We are excited to announce that for this year’s 15th Anniversary Un-Convention we are working in partnership with MaMA in Paris to look at practical steps to improve opportunities for artists and music professionals to work between the UK and Europe. 

 

In the first instance this involves collaborations on speakers and panel content which will see UK and EU professionals participating in consecutive discussions first at MaMA in Paris, taking place on the 11th, 12th, and 13th October and then at Un-Convention in Manchester the following week on the 20th and 21st October. Artists, promoters, agents, festival directors and industry bodies will explore the current scale of the issue, with a view to identifying how we can work together to move things forward.

 

As recently highlighted by the Music Managers Forum, there has been a 32% decline in the number of UK artists touring in Europe this year when compared to 2019, with changes in the customs requirements for touring musicians being a major factor. 

 

Both Un-Convention and MaMA have a shared ambition to take positive action to reaffirm cultural links between the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, links that have been built over decades of shared history and collaboration.

 

In addition, we are also working together to showcase artists from the UK at this year’s MaMA, where Phoebe Green and Soup! will be performing to music industry professionals from across Europe. 

 

We have had the pleasure of working alongside a host of European partners for the last fourteen years on projects around improved mobility for music professionals and are excited that this latest collaboration will create tangible opportunities for artists and professionals from both sides of the Channel to reach new markets and audiences. 

 

We would like to thank the Greater Manchester Music Commission, GMCA and the Musicians’ Union for their support in making this possible.

 

Un-Convention Manchester is taking place at Band on the Wall and the Methodist Central Hall in Manchester’s Northern Quarter on October 20th and 21st, with tickets priced at £35, available from www.unconventionhub,org

 

The MaMA Festival and Convention takes place in Montmartre, Paris on the 11th, 12th and 13th October. Pro Passes are €160 and are available from www.mama-musicandconvention.com.