FOCUS Wales, the country’s largest music industry event, has expanded its conference programme with a raft of new sessions.

The conference and showcase event, set for 8–10 May in Wrexham, brings together over 400 industry professionals and more than 250 artists from across the globe.

This year’s conference is dedicated to building a healthier future for music, exploring evolving best practices, artist well-being, sustainable industry growth, and fostering a more equitable landscape for both performers and industry professionals.

In line with this theme, IQ will host Watershed Moment – The Next Generation of Music, a panel that will assemble emerging professionals to discuss the evolution of the music business. The session will feature Molly Palmer, founder of a new digital radio station supported by an R&D grant from Radio Cymru; Duncan Smith, booking agent at Earth Agency and former BBC producer and programmer at the Royal Albert Hall and Katie Morgan, a programming manager at ASM Global.

For the first time, FOCUS Wales will feature a live episode of The Money Trench podcast, offering an in-depth exploration of the inner workings of the music industry. Produced by Tape Notes and hosted by PPL, The Money Trench is the brainchild of music journalist Mark Sutherland, whose career spans Billboard, NME, Rolling Stone, Variety and BBC Radio 6 Music.

“This flagship event showcases our homegrown talent whilst strengthening Wales’ position on the global music stage”

In partnership with the conference and showcase event, Eisteddfod Genedlaethol will host a panel on support networks for women in music, featuring Ani Glass, Heledd Watkins (HMS Morris), Adjua and Tara Bandito. This conversation will highlight the support available for women navigating the music industry, including institutional and artist-led initiatives that are fostering opportunities within Wales and internationally.

Building on last year’s discussion, Cardiff University will present a session on music and language in Cymru and Aotearoa, featuring Māori artists Jordyn with a Why and MOHI. This panel will explore the developments of Prosiect Pūtahitanga, offering a unique opportunity for cultural exchange, joined by a delegation from Aotearoa.

These events will take place alongside previously announced panels curated by LIVE, PPL and Music Venue Trust, as well as a keynote talk by Neil Ingham, executive director of Samaritans, discussing the transformative impact of deep, empathetic listening in suicide prevention.

“FOCUS Wales exemplifies the creative spirit that makes Welsh culture renowned worldwide, and we’re very proud to be supporting the organsation via Creative Wales again in 2025,” says minister for culture, skills and social partnership, Jack Sargeant. “As we celebrate its 15th year, this flagship event showcases our homegrown talent whilst strengthening Wales’ position on the global music stage.”

The FOCUS Wales industry conference will take place alongside the festival’s 250+ strong lineup of artists performing across 20 stages in Wrexham city centre over the three-day event. Nova Twins, Gruff Rhys and Sprints top the bill.

Delegate passes are on sale now via focuswales.com. Passes grant access to all conference events, private networking sessions, the pre-festival showcase, the online delegate database, and all live performances with priority entry.

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FOCUS Wales, the country’s largest music industry event, returns to Wrexham between 8–10 May.

The conference and showcase event brings together over 400 industry professionals and more than 250 artists from across the globe.

This year’s conference is dedicated to building a healthier future for music, exploring evolving best practices, artist well-being, sustainable industry growth, and fostering a more equitable landscape for both performers and industry professionals.

Neil Ingham, executive director of Samaritans, will open Focus Wales 2025 with a keynote on the transformative impact of deep, empathetic listening in suicide prevention. Cardiff University will return to share updates on Prosiect Pūtahitanga, reflecting on music and language connections between Cymru and Aotearoa, alongside a visiting delegation from New Zealand.

Another session, led by PPL, will examine evolving priorities for labels, artists and their teams, weighing the balance between data-driven strategies and more traditional, fan-focused campaigns. Speakers will include Katherine Cantwell (Heavenly Recordings), Brad Kulisic (Lambrini Girls/Pigsx7), and Joe Howden (Dark Arts Digital). Meanwhile, Meg Devereux (Marshall) will be joined by Nova Twins and Henca Maduro (New Skool Rules Festival) to explore ways to better support grassroots musicians in building sustainable, long-term careers.

LIVE, meanwhile, will host a panel exploring what it takes for artists to break through to headliner status in 2025 and beyond, with insights from Nicklas Damkjær (Roskilde), Dev Sherlock (SXSW), Connor Cupples (Crosstown Promotions), Megan Evans (Deer Shed Festival), and Beckie Sugden (CAA Agency).

