A major new report has highlighted how investment from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) has delivered a huge boost to the local music sector — creating jobs, helping businesses grow, supporting young people into careers, and strengthening Liverpool’s reputation as a world-leading music city.

The £2m Music Industry Development Programme, delivered by Liverpool City Council with the Liverpool City Region Music Board, was launched in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. Despite such challenges, it exceeded its contracted targets, supported businesses through crisis and recovery, and created long-lasting opportunities across all six boroughs.

Produced by the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Popular Music, the report not only celebrates these successes but also identifies challenges, areas for improvement, and recommendations to guide the future work of the Music Board and the £6.75m UKRI-funded MusicFutures Creative Cluster, ensuring sustained support for the sector.

Local Impacts:

• 88 local businesses supported with growth and export funding.
• All funded businesses still operational, with many expanding and creating new jobs.
• Over 50 new full-time jobs created through Future Yard in Birkenhead.
• 52 paid traineeships delivered, including placements with Ditto Music, Sentric and 24 Kitchen Street.
• 3,200+ young people engaged in careers advice, training and events across Sefton, St Helens, Wirral and Liverpool.
• Ring-fenced funding for Black Music Action Group projects, ensuring greater inclusion and diversity.
• New inward investment: Rough Trade, Boxpark, and 30 Century Management establishing operations in the region.

Examples from the report include Future Yard’s Sound Check, which has trained over 120 young people in live music skills and created paid pathways into work, and Michael Aldag, who used growth funding to record new music and rebuild his career after being dropped by a label — going on to play Reading and Leeds festivals.

Councillor Mike Wharton, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Business, Investment and Trade, said:

“Liverpool City Region is proving how investment in culture drives economic growth. We’ve built a thriving music ecosystem that is creating jobs, nurturing talent, and strengthening our global reputation as one of the world’s greatest for music.

“We’re creating opportunities for the next generation, making sure that our area isn’t just a place with a rich musical history, but a global leader in the music of the future.”

Kevin McManus, Head of UNESCO City of Music and lead for the LCR Music Board, said:

“This programme proved the power of investing in music. It helped businesses survive and grow, gave young people pathways into careers, and made sure opportunities were spread across the whole region – not just the city centre.”

The full report, “Strategic Investment Fund for Music in Liverpool City Region: Its Implementation, Outcomes and Impacts”, is available to read online here