Sound City will this month showcase Liverpool’s thriving music industry. Alistair Houghton reports

WITH dozens of gigs and a music industry conference to rival any on the planet, Liverpool Sound City is strong evidence that the city’s music scene is in rude health.

Liverpool may not be seen as the centre of the music world as it was in the Merseybeat era of the 1960s, but the city is still home to a thriving music scene and a strong network of studios, promoters and venues, from the Echo Arena Liverpool to bars and clubs galore.

That music scene will be celebrated this month by Sound City, which runs from May 20 to May 23 and will see performances from over 400 bands including chart-toppers White Lies, rising star Little Boots, Hollywood actor Juliette Lewis and local stars The Zutons.

As well as the gigs Sound City is bringing some of the leading figures in the industry for a conference to debate the future of music. In its most high-profile event, the music industry will be put “on trial” in St George’s Hall in front of a jury of young people.

Beatles tourism still brings hundreds of thousands of people into Liverpool every year, but those behind Sound City say the contemporary music industry plays a small but significant role in the city’s economy.

Merseyside ACME, the region’s support body for the creative sector, is a key backer of Sound City. Its director, Kevin McManus, himself a former music journalist and band manager who worked in the industry for more than 20 years, said: “There’s an awful lot of great businesses out there. Some employ a lot of people, like Ad Lib Audio, but there’s an awful lot of small enterprises and one-man-bands doing great, well-respected stuff nationally and internationally.

“The creative sector is a key part of the local and regional economy. Music, over the last few years, has become increasingly important in generating turnover. It’s a vibrant and dynamic part of the sector.

“Internationally people talk about the Beatles, but there’s also Cream and Creamfields. James Barton, with all his success, could have stayed in London but he’s brought things back to Liverpool. It’s a great brand to have.”

But McManus says Liverpool needs to make as much noise about its contemporary music industry as it does about The Beatles.

“Music is important to the image and offer of the city,” he said. “We need to do more in terms of selling Liverpool as a music city.

‘YOU’VE got all the heritage stuff like The Beatles and Merseybeat, but we also have Creamfields, Liverpool Music Week and Sound City. You’d be hard-pushed to find that level of high-quality music activity in any other city in the country.

“In terms of hotel beds and visitor spend, music brings Liverpool a great level of visitors. There’s probably a lot of music tourists who come here for Sound City and Creamfields, I don’t think that’s quite recognised yet.”

Sound City organiser Dave Pichilingi says the success of the event shows the strength of Liverpool’s music scene.

He said: “The music industry in Merseyside is healthier than its ever been.

“There’s so many young, aspiring new mavericks and entrepreneurs on the scene who embrace technology and use it to their advantage. Look at Sentric Music – they’re doing business all over the place from Japan to Australia. This year, we had around 2,500 applications from bands wanting to play Sound City, from all over the world – but a lot of them were from Liverpool or the wider Merseyside region, not just bands but good quality bands.

“We had 222 bands last year and we’ve got 450 this time from 20 countries.

“The conference has come on in leaps and bounds. We’re bringing in some of the biggest execs in the business.

“At the Trial, we’ve got Malcolm McLaren and Billy Bragg. It’ll be a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it’ll look at some serious issues from a young people’s perspective.”

The music industry has been transformed by the massive growth in downloading in recent years. CD sales have plummeted as more and more people download music online through stores such as iTunes or Amazon – or even, despite the best efforts of record companies, download it illegally.

With less money coming in from record sales, the industry is looking at different ways to keep the money rolling in.

The Sound City conference will include several debates on how the music industry should adapt to such a cultural change.

Mr Pichilingi said: “Record labels will always be relevant. People are always going to want to hear music in some way.

“There is a new problem now.

“My son is 11. If he goes to school and tells people he’s bought a CD, they look at him like he’s mad. They see music as something free.

“If you’re 11, the perception is you’re a nerd if you buy CDs.

“When the record industry says it will sue people for downloading, kids think it’s hilarious. But then rock’n’roll has always been about rebellion. What could be more rebellious than doing what the big man in the ivory tower tells you not to do?”