This year’s conference is dedicated to exploring evolving best practices, artist well-being, sustainable industry growth and more

British Council Wales will lead a discussion on the role of showcasing in fostering peaceful cultural exchange, with contributions from Ísleifur Thorhallsson (Iceland Airwaves), Alona Dmukhovska (Music Export Ukraine), Cecilia Soojeong Yi (DMZ Peace Train Festival), Asifuzzaman Khan (Dhaka International Folk Festival), and Login Kochishki (PIN Conference).

The Music Venue Trust will host a hands-on workshop to help attendees articulate their ethical values and demonstrate social responsibility — key factors in securing funding and building a resilient, future-proof industry. In addition, a series of panels and workshops will be presented by leading industry organisations such as PRS Foundation, PRS for Music, Sound Roots, Beacons Cymru and Eisteddfod Genedlaethol, alongside the festival’s new media partner, IQ magazine.

Beyond the conference, FOCUS Wales will facilitate international partner showcases hosted by M for Montreal, BreakOut West, Nova Scotia Music Week, Catalan Arts, Spanish Wave, CNM France, Westside Music (Sweden), Way Up North (Denmark), Wide Days (Scotland), and more to be announced.

Among the guests heading to Wrexham this May are KEXP’s Senior Programming Advisor & Variety Mix DJ/Host Kevin Cole, journalist and podcaster Mark Sutherland, Jose Marihno and Caroline Thiévent from Radio France Internationale (RFI), Jean-Louis Brossard, co-founder of the legendary French festival Transmusicales, Michel Attia, Head of Bookings and Events at Austrian national radio station FM4, Paola Wescher, director of booking at Last Tour PT and founder of Latina in Brazil, and Anne Runge, a curator and promoter who programmes Northern Germany’s acclaimed Fusion and at.tension festivals.

The FOCUS Wales industry conference will take place alongside the festival’s 250+ strong lineup of artists performing across 20 stages in Wrexham city centre over the three-day event.

Delegate passes are on sale now via focuswales.com. Passes grant access to all conference events, private networking sessions, the pre-festival showcase, the online delegate database, and all live performances with priority entry.

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

Promoters Cuffe and Taylor and Depot Live are partnering to launch a new 35,000-cap concert series in Cardiff, Wales.

Blackweir Live, which will take place at Blackweir Fields alongside the River Taff, promises to bring major international touring artists to the city and will debut with four headline shows next summer, with dates and ticket details to be announced soon.

The site will be the city’s largest greenfield venue, and the launch further solidifies the relationship between Cuffe and Taylor and Depot Live – the live arm of Cardiff events space The Depot – have a pre-existing relationship, working together to promote TK Maxx presents Cardiff Castle.

“Blackweir Live presents a very exciting opportunity to bring huge international artists to Cardiff,” says Cuffe and Taylor co-founder Peter Taylor. “We have a great relationship with Depot Live and the people of Cardiff and we look forward to enhancing that further in the years to come as we look to bring the very best in the world of music to perform in this beautiful city.

“The city has a rich musical heritage, and we are committed to contributing to that legacy by bringing world-class live music experiences right to the heart of it”

“At Cuffe and Taylor we pride ourselves on creating some of the best live music opportunities on greenfield sites across the UK and to add Blackweir Live to that roster is something we are very excited about.”

Over the past two years, Cuffe and Taylor and Depot have presented almost 30 headline shows at Cardiff Castle, welcoming 170,000 people this year alone for concerts by the likes of Manic Street Preachers, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Avril Lavigne, Smashing Pumpkins, Idles and Tom Grennan.

“We’re incredibly excited to launch this new outdoor venue in Cardiff,” adds Nick Saunders, founder of Depot Live. “The city has a rich musical heritage, and we are committed to contributing to that legacy by bringing world-class live music experiences right to the heart of it. Complementing our plans for more incredible acts at Cardiff Castle next year, the addition of our Blackweir Live events promises for a truly memorable summer of music in 2025.”

Live Nation’s Cuffe and Taylor programmes all live music events at the 5,500-cap The Piece Hall and 8,000-cap Scarborough Open Air Theatre, both in Yorkshire, UK. It also promotes Lytham Festival, Forest Live and Bedford Park Concerts, in addition to events at Cardiff Castle and Chepstow Racecourse, and linked with Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod last year.

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Green Man, the largest festival in Wales, has sold out in a record 60 minutes and without a single act announced.

Organisers say the 25,000-capacity, independently owned event is the first UK festival to sell out for 2025.

Tickets for the 23rd edition of the festival went on sale at 10:00 on Saturday (28 September) and were sold out by 11:00.

Green Man was also the first UK festival to sell out for the 2024 season, which it did in just two hours without any line-up announced.

