedule is live.

Timings, titles and briefs for every Summit and keynote announced so far, day by day from the opening night to The Creative Industries AI Summit. More sessions and speakers follow in the coming weeks.

See the day by day programme

Wed 7 Oct

11:35Artists Summit
12:25Class Summit
15:10Sync Summit

Thu 8 Oct

11:00State of the Union Summit
12:05Independence Summit
14:30Economic Summit
15:00Live Summit
16:30Politics x Culture Summit

Fri 9 Oct

All dayThe Creative Industries AI Summit

Festival · 6 to 9 Oct

The second wave of 2026 artists, announced.

Tom A. Smith, ALT BLK ERA, JayaHadADream, GANS, SILVERWINGKILLER, Mouth Ulcers, Cody Frost, The Slow Readers Club and many more join the lineup, with curation from SXSW, BBC Introducing, The Line of Best Fit, Amazon Music +44, Notion, Chris Hawkins Awesome Friends and more.

Read the announcement

Opening Lunch · Wed 7 Oct

Billboard UK's 40 Under 40 launches at Beyond The Music.

The first ever UK edition of Billboard's 40 Under 40 debuts at the 2026 Opening Lunch, honouring the music industry's rising stars and future leaders. Nominations are open now.

Read the announcement

Conference · 7 to 9 Oct

The first wave of speakers, announced.

Label presidents, trade body chairs, managers, A&Rs, politicians, entrepreneurs, artists and broadcasters, the first wave of the 2026 conference line-up. The Summits, keynotes and timings announced so far are on the day by day programme.

Tommas Arnby // Stacey Tang // Bev Craig // Tom A. Smith // Dr Jo Twist OBE // The Anchoress // Tom Gray // Nazir Afzal OBE // Sophie Jones // Nina Nesbitt // Daudi Matsiko // Dan Lambert // Catherine Martin & many more

Meet the speakers Day by day programme

Opening Night · Tue 6 Oct

24 Hour Party People

A 24th anniversary premiere, with Michael Winterbottom and Steve Coogan in conversation.

Conference · 7 to 9 Oct

The 2026 conference format

Three days of summits, keynotes and The Creative Industries AI Summit convened by Andy Burnham.

Read the announcement

2026 Annual Theme

Art is a Human Right

Everyone who makes creative work has a moral and material claim on it: a right to be credited, and a right to be paid.

The Creative Industries AI Summit

Friday 9 October.
The Creative Industries AI Summit, convened by Andy Burnham

The first global summit where every content industry agrees a position on AI, built around four anchors: licensing, provenance, attribution and enforcement.

Convened by the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham. Grounded in a simple principle: art is a human right.

Festival Second Wave Lineup Announced

ALT BLK ERA // Bawo // GANS // JayaHadADream // The Slow Readers Club // Tom A. Smith

40,000 Leagues // BEX // Cody Frost // Cutscene // GETNER // JD Cliffe // Lady Ice // Mouth Ulcers // OneDa // SILVERWINGKILLER // The Small Fortunes // SpaceAcre // Superlative // walt disco // The Wran // The Zangwills

Another Country $$$$ // Blood Dealer // Bloodworm // Boo Kickz // Bruise Control // Che3kz // cruush // Dekaytah // Ewan Sim // Freya Beer // Gen and The Degenerates // Georgian // Hana Lili // Holly Head // Lei Hope // LIINES // Loren Heat // Marie Franc // Naomi Kalu // Nessa May // Nico Harmony // Roukaya B // RTB Showcase // Ruby Duff // Sweet Gene // Swivel // Tana // Teleshopping // Third Kulture // Treehouse MCR Cypher // Treks // Venkappa // Yetti Tabai

+ more to be announced

View the full lineup

Who it's for

Music fans
Artists
A&Rs
Labels
Founders
Managers
Musicians
Composers
Producers
Students
Advocates
Journalists
Innovators
Brand partners
Tour managers
Venue owners
Tech developers
Publicists
Music supervisors
Lawyers
Policy makers
Agents
Distributors
Songwriters
Engineers
Promoters

Beyond The Music

Our Values

Industry and Cultural change

Building fairer ways for the music and content industries to work and grow.

Co-operative governance

What it means, who owns it, how to join.

A diverse and inclusive event

Inclusive on and off stage, with a diverse lineup and Pay It Forward access for all.

INSPIRE

Year-round programme connecting young people aged 16 to 25 across Greater Manchester with the creative industries.

Art is a Human Right

Our creative-rights principle and the AI questions it raises.

Greater Manchester

Civic positioning, social-change heritage, Salford centenary tie.

Don't take our word for it

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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Countdown to Beyond The Music 2026

The conference schedule is live.

The second wave of 2026 artists, announced.

Billboard UK's 40 Under 40 launches at Beyond The Music.

The first wave of speakers, announced.

24 Hour Party People

The 2026 conference format

Art is a Human Right

Friday 9 October. The Creative Industries AI Summit, convened by Andy Burnham

Festival Second Wave Lineup Announced

Our Values

Industry and Cultural change

Co-operative governance

A diverse and inclusive event

INSPIRE

Art is a Human Right

Greater Manchester

Friday 9 October.
The Creative Industries AI Summit, convened by Andy Burnham