On Saturday, the whole music business was put “on trial” at St George’s Hall, with music industry figures quizzed in front of a jury of young musicians.

Liverpool Sound City will run the Middle East event in partnership with Dubai’s New Dawn Entertainment and sponsors UK Trade & Investment. It will be held in the city’s prestigious Hotel Meridien.

Dubai may not be known as a rock city, but its rulers are keen to promote it as a cultural centre as well as a commercial one.

Mr Pichilingi said Sound City would not just be promoting rock or dance music, but would showcase acts from around the world.

He said: “We’re not going to homogenise it. We’re going to embrace other cultures and musical styles. It’s not a case of us just taking rock out there and giving it to them.”

Mr Pichilingi said Dubai was ideally sited for a world music conference.

He said: “If you think back 40 years, why did they put international music festival MIDEM in Cannes? Was it because the music business was there? No, it was because Cannes was such a beautiful place to go.

“Today Dubai is the place to go. We want to take people out there with the aim of doing business, but it’s also fun in the sun. Our strapline is going to be Sheikh, Rattle and Roll.”