The festival is set to return to the Black Mountains in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park in Wales from the 14–17 August 2025 with a programme that spans music, comedy, literature, film, performance and installation art, wellness and science.

Green Man was also the first UK festival to sell out for the 2024 season, which it did in just two hours without a line-up

“A huge diolch [thank you] – how wonderful you are!” says Fiona Stewart, owner and managing director of Green Man.

“Thank you, your support means the world to us. We are so excited about the plans for Green Man 2025, and we can’t wait to see your faces when you join us in the magical Black Mountains of Bannau Brycheiniog next August.”

Green Man has previously hosted performances from Fontaines DC, Michael Kiwanuka, Self Esteem, First Aid Kit and Kae Tempest across its ten stages.

The festival claims to be one of three remaining large independent festivals in the UK and the only large festival – independent or major – to refuse sponsorship.

The female-owned festival generates £10 million into the Welsh economy and boasts a Gold Charter by Attitude is Everything, a charity that improves accessibility for people with disabilities across the events industry.

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UK charity Music Venue Trust (MVT) has announced a third acquisition by Music Venue Properties (MVP) under its Own Our Venues scheme.

The Bunkhouse, a 235-capacity live music venue, rehearsal space and photography studio in the heart of Swansea city centre, has become the first Welsh venue to be placed into permanent protected status by MVP.

Following the purchase, The Bunkhouse’s operators have signed a ‘cultural lease’ with MVP, which is an agreement specifically created by MVP to guarantee that, as long as The Bunkhouse operates as a space for grassroots live music for their local community, they can enjoy the use of the building.

MVP has also offered the venue a rent reduction and a contribution towards building repairs and insurance, and will work with the team to develop parts of the building that are currently unused.

MVP’s other purchases include The Ferret in Preston, secured earlier this year, and the October 2023 acquisition of The Snug in Atherton, Greater Manchester.

“The last few years have been a rollercoaster for The Bunkhouse and the music community in South West Wales,” says Jordan McGuire, director of The Bunkhouse.

“When the building went on the market, the threat of closure was very real, and it wasn’t just about potentially losing my business, it was about losing a home for the musicians, the artists, and the fans who have found their voice here. The Bunkhouse has played a pivotal role in shaping the music scene in Wales, and the thought of it disappearing was heartbreaking for everyone.”

“The Bunkhouse has played a pivotal role in shaping the music scene in Wales”

“Now, with Music Venue Properties stepping in as our landlord, those fears have been laid to rest. The future looks bright. We can finally focus on continuing to develop the next generation of talent, knowing that The Bunkhouse is secure and will remain a cornerstone of Swansea’s music scene long after I’m gone. This partnership ensures that The Bunkhouse will continue to serve as a place where musicians can express themselves and music lovers can immerse themselves in the experience for generations to come. I’m incredibly excited for what’s ahead.”

Mark Dayvd, CEO of Music Venue Trust said, “The Bunkhouse is the lynchpin venue for new and emerging artists in the Swansea scene. Jordan and his team have created an essential stop for any breaking band tour and it’s fantastic to see that work recognised and the future of this venue secured for decades to come. Long live Bunkhouse!”

Own Our Venues was originally launched as a Community Share Offer in 2022. To date, almost £2.6m has been raised from over 1,200 individual investors. MVP received support from Swansea Council and Figurative, formerly part of Nesta, to realise this purchase.

According to MVT, 93% of GMVs are tenants with the typical operator only having 18 months left on their tenancy.

The issue of ownership underpins almost every other challenge that GMVs have faced during the last twenty years, says MVT, including gentrification, noise complaints, under-investment, poor economic models, and an inability to plan for the future.

Earlier this year,  Davyd told IQ that seven venues across the country had been identified for purchase in this initial phase and that MVP had offers on three of those venues – which would now include The Bunkhouse.

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The design of Cardiff’s new arena has been overhauled after material costs spiralled by more than 50%.

The venue, which is being developed by Robertson Group and will be operated by Live Nation and Oak View Group, was due to cost £180 million (€203m) but “inflationary pressures” saw it rise to almost £280m (€316m).

Now, architect Populous has made a number of major changes to the design, which have been approved by Cardiff Council planning committee.

The firm, which designed Tottenham Hotspur stadium and Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, has replaced its 2022 ‘lump of coal’ arena with a smaller, more rectangular, and lighter-coloured design inspired by the Welsh mountains.

The arena’s height, width, and length have shrunk by 6.5 metres, 9.53m, and 14m respectively, reducing the venue’s capacity from 17,000 to 15,348, according to Architects’ Journal.

