Beyond The Music
Beyond The Music is a UK co-operative that runs an annual music and creative industries festival and conference at MediaCity, Salford, combining a 150+ artist showcase, a multi-summit industry conference, the All Content AI Summit, and a year-round INSPIRE youth programme.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersSalford, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Beyond The Music does
Beyond The Music is a UK-registered co-operative society (registration number 13984404) that produces an annual music and creative industries festival and conference at MediaCity, Salford. Founded in 2022 by Oli Wilson, Sarah Pearson and Rose Marley, the organisation operates a four-day event combining a 150+ artist festival spanning 30+ genres, a multi-summit industry conference with 100+ speakers and round-stage delegate voting, the year-round INSPIRE youth programme for 16-25 year-olds delivered with SharpFutures, the inaugural All Content AI Summit convened by Andy Burnham, a Pay It Forward accessibility scheme, and a co-operative membership programme governed by one-member-one-vote principles.
The business model rests on four revenue streams: festival ticket sales (general admission £44.25-£55.25, student tickets £38.75), delegate passes (£183.75-£257.25), co-operative membership subscriptions, and a broad partnership and sponsorship portfolio anchored by eight founding members (Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Co-op Live, Factory International, MediaCity/dock10, Co-operatives UK, BPI, Manchester City Council, Salford City Council) and supported by six UK trade bodies, three media partners, and commercial delivery partners including Skiddle, OIID, Inside Out, and Fabyl. Tickets are distributed through Skiddle and the company's own website.
Beyond The Music serves seven distinct customer segments: music fans (festival attendees), emerging and established artists (performers and creative talent), music industry professionals (A&Rs, labels, managers, promoters, agents, distributors, songwriters, engineers, music supervisors, lawyers, publicists, tour managers, venue owners), policymakers and cultural leaders, students and early-career professionals, brand partners, and the technology and innovation sector engaged through the AI Summit. As a co-operative, surplus is reinvested into programming and access rather than distributed as profit, and no external venture capital or private equity investment has been disclosed in the available sources.
Beyond The Music firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Beyond The Music
- Legal name
- Beyond The Music
- Website
- https://beyondthemusic.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Beyond The Music is a UK co-operative that runs an annual music and creative industries festival and conference at MediaCity, Salford, combining a 150+ artist showcase, a multi-summit industry conference, the All Content AI Summit, and a year-round INSPIRE youth programme.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Beyond The Music industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music and Creative Industries Conference and Festival
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Technology & Developer Conferences (MPAGAGAE), Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)
Keywords
Where Beyond The Music is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Salford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Beyond The Music business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Festival Ticket Sales: Festival tickets for 3-day access across 150+ artists at MediaCity, dock10 studios, and Salford venues. Priced from £44.25 (early bird, sold out) to £55.25 (second release) for general admission, with student pricing at £38.75. Individual day tickets and single gig tickets also available.
- Conference Delegate Passes: 3-day delegate passes providing full conference access including all Summits, the All Content AI Summit convened by Andy Burnham, festival evening access, delegate networking lounge, and programme partner sessions. Priced from £183.75 (early bird, sold out) to £257.25 (full price).
- Co-operative Membership: Co-operative membership model with tiered options from individual membership (acquired through festival/conference attendance with voting rights) to bespoke organisational packages. Members contribute to governance and share in ownership.
- Partnership and Sponsorship: Partnership revenue from founding members, trade body partners, media partners, content creation partners, charity partners, and delivery/commercial partners. Includes both programmatic partnerships and brand opportunity development.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 3-Day Delegate Pass - Full conference access with festival evenings |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Day Conference Pass - Single summit day access |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 3-Day Festival Ticket - Full festival access across MediaCity |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | NUS Student 3-Day - Student discounted festival access |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Day Festival Ticket - Single evening access |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Gig Ticket - Individual headline/spotlight show |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Beyond The Music product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Beyond The Music operates an annual music and creative industries conference and festival at MediaCity, Salford, combining a three-night festival of 150+ artists across 30+ genres with a three-day conference of 100+ speakers across nine round-stage summits. The offering includes the All Content AI Summit, the INSPIRE year-round youth programme for ages 16–25, a Pay It Forward accessibility ticketing scheme, and a co-operative membership programme with one-member-one-vote governance.
