WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES A GREAT MUSIC CITY?
What is it that makes a great music city? At its simplest I think that any music city worthy of the name is awash with amazing artists and brilliant songs. And for me that is what makes Liverpool stand out. I dare you, in fact I double dare you to think of any other single city which has birthed so many truly memorable songs. It is as though there is a melody gene that is specific to this great city. Or maybe it floats in with the tide on the Mersey or is simply there in air like a benign virus which then floats down to gently infect a lucky recipient.
This ethereal musical magic is always there but maybe not visible to everyone until one of those moment happen where we just have to share the magic vibes with the rest of the world: think Merseybeat in the 60s, the rise of The Real Thing and the Eric’s artists of the 70s, the Frankie’s in the 80’s, Cream in the 90s, and the small but influential Bandwagon scene of the 2000s which incubated The Coral and The Zutons.
Whatever state Liverpool is in culturally, economically, socially or politically music is always there and its nearly always better than what is happening anywhere else.
Many years ago, I wrote a piece for ID magazine because its audience was curious about why so many great guitar bands from Liverpool were breaking through at the end of the 80s. As I explained it all those bands were a product of a particular time where there were no jobs, little money, and not much hope so all these kids just picked up guitars, wrote tunes and somehow found their audience. ‘There She Goes’, one of those classic tunes that could only have come from Liverpool, was the result of a bunch of young lads who first got together on a government subsidised Youth Training Scheme where they were paid to be musicians and formed The La’s.
But Liverpool should never be about looking back. We have a glorious musical heritage that we are rightly proud of, but the Mersey never stops flowing and great music keeps on being made. One of the things I’ve enjoyed most about this job is the joy of working with the emerging artists, particularly through our own LIMF Academy. This programme, magnificently curated by Yaw Owusu has supported the growth of amazing artists like Jalen Ngonda, Ni Maxine, Michael Aldag, Tonia, Kowloons and Koj. In the last month or so I’ve been blown away by the latest singles from Koj, The Kowloons, and Amber Jay who all came through the Academy.
For all these artists an important part of their growth has been playing at various venues around the city. And going back to the central question of what make a great music city than having a strong grassroots music scene is absolutely central to this. These small venues are where young artists learn their craft, where they build an audience and where they can find a supportive environment in a world which is often quite solitary for a musician.
This isn’t just theory. Look at the example of MT Jones who a couple of years ago was playing at the Jac but in November will be headlining at the Philharmonic Hall. It’s the same with Jalen Ngonda who played everywhere in town initially but has just headlined Sound City. Live music venues are the heartbeat of any real music city and we are so lucky that in Liverpool that we have a range of amazing grassroots venues, run by people who care about the artists and are passionate about music.
Emerging artists have the best chance of moving forward if there is infrastructure in place to support their growth. Venues play a vital role in this as do programmes like LIMF Academy but now Liverpool offers so much more. Businesses like Sentric and Ditto can take care of your publishing and distribution needs, Modern Sky is probably the most successful indie label of recent years, while Tom at Ripe Records has an impressive roster of local artist release. Kempston Street Studios has been a massive success for the city but there are loads of great studios, and talented engineers, producers, mixers, and mastering engineers across the city. There’s even a business now (Fat Monkey Studios) that can deliver you a small run of your track on vinyl.
This dynamic and growing music infrastructure is essential for a music city like ours that has ambition. Of course, we want to encourage those with musical talent through programmes like LIMF Academy, but the reality is that most jobs in the music sector are not on stage as a singer/ guitarist or DJ. Our biggest employer is Adlib, a magnificent company with a workforce of over 200 that has highly skilled staff travelling all over the globe providing their production expertise for the world’s biggest artists, at festivals, trade shows, and conferences. We need our young people to have the right skills so that they are equipped to take these highly skilled well-paid jobs across the music industry. We want music businesses to look at Liverpool and think ‘we need to be in Liverpool’ in the same way that H.O.M.E just have. In that way Liverpool will become known as a Music City not just because we produce great musicians and brilliant tunes, but because it is a central hub of a global music industry.
The recent report that the City Council Commissioned on behalf of the Music Board showed that the music economy in Liverpool is worth around £700m – and that with the right interventions means we could be the first £1bn music economy in the UK outside of London.
I see that as a challenge to the City Council, the Combined Authority, the Universities and everyone already working in the music sector here. The music made here is, and always has been, the best. Can we match this greatness with a proper plan and real ambition to be the best music city we can be with a thriving and growing music industry that embraces technology and provides jobs for the young people of the city.
Liverpool: where music matters more.
Kev McManus
