Beyond The Music 2026: 10 Essential Panels & Performances to Watch
Categoria: Musica
The event will be held at MediaCity U.K. in Salford, Greater Manchester. The venue's CEO speaks on the pick of the program.
Por Billboard | 01/10/2026
Beyond The Music will head to Greater Manchester next week (Oct. 6-9) with an ambitious program of conferences, performances and keynote speeches from a number of the U.K. music industry’s most influential names. Throughout the week, there’ll be appearances from Jo Charrington , president of Capitol Records U.K.; Stacey Tang , co-president of RCA Records U.K. and chair of the BRIT Awards organizing committee; Tommas Arnby , manager of Yungblud ; and Michael Adex , CEO of Northern Quarter, among others. Representatives from the BPI, U.K Music, The Ivors Academy and more will also hit the north for the annual event. Related Billboard U.K. to Launch Inaugural 40 Under 40 List, Host Honors Event at Manchester’s Beyond The Music Festival Hilary Duff to Receive Outstanding Pop Tour of the Year Award at 2026 Billboard Live Music Summit Judge Rules Woman Accused of Shooting at Rihanna & A$AP Rocky's Home Mentally Fit to Stand Trial Billboard U.K. , too, will play a role with the launch of its inaugural 40 Under 40 list and an honors event on Wednesday (Oct. 7), which will feature welcome remarks by Bev Craig , the Mayor of Greater Manchester. The conference’s final day will feature an AI-focused summit convened by Andy Burnham , former Mayor of the city and now the U.K.’s prime minister, having assumed the role in July. It’ll make for a diverse and robust discussion of important topics hopes Alice Webb , CEO of MediaCity U.K. which will be hosting the conference and festival in its entirety. The MediaCity U.K. complex is housed in Salford, Greater Manchester, with broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV making the 200-acre studios its home since its opening in 2011. Ahead of the event next week, Webb takes Billboard U.K. through her top picks for the upcoming conference and music performance. Another Country $$ University of Salford, MediaCity Campus , Oct . 7 “Another Country $$ has a big audio/visual element to their show, and we’ve got a track record of supporting that side of creativity. After Beyond The Music, there’s the Beyond Conference in November which is another place where you’re going to see music and audiovisual creators and tech all convene. Another Country $$ is a nod towards everything that we’re already doing in that space.” SpaceAcre University of Salford, MediaCity Campus , Oct . 7 “The overarching theme of the conference is that art is a fundamental human right. We passionately believe in backing creativity; it isn’t just a ‘nice to have,’ but an absolute necessity. While it is easy to feel discouraged by AI’s rapid growth, we feel that human creativity will far outlast it. That intention lies at the very heart of SpaceAcre and their music, so there’s a fantastic alignment between what they’re doing and the overarching themes of Beyond The Music.” The Convergence of Music and Video Games: Marriage Made in Heaven or Unholy Union? 16:10-1