Liverpool Music Resources

From recording studios to music publishers, cultural ventures, resources and more, Liverpool's musical success is built upon a strong foundation of businesses and innovators. 

Since the 1980s, music and creativity has been a key part of a regeneration strategy surrounding Merseyside. The city balances its rich music history with a new wave of emerging artists and future success stories while recent milestones including hosting Eurovision in 2023. 

According to BOP Consulting research, the music sector generated almost £100 million of turnover per annum and music tourism contributed a further £100 million. 

To mark the launch of our undergraduate courses in Liverpool, here's an overview of some of the businesses, events and ventures at the heart of the city's music thriving industry ecosystem. 

Liverpool City Region Music Board

The Liverpool City Region Music Board is a group of experts and influential figures from the world of music helping to guide Liverpool's music policy, working with businesses and innovators to provide the sector with a solid platform for growth. 

These local industry leaders are "charged with cementing the city region's position as one of the world’s music capitals". 

Among them are Rebecca Ayres, Sound City's Managing Director, Yaw Owusu, a Liverpool-based creative consultant who specialises in the strategic design, development and delivery of music and music culture projects, and Craig Pennington, Founder and Director at Future Yard CIC, a community music venue and music sector hub located in Birkenhead, on the Wirral.

The board's monthly newsletter is well worth signing up to for accessing the latest news and opportunities in the region.

Find out more.

The Motor Museum 

Liverpool is home to many different recording studio facilities including Pirate and Prohibition Recording Studios.

Perhaps one of the most iconic is The Motor Museum, located just off Lark Lane towards the south of the city centre. 

The studio is owned by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's (OMD's) Andy McCluskey and is currently home to Al Groves, an instrumental producer and mixer in Liverpool's music scene. 

Since its inception, the space has welcomed many brilliant and inspiring artists to write and record. Their list of guests includes The 1975, Jake Bugg, OMD, Oasis, Ben Howard, The Coral, and Atomic Kitten.

Find out more. 

Culture Liverpool

Culture Liverpool was established after the triumph of 2008, in which the City of Liverpool delivered the most successful European Capital of Culture year to date.

Since its inception, this council service has worked across numerous initiatives to champion culture within Merseyside, using arts and events as a force for regeneration.

Culture Liverpool played an important role in the hosting of Eurovision in the city in 2023 (pictured above). It was in October 2022 when the BBC and European Broadcasting Union officially announced the city would host the contest on behalf of Ukraine. The event took place the following year and was deemed a huge success with almost 500,000 visitors helping contribute a £54.8m economic boost to the Liverpool City Region. 

Find out more.

Africa Oyé

Liverpool music festival Africa Oyé is one of the musical highlights in Liverpool's calendar, a free two-day event that welcomes many of the best African and Caribbean artists to perform. 

Originally launched in 1992 as a series of smaller events in different venues, the latest inception saw 50,000 people participate in a huge celebration in the beautiful Sefton Park. 

Over the years, artists to have performed include Akala, Horace Andy, Max Romeo, Misty in Roots and many more. The event is about more than just music, bringing the city together and championing its diversity through music with workshops, stalls, and much more besides. 

Find out more. 

Photo credit - Brian Sayle Photography

Future Yard 

Located in Birkenhead, Future Yard is ostensibly a music venue. However, scratch the surface and you will find a vital community music hub that is helping to transform perceptions of this part of Merseyside. 

The 280 capacity space welcomes many great live bands and artists, including local talent such as Bill Ryder Jones (pictured above) and international stars such as Herbie Hancock's band, the Headhunters. 

However, alongside the music, there is a rich and varied offering - emerging acts can utilise Future Yard's studios or take part in a training programme. For younger locals, they can participate in a Mosh Tot party or visit the New Noise Music Centre. As the team say, "the future is Birkenhead". 

Find out more. 

Musicseen

MusicSeen.info is a new online resource aimed at increasing access to information on the local music scene. 

The website wants to act as the 'Yellow Pages' of the Merseyside music scene, featuring a large variety of playlists, venue map, events listings alongside contact details for artists and industry professionals. 

According to founders, Nina Himmelreich and Connor Di Leo, "our goal is to showcase the breadth of talent our city has to offer, the work they do, and how to find them. This will enable musicians and professionals to connect with each other and allow fans to find the amazing new music made in Liverpool".

Find out more and listen to their Spotify playlist of essential Liverpool artists.

Sentric Music Publishing

Music publishing is an essential part of the music industry, a key way for artists to receive income from the use of their music. Sentric, set up in Liverpool, is a big player in this part of the business, helping many top songwriters and music producers be fairly compensated when their music is utilised. 

Sentric's roster includes Mark Knight, Maximo Park, Elkka, Headie One and many more. 

These top talents are among 300,000 artists who trust the team at Sentric to look after their intellectual property, copyrights and musical catalogue. 

Founder and CEO Chris Meehan is a member of the Liverpool City Region Music Board and has been an influential figure in the city's music scene since the company's launch. 

Find out more. 

Liverpool Music City website 

Culture Liverpool has recently announced the launch of a new online presence, the Liverpool Music City website.

This new site is led industry expert Yaw Owusu and aims to not only celebrate Liverpool's rich musical heritage but also provide gig listings and editorial exploring the latest goings on in the city. 

Alongside an interactive map highlighting key venues, places of interest and local businesses, Discover A New Beat is an online portal for visitors looking to explore Liverpool's past, present and future music stars.

Find out more.

Liverpool Sound City 

Since 2008, Liverpool Sound City has been an essential festival for new and emerging talent to breakthrough. Taking place across various venues in the city, the event is a showcase for acts on the verge of great success while a conference runs alongside the live music action. 

Here, music industry professionals can network and find out about the latest trends and topics impacting the sector. The 2024 edition saw Sacha Lord, Red Rum Club and Korda Marshall among the speakers.  

An artist development programme as well as opportunities to volunteer at the event also show how it is supporting the next generation of talent. 

Find out more.

Ditto Music 

What do Ed Sheeran, Chance the Rapper and Dave all have in common?

Other than being artists at the top of their creative games, all three started their careers with Ditto Music, a digital distribution company that works to get music listed on streaming platforms. 

The business has a Liverpool base and has expanded into different parts of the music industry, from music publishing and music sync to music promotion campaigns all of kinds. 

Other services include PR, social media and playlist pitching too. Ditto Music offers a variety of service plans to cater for artists of all sorts at different stages of their music careers. 

Find out more.