Product overview
Beyond The Music is a co-operative conference and festival for the music and creative industries, consisting of a three-night festival featuring 150+ artists, a three-day conference with 100+ speakers and round-stage summits, the INSPIRE youth programme, the All Content AI Summit, Pay It Forward accessibility ticketing, and co-operative membership. The event takes place annually at MediaCity, Salford, with the 2026 edition running 6th-9th October.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Festival A three-night music festival featuring 150+ emerging and established artists performing across MediaCity, Salford, with 30+ genres represented. Curated in partnership with platforms, festivals, and tastemakers including BBC Introducing, SXSW London, FOCUS Wales, Heist or Hit, Melodic, RTB, Studio 88, Treehouse Manchester, OpenLab, Dot to Dot Festival, and Audio North. Tickets priced from £44.25 early bird (sold out) to £55.25 second release, with student pricing at £38.75.
- Conference A three-day global forum bringing together artists, industry leaders, technologists, and policymakers to address challenges facing the creative industries. Features 100+ speakers across nine round-stage summits with delegate voting on conference outcomes. 3-day delegate passes priced from £183.75 (early bird, sold out) to £257.25 (full price).
- INSPIRE Year-round programme connecting young people aged 16-25 across Greater Manchester with the creative industries through networking events, educational talks, and mentoring. Delivered in partnership with SharpFutures. Includes the INSPIRE Beyond The Band events hosted at Co-op Live.
- All Content AI Summit First global summit convening practitioners and policymakers from every content industry to agree a shared rights-and-integrity-first position on AI, covering licensing, provenance, attribution, and enforcement. Convened by Andy Burnham. Includes all content industries for the first time in a single policy-shaping forum.
- Pay It Forward Accessibility ticketing scheme pooling funding from members, partners, sponsors, and full-price ticket buyers to subsidize tickets for artists, early-career professionals, and students who cannot afford full price. 100% of pooled funding goes directly to subsidised access.
- Co-operative Membership Co-operative membership programme offering individual and organizational tiers with voting rights, participation in decision-making, and one-member-one-vote governance structure. Members contribute to governance and share in ownership. Membership tiers from individual to bespoke organisational packages.
- 24 Hour Party People Premiere Event Opening night event featuring the 24th anniversary 4K premiere of the Michael Winterbottom film ahead of its cinema rerelease, with Winterbottom and Steve Coogan in conversation. Held Tuesday 6 October 2026 as part of Beyond The Music 2026.
Quantifiable outcome
- Pay It Forward scheme: 100% of pooled funding goes directly to subsidised access tickets for artists, early-career professionals, and students
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Beyond The Music
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Beyond The Music technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Beyond The Music partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
35 partnerships are on record, tiered founding, trade body, media partner, content creation partner, charity partner, delivery & commercial, inspire partner and curator.
- MediaCity / dock10foundingFounding member and primary venue host. MediaCity campus at Salford Quays serves as the event location, including dock10 studios. Alice Webb, CEO of MediaCity and dock10, quoted in launch announcement on partnership significance.
- Greater Manchester Combined AuthorityfoundingFounding member providing civic backing and regional authority support. Andy Burnham (MP for Makerfield, former Mayor of Greater Manchester) serves as founding member and convenes the All Content AI Summit.
- Factory InternationalfoundingFounding member. Cultural organisation behind Aviva Studios, Manchester's landmark cultural venue. Connection to Manchester music heritage through Factory Records lineage.
- Co-operatives UKfoundingFounding member and architect of co-operative governance model. Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK, is co-founder and Chair of Beyond The Music. Provides governance framework and co-operative principles.
- Co-op LivefoundingFounding member. UK's largest music arena, located in Manchester. Ben Tipple, BTM Board Director, from Co-op Live. INSPIRE Beyond The Band 2025 hosted at Co-op Live venue.
