Manchester Music

What Manchester Music does

Manchester Music is a community-driven content media platform founded in 2020 in Manchester, United Kingdom, dedicated to showcasing the city's music and art scene. The platform operates as a free service for emerging and established artists, musicians, producers, venue owners, and promoters, providing visibility through curated editorial content including news, live music sessions, interviews, podcasts, short documentaries, and a music submission portal. The core technology stack is a Wix-based website with embedded video content, supplemented by a sister creative production network called MUSIC | ART | MCR that produces short-form documentaries and interviews capturing Manchester's creative ecosystem across Hulme, Longsight, Salford, Stockport, and Manchester city centre. The company has 6 employees and is led by Creative Director Archie Noir, a Manchester-based filmmaker and producer.

The business model is subtly disclosed as freemium, and no pricing or paid tiers are published. Revenue generation mechanisms are not explicitly stated, and the platform appears to operate primarily as a community service rather than a monetized product. Customer segments span three personas: musicians and artists seeking visibility, music enthusiasts and fans seeking local discovery, and venues and promoters seeking digital promotion. The platform's go-to-market is community-led and content-led, leveraging story-driven visual content, social media distribution across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and a direct submission portal to acquire and retain artists. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and operates exclusively within the Greater Manchester region.

Name

Manchester Music

Legal name

Manchester Music

Website

https://manchester-music.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Manchester Music is a community-driven content media platform founded in 2020 that showcases Manchester's music and art scene through documentaries, interviews, live sessions, and artist features, serving emerging and established artists, music fans, and venues across Greater Manchester.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Media Platform

NAICS

Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator/Artist Direct-to-Fan Streaming & Membership (MPAIACAF)

Keywords

• Music media platform
• Artist discovery
• Community music content
• Music journalism
• Artist promotion

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Content Platform Services: The platform provides visibility and promotional services for emerging and established artists. Revenue generation mechanisms are not explicitly disclosed but the platform appears to operate as a free community service for artists.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Manchester Music operates a community-driven content media platform dedicated to showcasing the music scene of Greater Manchester, featuring news, music videos, artist profiles, event coverage, live music sessions, interviews, podcasts, and documentaries. Artists can submit their tracks, demos, or performances directly through a dedicated submission portal for consideration to reach a wider audience via the platform and its associated social channels. The platform is supported by a creative production network (MUSIC | ART | MCR) that produces short documentaries and interviews capturing Manchester's music and art culture.

Product overview

Manchester Music is a unified content media platform dedicated to showcasing Manchester's vibrant music scene. The core platform features the main Manchester Music website alongside its creative production arm MUSIC | ART | MCR, which produces documentaries, interviews, and creative content. Supporting offerings include Manchester Sessions for emerging artist discovery, Live Music Sessions, Interviews, Podcasts, and Documentaries as content formats, plus a Music Submission Portal for artist submissions. The platform operates as a community-driven media network rather than a traditional SaaS product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Manchester Music Platform A content media platform dedicated to showcasing the vibrant music scene of Manchester, featuring news, music videos, artist profiles, and event coverage for emerging and established musicians.
• MUSIC | ART | MCR Creative Network A creative network and production arm driving Manchester Music, producing short style documentaries, interviews, and creative content that dives deep into Manchester's music and art culture and connects the city's creatives.
• Manchester Sessions A platform offering that provides a space to discover and break emerging artists, enjoy favourite acts, and unearth incredible talent based in the heart of Manchester.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MUSIC | ART | MCRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMUSIC | ART | MCR is the creative network driving Manchester Music. It is a collective platform built to connect Manchester's creatives, share their journeys, and build bridges between different corners of the industry. The network specializes in creating short-style documentaries, interviews, and creative content that dives deep into Manchester's culture.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• NME: Historic UK music media brand covering artists, reviews, news, and features across mainstream and indie scenes. Comparable category (UK music media) but vastly larger scale and broader geographic scope.

Direct peers

• Boiler Room: Global music media platform producing live DJ sets, artist documentaries, and short-form video content focused on underground and emerging scenes. Highly comparable as a digital-first music content/community platform amplifying emerging artists through video.
• DIY Magazine: Independent UK music publication covering new bands, releases, live reviews, and artist features. Closely comparable editorial scope and indie positioning to Manchester Music.
• Resident Advisor: Leading electronic music platform combining editorial content, event listings, and artist coverage with a strong community component. Comparable as a digital music content/community platform with local-scene roots and global reach.
• Loud and Quiet: Independent UK music magazine and platform covering emerging artists through features, photography, and video. Comparable indie music-media positioning with similar content formats.
• Crack Magazine: Independent UK music and culture magazine covering emerging artists, music news, and features. Directly comparable as a UK-based independent music media outlet covering similar editorial territory.
• The Line of Best Fit: UK music discovery and editorial platform featuring emerging artists, premieres, and reviews. Comparable as a digital-first UK music media outlet with a discovery-and-spotlight editorial approach.

Emerging players

• DICE: Music events discovery and ticketing platform with editorial content and artist features, particularly strong in UK live music. Comparable in bridging artist discovery with local scene coverage, particularly around Manchester venues.
• So Young Magazine: Independent UK music and culture magazine with strong visual/design identity covering emerging artists. Comparable as a small, design-led indie music publication with a similar editorial ethos.
• Afropunk: Global community-driven music and culture platform producing editorial content, artist features, and event programming. Comparable as a community-led media platform celebrating a specific city's/region's creative scene through documentaries and artist storytelling.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wix
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Wix
• Facebookfacebook.com/wix
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mcr-music
• Instagraminstagram.com/manchesters_music
• TikToktiktok.com/@wix

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Manchester Music