Cardiff’s planning committee was told the venue has “lost capacity but gained versatility in what can be offered,” with a new flexible seating or standing arena at its centre.

Cardiff’s planning committee was told the venue has ‘lost capacity but gained versatility in what can be offered’

Other changes include a bronze-coloured aluminium façade, a ‘swoop’ on the arena’s southern exterior, and increased glazing on its east and west-facing elevations to create two arches on each, which will be illuminated for events.

The new arena will sit 4m south of the originally proposed position, on part of Cardiff’s existing County Hall car park in Atlantic Wharf within the Cardiff Bay area, which has been undergoing ongoing regeneration for more than 30 years.

In a design and access statement submitted for the new design in July this year, Populous wrote: ‘The proposed changes to the arena have arisen as a result of the global economic environment and associated increased material costs since the scheme was consented.’

The firm said a ‘full review’ of the proposals with the client led to the overhaul of the project to achieve ‘greater cost certainty’.

The arena was originally scheduled to open in 2025, but is not now set to be completed until the following year, according to Wales Online.

Live Nation already runs the existing 7,500-cap Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, as well as converted warehouse venue Titan Warehouse. OVG, meanwhile, is currently constructing the UK’s first all-electric arena, Co-op Live, in Manchester.

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Cardiff’s St David’s Hall is to remain shut for around 18 months while its roof is replaced and the building refurbished.

The 2,000-cap Welsh concert hall closed for an initial four weeks in September to allow the checks to be completed, but now faces a much lengthier spell on the sidelines after Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) experts noted that a significant number of the venue’s 900-plus roof panels were “red-critical” and others “red-high risk”, meaning they could fail and collapse.

Cardiff Council commissioned the report following changes to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advice on Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete RAAC in public buildings. At least 10 concert venues and theatres shut their doors last month after inspectors flagged RAAC – a building material which the HSE said was now past its intended lifespan and is liable to fail without warning.

The council has cancelled all shows at St David’s Hall for the rest of the year, including gigs by the likes of Lindisfarne, Dexys, Graham Nash, Alfie Boe, Europe, Gabrielle, Daniel O’Donnell, Beverley Knight, Howard Jones and Level 42.

“We know this will cause a lot of inconvenience and disappointment for our customers, but we hope they will understand that the safety of audiences, staff, artists, volunteers, and everyone at the venue is paramount,” says a council spokesperson. “We will be in contact with promoters and hirers to discuss the potential for moving performances to other venues.”

“We continue to work to progress the transfer of the hall to Academy Music Group”

St David’s Hall was in the process of being leased to the Academy Music Group (AMG), which had committed to refurbishing the venue and dealing with the roof issues as part of the original lease agreement. The council’s Cabinet will now meet this Thursday (26 October) to decide next steps and whether it should still go ahead with plans to enter a new lease agreement with AMG.

The authority says that AMG had planned to keep St David’s Hall open with only short closures while repairs took place. But “the findings of this new report now point towards a complete closure to enable a new roof to be installed and a refurbishment of the venue to take place”, which “could take around 18 months to deliver”.

“Work is continuing to progress the transfer of the hall to AMG,” adds the spokesperson. “Ahead of taking over the operation of St David’s Hall, AMG had already undertaken its own inspections and while it did have plans to undertake remedial work and to keep the venue open, the latest report into the condition of RAAC in the building indicates clearly it would be better to keep the venue closed until it is completely refurbished, and a new roof has been installed.

“We continue to work to progress the transfer of the hall to Academy Music Group. We are keeping them appraised of the actions we are taking, and we are in constant dialogue with staff at St David’s Hall to keep them updated too.”

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UK promoter Kilimanjaro Live has announced the opening of a new office in Wales, headed by former Orchard Live boss Pablo Janczur.

The Welsh division aims to build on Kilimanjaro’s previous history in the country with bands and projects, such as Stereophonics, Wakestock, and shows with artists such as Ed Sheeran at venues including Cardiff Castle, Principality Stadium, Cardiff City Football Club, Morfa Stadium Swansea, Swansea Singleton Park and Wrexham Football Club.

“With over 20 years of experience in live entertainment across Wales, we’re very pleased to welcome Pablo into the Kilimanjaro Live fold,” says Kili CEO Stuart Galbraith. “His knowledge and energy within this sector is second to none, and to have him on board will bolster our live music offering across the country, linking in with Kilimanjaro Live in London, Regular Music in Scotland and Singular Artists in Northern Ireland and Eire.”

Kili’s parent company DEAG enhanced its UK activities by acquiring a majority stake in Scotland’s Regular Music last year, and previously launched Singular Artists in Ireland in 2020 with veteran promoters Fin O’Leary, Brian Hand and Simon Merriman.