- BPIfoundingFounding member. British Phonographic Industry trade body representing UK record labels. Provides industry credibility and trade body perspective.
- Manchester City CouncilfoundingFounding member. Local government authority providing civic support and recognition for Manchester's creative economy.
- Salford City CouncilfoundingFounding member. Host city authority. Sally Cook, Strategic Lead for Culture and Creative Industries at Salford Culture and Place Partnership, quoted in launch announcement.
- LIVEtrade bodyTrade body partner. The live music industry trade body. LIVE Summit partnership for The Gig Economy session in 2026 programme.
- MMFtrade bodyTrade body partner. Music Managers Forum, representing artist managers.
- AIMtrade bodyTrade body partner. Association of Independent Music. Independence Summit partnership in 2026 programme.
- FACtrade bodyTrade body partner.FAC (The Featured Artists Coalition) representing featured artists.
- MUtrade bodyTrade body partner. Musicians' Union representing professional musicians.
- PRStrade bodyTrade body partner. PRS for Music, performing rights organisation representing songwriters, composers, and publishers.
- PPLtrade bodyTrade body partner. PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited), collection society for recording rights.
- The Line of Best Fitmedia partnerMedia partner. UK-based independent online music magazine, founded 2007. Provides editorial coverage and brand association. Called BTM 'One of the UK's most impressive industry events'.
- Notionmedia partnerMedia partner. Online music and culture publication covering emerging artists and industry topics.
- Crack Magazinecontent creation partnerContent creation partner. Alternative music magazine and platform. Provides content creation support for event coverage.
- Music Supportcharity partnerCharity partner. Music industry charity providing mental health and addiction support. 'In Conversation' session in 2026 programme.
- Skiddledelivery & commercialDelivery and commercial partner. Primary ticketing platform. Tickets sold through Skiddle with all prices inclusive of booking fees.
- OIIDdelivery & commercialDelivery and commercial partner. Membership platform technology provider for co-operative membership management.
- Inside Outdelivery & commercialDelivery and commercial partner. PR agency handling press and communications. Press enquiries: [email protected].
- Fabyldelivery & commercialDelivery and commercial partner. Brand opportunity development. Supports commercial partnership development.
- SharpFuturesinspire partnerINSPIRE delivery partner. Manchester social enterprise supporting young people into employment in creative digital sector through apprenticeships, work experience, and volunteering. Makes INSPIRE's practical access real.
- BBC IntroducingcuratorFestival curator for 2026. UK's platform for unsigned and under-the-radar talent, launched 2007. More than 190,000 registered artists have uploaded tracks. Provides national stage platform.
- SXSW LondoncuratorFestival curator for 2026. First international edition of South by Southwest, bringing global music, tech, and culture conference model to Shoreditch, London. BTM's relationship grew from 2023 launch event at Austin show.
- FOCUS WalescuratorFestival curator for 2026. International multi-venue showcase music festival held annually in Wrexham. 2026 was 16th edition with 250+ artists from 26 countries.
- Heist or HitcuratorFestival curator for 2026. Manchester independent record label and artist management company founded 2008. Genre-spanning roster centred on extraordinary pop with indie sensibilities.
- MelodiccuratorFestival curator for 2026. Manchester independent record label founded 1999, one of city's longest-running independents. 25-year anniversary celebrated 2024.
- RTB (Raise The Bar)curatorFestival curator for 2026. Manchester underground rap collective and open mic/cypher night. Drives city's grassroots rap scene.
- Studio 88curatorFestival curator for 2026. High-spec recording studio and 360-degree creative agency based in Salford. Offers artist development, engineering, and creative direction.
- Treehouse ManchestercuratorFestival curator for 2026. Manchester music platform and grime collective. Runs podcast, freestyle series, music videos. Weekly grime show on Unity Radio.
- OpenLabcuratorFestival curator for 2026. Ibiza-born global radio platform with alternative electronic music and artist-led programming. Blends music with digital arts and creative design.
