Ambitious plans to make Leicester one of the UK’s foremost music cities have been unveiled at the Leicester Business Festival. The newly formed Leicester Music Board (LMB) will champion the city’s music scene and raise the profile of its diverse and vibrant music industry on a national stage.
The LMB is a partnership of music industry and education organisations and professionals working together to support the growth of the city’s music industry.
It is being supported by Leicester City Council to build on the success of the inaugural Leicester Music Conference which attracted more than 300 delegates, and engaged 30 music organisations, along with many emerging and established artists.
Greg Aiello, MD of PPL PRS, said: “Leicester has a long history of creating amazing talent, and nurturing the creative arts. Music has been, and will continue to be the heartbeat of this great city. The Leicester Music Board aims to put music at the forefront, working with and building out the ecosystem that is already in place, as well as supporting those initiatives that will really drive change and growth.
“As an industry, music not only contributes to the success of those wonderful creators that make the music we all love, but also to the many businesses, venues, communities and behind the scenes teams that help to showcase the talent. It is an exciting time to be part of a forward thinking board that captures that same spirit of creativity, championing music for the benefit of the Leicester community.”
One of the first tasks of the new board will be to guide the development of the Leicester Music Conference and Festival 2025, which is expanding across two days next year.
A Young People’s Music Careers Conference will form the first day on Thursday 27 February 2025, followed by the Leicester Music Conference for industry professionals at all career stages on Friday 28 February 2025.
Taking place at the city centre’s 2Funky music venue, it will feature industry panels, networking opportunities, one-to-ones with industry professionals, live performances and workshops.
Yasin El Ashrafi, who founded the Leicester Music Conference and has been an integral part of the city’s music industry for more than a decade, said: “I’m genuinely excited about our ambitions for the city. With a powerful blend of expertise across music, education and community, we have an incredible foundation to build upon.
“Our focus is to expand the music conference, conduct a thorough mapping and audit of local music businesses, and collaborate on creating a lifelong music strategy for our city. Together, we’re working to elevate Leicester’s music scene, ensuring it remains vibrant, inclusive, and impactful for generations to come.”
A key aim is to develop better pathways into industry careers through the development of a ‘lifelong’ music strategy for the city, from early years music education through to professional industry careers. It aims to ensure opportunities exist within the city to stop the exodus of talent.
The Leicester Music Board is made up of representatives from HQ CAN, 2Funky Arts, Leicester City Council, TiME – Technology in Music Education UK, National Youth Jazz Collective, Leicestershire Music, UMC Management, PPL PRS and DMU.
To stay up to date with the conference news, go to www.leicestermusicconference.co.uk
