For years, the industry’s focus on music and culture has been dominated by London. Outside of the London bubble there has always been amazing talent and a regional spread of iconic events, championed by artists like The Beatles, Oasis, The Arctic Monkeys, JADE and Sam Fender, but London has remained the industry’s hub. However, there is a shift happening. From leading venues to globally recognised awards, the industry’s focus is expanding beyond the M25 and with it comes the opportunity for brands to reach an incredibly engaged and loyal audience.
The opening of Manchester’s Co-op Live arena in 2024 marked a significant shift in the UK’s live touring landscape. Not only is the nation’s largest indoor arena now outside the capital, but it attracts global artists like Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter, with Billie holding four nights of her European tour at the arena this year. This confidence in Northern cities is echoed by fellow music industry bodies. Following the success of the 2023 Eurovision being hosted in Liverpool and the MOBO awards regularly being hosted in cities across the nation (Sheffield in 2024 and Newcastle in 2025), two other prominent award bodies have moved away from London and found homes in the North. Today, the Mercury Prize makes its debut in Newcastle, and next year, the BRIT Awards is leaving the capital for the first time to be hosted in Manchester. This signals a clear intent from the music industry to champion Northern cities whose cultural heritage have been instrumental in shaping the UK music scene.
Brands should take note. The often-overlooked Northern audience have a thriving interest in live music and entertainment, and they are just as loyal and engaged as their Southern counterparts. Festivals like Kendal Calling in the Lake District regularly sell out before announcing their line-up, a true testament to fan loyalty and an anomaly considering the hardships currently faced by festivals with over 200 shows cancelled since Covid. Similarly, Manchester’s ‘The Warehouse Project’ is a well-established player in live music and remains a popular staple for ravers across the UK. Recognising this demand, AEG has recently announced a new day festival series in Leeds’ Roundhay Park and Cupra have expanded their European music platform into Manchester with ‘Cupra FM’ at their City Garage location. With 9 in 10 music fans agreeing that brands can enrich their live music experience, this presents a prime opportunity for brands to engage with super loyal fan bases on a national scale.
And with this fan loyalty comes significant economic importance. Consumer spend on live music is at a record high of £6.68bn annually, with Manchester and Glasgow being the top 2 cities after London for their total spend – Manchester accounting for 8.1% of all UK spend on live music and Glasgow 5.7% (LIVE Report 2024). So it’s not just cultural value, there’s tangible economic benefits that live music brings, and as a recent report from AEG shows, live music is in the top 3 spending priorities for fans. What does this mean for brands? Music and festival partnerships are one of the strongest platforms to consider when aligning yourself to fan passion points. Providing an opportunity to target consumers in an emotionally charged setting, where they are more loyal and receptive to experiences. This immense passion and loyalty can help future proof your strategy when activated authentically.
When brands develop their activation plans and sponsorship strategies, they should consider what regions of the UK can help them achieve their business objectives; for some this may mean a London-centric approach, but for others who want to reach a larger UK demographic, embracing the Northern audience is vital. This sentiment is echoed at Superstruct UK where their festival portfolio includes events from the South coast up to Cumbria and Sheffield, ‘Being based in London means you sometimes lean more towards London shows but that isn’t always the best approach to brand partnerships. If you consider shows across the UK and in the North you can reach a wider audience and hit your brand objectives.’ Nick Lound, Creative & Strategy Lead, Superstruct. In Fuse’s own work with Vodafone we have assisted in ensuring their portfolio is diversified with a spread of shows across the Lake District, Cornwall, London and Somerset.
The North of England’s rich musical history and legacy proves that live music and entertainment is part of its cultural identity. The industry has now opened their eyes to the immense audience demand, recognising that underserving such a passionate fanbase is no longer an option. Brands who want to reach highly engaged audiences on a national scale should follow suit and invest where the culture is widening its focus, to an audience that is primed and invested in new music experiences.