- Dot to Dot FestivalcuratorFestival curator for 2026. Multi-city UK new-music showcase festival across Bristol and Nottingham. Celebrated 20th anniversary 2025. Has booked Idles, Hard Life, London Grammar early.
- Audio NorthcuratorFestival curator for 2026. Manchester media platform launched July 2024 by The Manc Group. Covers gigs, festivals, and artist interviews across Northern England.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Beyond The Music competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Liverpool Sound City: UK music festival paired with an industry conference, programmed across Liverpool venues with a focus on emerging talent and industry networking. Comparable in scale, geography and festival-plus-conference format.
- Eurosonic Noorderslag: Groningen-based European new music conference combined with a multi-venue showcase festival. Widely regarded as the benchmark for combining industry conference programming with new artist showcases across 30+ genres.
- Reeperbahn Festival: Hamburg-based music industry conference combined with a club and showcase festival covering pop, indie, electronic and hip-hop. Europe's largest club-based music industry gathering and a structural peer for Beyond The Music's conference-plus-showcase model.
- FOCUS Wales: Wrexham-based international multi-venue new music showcase festival with a conference element. Listed as a curator partner for Beyond The Music's 2026 festival and directly comparable in format and emerging-artist focus.
- SXSW London: First international edition of South by Southwest, a global music, technology and culture conference combined with a showcase festival. Closest in scope ambition to Beyond The Music's combined festival, conference and AI Summit format.
- Tallinn Music Week: Tallinn-based annual music industry conference combined with a citywide showcase festival, focused on emerging European talent and industry networking. Comparable in combining conference programming with new music showcases across multiple venues.
- The Great Escape: Brighton-based annual new music showcase festival combined with an industry conference, programmed across multiple venues with a focus on emerging artists. Closest UK structural peer to Beyond The Music's festival-plus-conference model.
- Pop-Kultur Berlin: Berlin-based music industry conference combined with a club and showcase festival. European peer pairing industry conversations with new music programming, comparable in scale and format ambition to Beyond The Music.
- Dot to Dot Festival: Multi-city UK new music showcase festival (Bristol, Nottingham and others). Listed as a Beyond The Music 2026 curator partner and comparable in its emerging-artist focus across multiple venues.
Regional players
- Manchester International Festival: Biennial cultural festival produced in Manchester, founded as a sister to the Manchester music heritage narrative. Geographic peer rather than direct music competitor, sharing Manchester civic backing and Factory Records lineage.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Beyond The Music social profiles
Digital presenceBeyond The Music financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Beyond The Music leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Beyond The Music funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Beyond The Music M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Beyond The Music
What does Beyond The Music do?
Beyond The Music operates an annual music and creative industries conference and festival at MediaCity, Salford, combining a three-night festival of 150+ artists across 30+ genres with a three-day conference of 100+ speakers across nine round-stage summits. The offering includes the All Content AI Summit, the INSPIRE year-round youth programme for ages 16–25, a Pay It Forward accessibility ticketing scheme, and a co-operative membership programme with one-member-one-vote governance.
Is Beyond The Music a public or private company?
Beyond The Music is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Beyond The Music founded?
Beyond The Music was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Beyond The Music based?
Beyond The Music is headquartered in Salford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Beyond The Music make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Festival Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are conference Delegate Passes, co-operative Membership and partnership and Sponsorship.
Who are Beyond The Music's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Liverpool Sound City, Eurosonic Noorderslag, Reeperbahn Festival, FOCUS Wales, SXSW London, Tallinn Music Week, The Great Escape, Pop-Kultur Berlin and Dot to Dot Festival. Manchester International Festival is listed as a regional player.
Does Beyond The Music have an API?
No public API is recorded for Beyond The Music.
What industry is Beyond The Music in?
Beyond The Music's product category is Music and Creative Industries Conference and Festival. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAAAB, Music Festival Organizers & Promoters, with a secondary code of MPAGAGAE, Technology & Developer Conferences. Its NAICS code is 71131 and its SIC code is 7990.