Demonstrating the value of music cities

Experts based in Hong Kong, Liverpool and Cardiff have shared the secrets of demonstrating the value of live music to local decision makers.

Shain Shapiro, whose music market development consultancy Sound Diplomacy is known for pioneering the idea of the ‘music city’, hosted the ILMC panel Music & Cities: Built on Rock & Roll.

The session at the Royal Lancaster in London explored how a thriving music scene goes hand in hand with a dynamic cityscape. It heard case studies from Marilyn Tham, general manager of Mega Events Development and Enhancement at the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Claire McColgan CBE of Liverpool City Council and Ruth Cayford, Cardiff Council’s head of creative industries and culture development.

McColgan, who produced major international events such as Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture 2008, Eurovision 2023, and the city’s Covid-19 response opening up events for the UK, said it had been a “long story” for Liverpool to reach its current status.

“We’ve got a very clear strategy in Liverpool, which is support your local organisations properly, let them grow and be fantastic artistically and creatively,” she said. “But on top of that, once every two or three years, do these major events that bring huge attention and tourism to the city, and grow the economy as part of that.

“Without supporting the grassroots sector and supporting the cultural sector in the way that we’ve continued to do so over 25 years, it’s hard to do the other because they come and go.”

“Our international reputation can’t just rest on something that happened 60 years ago, it’s got to be about what’s next”

McColgan noted the introduction of the council-backed Mathew Street Festival in Liverpool in the 90s had been crucial to attracting private sector investment.

“It built up that whole audience for the private sector to move in. And now, we don’t run our own festivals anymore,” she said. “Why would we? The private sector’s much better at it. So they’ve moved into that space and they do all that for us. That’s been a long term strategy about creating the ground for a private sector to move in, and we can then use our use our resources to do something else: to do community engagement, to develop academies, to develop new artists and and move our money around and in quite a speedy way.”

And despite Liverpool’s rich musical heritage, McColgan stressed the importance of not living off past glories.

“Obviously, the biggest band in the world came from here,” she said. “You say the word ‘Liverpool’ anywhere in the world and they think of The Beatles. Our job as a city is to keep moving that story on.”

Last September, Liverpool was announced as the world’s first ‘UN Accelerator City’ for climate action.

“As a city in Liverpool – where its whole essence comes from music – you always want to be taking that next step and pushing the boundary,” McColgan continued. “Our international reputation can’t just rest on something that happened 60 years ago, it’s got to be about what’s next.”

“It is so challenging and complicated to build a brand new event in a new destination”

Meanwhile, Tham explained her organisation’s role was to “proactively engaged” with international event organisers about bringing events to Hong Kong, or potentially expand existing brands to the region.

“It is so challenging and complicated to build a brand new event in a new destination,” she said. “So from sourcing the right venue to understanding all the processes and permits and engaging different institutions and associations in that city… that process is so important to make it a success.”

Tham brought up that Hong Kong’s new Kai Tak Sports Park, which features a 50,000-capacity stadium and 10,000-cap indoor arena, was a game-changer for the territory.

“It’s not only a world class venue for cultural arts, music, sports, tournaments, events, but we’re positioned as a landmark for tourists when they come to Hong Kong, it’s a must-see destination for them,” she said. “And what is exciting is that there are more expansion projects in the pipeline, and we see the opportunities, because yes, Hong Kong is very small city of just have 7.5 million people, but we’re connected with the Greater Bay Area, which is 86m people with this seamless infrastructure network.”

Tham mentioned that part of the challenge was to ensure visitors were sticking around in Hong Kong beyond the show.

“We must work together with the tourism and hospitality industry to leverage on the events, to bundle and have different offerings, so hopefully they can stay a little bit longer and contribute to the economy.”

“Clearly, the grassroots music sector is really important to a city. It’s important to what we need for new talent and to grow”

Cayford, who has led on the development and delivery of the Cardiff Music Strategy since 2017, discussed the role of the grassroots music scene.

“Clearly, the grassroots music sector is really important to a city,” she said. “It’s important to what we need for new talent and to grow. I think if you look at the music industry at the moment, there’s clearly been a shift in opportunities of who is making the music and who’s had the opportunities to learn instruments. And I think even if you look at back at government policy from 1970s, it let a lot of working class people have those opportunities. That’s changed.

“We want to readdress that and give kids who haven’t got those opportunities – as well as kids who have – the infrastructure and the venues at a grassroots level, so they can grow into the arenas as well.”

While Cardiff is currently home to the 74,000-cap Principality Stadium and 7,500-cap Utilita Arena, Cayford suggested the city’s impending new 15,000-cap arena would be a much-needed addition to the circuit.

“There was clearly a missing part of the jigsaw puzzle there,” she said. “If we wanted to go and see certain acts, we [would have to travel] to London, Birmingham, Manchester.”

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