The third edition of Beyond The Music takes place at its new home, MediaCity Salford, from 6th to 9th October 2026. The event is both a new music showcase festival and industry conference.
After launching on Tuesday evening with a screening of 24 Hour Party People and a Q&A featuring its director Michael Winterbottom and lead actor Steve Coogan, the conference will run during the daytimes on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It will include keynotes from leading UK label CEOs, panels discussing many of the major challenges facing creatives including post-Brexit touring and the creative class divide plus Andy Burnham’s global AI Summit. There is also an ‘INSPIRE’ education programme dedicated to workshops, panels and networking events for young people seeking to grow their career in the music industry.
In addition to the conferences, Beyond The Music is also a music festival with a programme presenting over 150 grassroots artists hand curated by everyone from BBC Introducing and SXSW to The Line of Best Fit, Notion, DMY, Dot to Dot Festival and Focus Wales. The line-up includes Silent Radio favourites such as The K’s, SILVERWINGKILLER, Tom A. Smith, The Slow Readers Club, walt disco and Freya Beer.
Full details of the event can be found at Beyond The Music 2026 | Music & Creative Industries Festival and Conference, Salford