“Our combined strengths in the indoor and outdoor sector has great potential for growth and innovation”

Janczur, who will serve as MD of the new Wales base and divide his time between Kili’s Welsh and London offices, adds: “I’m delighted to be Joining Kilimanjaro Live and bringing my experience and expertise in the Welsh market gained over the past 20-plus years.

“Our combined strengths in the indoor and outdoor sector has great potential for growth and innovation. I’m excited about the next chapter working alongside the team and contributing to further growth here.”

Orchard Live was Wales’ biggest independent concert promoter prior to it ceasing trading earlier this year. The company promoted shows with acts such as Queens of the Stone Age, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Diana Ross, George Ezra and Sam Fender.

“DEAG continues to grow successfully with Kilimanjaro,” says DEAG co-CEO Detlef Kornett. “With the opening of the new office in Wales, Kilimanjaro will be able to act more flexibly as a national promoter and better serve the needs of visitors in Wales. We expect to see significant growth from working with our other offices in the UK and beyond.

“We are delighted to welcome Pablo Janczur, an experienced professional with extensive know-how and a broad industry network, to the DEAG family as managing director of our Wales office.”

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A Welsh concert hall has closed with immediate effect to allow additional checks on the building’s concrete panels.

The decision to temporarily close the 2,000-cap St David’s Hall in Cardiff was taken in light of the recent change to advice on Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in public buildings issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and follows further discussions with the Cardiff Council’s appointed independent structural engineers, and insurers.

All shows are currently postponed for the next month, including concerts by Lindisfarne, Dexys and Graham Nash. St David’s Hall is set to welcome acts such as Alfie Boe, Europe, Daniel O’Donnell, Beverley Knight, Howard Jones and Level 42 in October.

Academy Music Group is due to take over the running of the venue in the near future and “has already undertaken its own inspections and has plans in place to undertake remedial work required in the medium to long-term”.

“We believe it is prudent and responsible to carry out intrusive surveys to further reassure ourselves and the public on the safety of the hall”

The Welsh government has been asking local authorities for updates on the state of RAAC in its facilities since Westminster closed more than 100 education buildings in England last week.

The council says it has been aware of RAAC at St David’s Hall and the need to manage it from a health and safety viewpoint since 2021, and has always followed government guidelines and advice to ensure it was safe. A building management and health and safety strategy has been implemented at the venue for the past 18 months, including regular inspections by independent structural engineers with specific RAAC expertise.

“Throughout this time no issues were raised about the condition of RAAC in the building and there was no evidence of deterioration – and this remains the case,” says a council statement. “However, the council has continued to engage with its insurers and expert structural engineers and, based on advice received today from those experts, we believe it is prudent and responsible to carry out intrusive surveys to further reassure ourselves and the public on the safety of the hall. This will require drilling into panels to confirm their interior construction and to determine if any further work is required to ensure continuing safety.

“Consequently, we will be bringing structural engineers – who are RAAC experts – back on site to do fresh tests on RAAC panels in the building. We expect this procedure could take at least four weeks, and we will look to re-open the Hall as soon as possible, dependent on any action which may or may not be required.”

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Wales’ largest independent concert promoter Orchard Live has ceased trading and has gone into liquidation, citing “enormously challenging trading conditions”.

The company has promoted shows with acts such as Queens of the Stone Age, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Diana Ross, George Ezra and Sam Fender

But the firm says trading conditions since the onset of Covid-19, compounded by the impact of the cost-of-living pressures on ticket sales, had made it impossible to continue operating.

“Despite the best efforts of a hardworking and very talented team, Orchard Live has been unable to fully recover from the consequences of the pandemic and the ensuing challenging trading conditions,” says a spokesperson for the promoter. “After exploring all possible strategies to avoid this action, the difficult decision has been made to put Orchard Live into creditors voluntary liquidation.

“The past three years have been enormously challenging for the music industry”

“The past three years have been enormously challenging for the music industry and there have been a number of casualties in the sector.”

The statement points out that the company lost summer seasons in 2020 and 2021, and costs increased significantly for rescheduled shows in 2022.

“Despite some great successes, an oversupply of concerts, a slow public return to live events, the cost-of-living crisis and increased competition from national promoters has not produced the required level of sales, leading to unsustainable losses,” adds the spokeperson. “This news will unfortunately be a blow to music lovers in Wales who have been able to enjoy Orchard Live’s work over many years.”

Any ticket-holders for an Orchard Live show are advised to contact the ticket outlet they purchased their ticket from for more information.

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