Sound City
Sound City is helping Arts Council England achieve its mission of Achieving great art for everyone in that it has increased its resilience, sustainability and innovation through a mix of public and private sector investment, it is enabling talent and artistic excellence to thrive and be celebrated and, with its high-quality value of popular culture, it is ensuring that more people are experiencing and are being inspired by the arts.
Arts Council England recently published The contribution of the arts and culture to the national economy, an independent report conducted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research. The report explores the role of the arts and culture in underpinning the commercial creative industries and suggests that public funding of the arts and culture can play a vital role in encouraging creative innovation. One of the findings of the research is that the arts and culture sector is of significant scale, with resilient businesses making a turnover of £12.8bn, providing 0.45 per cent of total UK employment and with a (GVA) of £5.9bn in 2011.
It seems fair to say that Sound City is well on its way to achieving its aims which include positioning Liverpool and the wider North West region as a world-class cultural destination for business and consumers of culture and providing a platform for international artists and businesses to reach the UK music, digital and creative industries, having recently completed its sixth edition from 2-4 May.
Liverpool Sound City is a globally renowned three-day international music, media and technology conference and live arts and music festival. Hosting over 360 artists performing to an audience of 41,500 music fans and 3,412 industry professionals, it packs amazing music, controversial debate, unparalleled networking, ground breaking film, fantastic photography, eclectic art, an Expo, and even a football tournament into its three days in Liverpool.
Liverpool Sound City has provided an opportunity for over 360 emerging artists to perform to the music industry and to new audiences, both physical and digital. Artists generate great outcomes from the event, from securing international tours to signing record deals and agreeing management contracts.
Other statistics speak for themselves. Since 2008, creative businesses taking part in Sound City's business networking initiatives have agreed contracts worth 14 million. In 2012, Liverpool Sound City generated £2.85m for the Liverpool City region economy. This May's live festival generated a footfall of just over 41,000.
Liverpool Sound City emerged as a direct outcome of a series of successful sector development initiatives conceived, developed and delivered in partnership with Merseyside ACME and Liverpool Vision. The Arts Council has supported Liverpool Sound City since its inception, both through advice and direct investment.
Commenting on the success of Sound City, Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool, said:
“Through their initiatives in the UK and abroad Sound City position Liverpool as a world-class destination and a place to do business, as well as take in the very best contemporary arts and culture that not only Liverpool, but Britain and the world has to offer. Sound City has grown dramatically year on year, and it is our aim to work with them to make Sound City the leading event of its kind in Europe. Their role as a key partner in the International Festival for Business in 2014 will add to this momentum. As such I see Sound City as integral to our strategic growth plan and thus a key strategic partner for the City of Liverpool.”
As well as the Liverpool Sound City festival and conference, Sound City's events include Dubai Sound City, Tromso Sound City, New York Sound City and annual music showcases at SXSW festival.
Visit Liverpool Sound City's website to find out more.
