After Tony, the song remains the same for In The City

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Tony Wilson and Yvette Livesey.

1:00 am, March 10, 2008
After Tony, the song remains the same for In The City

Changes in music industry make annual event "more relevant than ever'

It was a funny feeling, as you can imagine,” said Jon Paul Waddington, general manager of the Manchester's In The City (ITC) music conference. “The chair next to me, where he used to sit, was empty. At that point, we didn't know if there would be another ITC.”

Waddington is of course referring to Tony Wilson, former boss of Factory Records, who founded ITC with his partner Yvette Livesey. The company that used to organise the event, In The City Ltd, is being voluntarily wound up by Livesey, with Begbies Traynor appointed as administrators on February 12. But it is only a restructuring following Wilson's death, according to Waddington, and the show will go on.

“I spent two weeks helping to arrange his funeral, so ITC was totally put on hold. But it wasn't just Tony that made it happen. Yvette was just as much a driving force, so we decided it had to carry on. Tony taught us well as a group, so we can try to do him justice.”

In The City 2008, which takes place between October 5-7, will be the 17th year of the event. Oasis, Radiohead, Coldplay, Doves, Foo Fighters, Elbow, the Stereophonics and Muse have all played as part of the unsigned bands showcase punctuating three days of seminars at the Midland Hotel. In all, ITC uses 11 venues in the city centre and 56 across Greater Manchester for evening events.

The next steps

But this year, the event has attracted the attention of civic leaders. At its meeting in December, Manchester City Council noted that the deputy chief executive of regeneration at the council would be engaging ITC and other music industry professionals “to discuss the production of a report on the next steps for the growth of the music industry in Manchester”.

The minutes also record that the council will be looking to make “clear references to the importance of the Manchester music industry included in all economic strategy documents for the region”.

“It's the first year the council has actually contacted us to discuss a formalised report,” said Waddington. “I think it has finally realised that ITC is one of the only music events in the country that has an international standing. ITC can be used to tie together the creative industries in Manchester, and the council may want to look at the more commercial aspects of it.

“I'd argue that ITC brings millions into the Manchester economy, into its bars, restaurants, hotels, and there's a good mix of international delegates, meaning that the event does its bit for tourism in the area too.”

A preference for the cultural rather than the commercial may have often been Wilson's chosen path, and arguably a raison d'etre, but Waddington is realistic enough to know that ITC has to engage the business sector to make it viable.

He said that the organisation is in “a healthy financial position,” but when asked how much the event costs to put on, his only answer was a shake of the head. “If people knew...” he said.

Certainly, the Midland is among the most expensive conferencing space in Manchester. Last year's event used the Alexandra Suite and the Trafford Suite — £8,000 a day and £3,500 a day respectively. The hotel charges delegate day rates of £79 per person, which includes refreshments, lunch, stationery, overhead projectors, and other organisational tools. Based on last year's attendance of 2.500 delegates, the latter figure equates to £197,500. Otherwise, room hire alone would be almost £35,000 without the additional services.

As well as Livesey and Waddington, ITC also employs a commercial consultant, James Barton; an event manager, Gina Hewitt; and an operations manager, Gavin Cooke, at its offices in the Brewery Yard at the Deva Centre, Salford.

This means that sponsorship plays a huge part in subsidising the event. Sponsors and corporate partners at last year's event included Coca-Cola and MySpace. Support was also provided from the council and the North West Regional Development Agency.

Sponsorship opportunities

“Some sponsorship is already in for this year,” said Waddington. “And we're hoping to work with Coke Music again. A problem with a lot of the creative industries is that they see the private sector as the enemy,” he said. “But Tony knew the value of the city fathers and the local business community.

“There are different arguments around the ethics of sponsorships — Coca-Cola could be seen as a bit too corporate for an event that is about unsigned, grass-roots artists — but the good thing with Coke Music was that it didn't just come in and throw its brand at the event. It launched the Coke Music Player, which is a YouTube for unsigned bands, so they can showcase their material. It's about finding a fit.”

Waddington admitted that the Midland, whilst being “a great setting”, might be seen to jar with the ethos of the event. “The Peter Street corridor is probably a bit out of sync with what we do — there are probably closer ties to the Northern Quarter.”

This is why Waddington is looking to spread ITC across the city. “We want to involve other Manchester arts venues, such as Urbis and the Richard Goodall Gallery,” he said. “Manchester International Festival is probably a bit different to what we do. But if suggestions were made, we'd listen.”

Growing up

And as the event reaches its late teens, Waddington admits that it has done a certain amount of growing up — although not without retaining some of its youthful rebellion. “The look and feel of the event is different every year, but what people loved about it at the start was the sense of anarchy at the event,” he said. “We need to keep that — but balance it with commercial realities.”

At last year's event, there was an example of exactly what Waddington is talking about, as one plucky teenage unsigned singer-songwriter stood up in a plenary session and told the chief executive of Sony/BMG that he didn't really need a record label due to the rise of MySpace.

“When would you have ever got that in the past?” said Waddington. “The industry has changed, and that makes ITC more relevant than ever. We're not tied to major or independent labels, so we bring them together, and artists can learn more from ITC over three days than anywhere else. A lot of money has disappeared from the industry, so everyone involved has got to learn to adapt.”

And it's clearly working for the artists. The most talked about band of 2007's event, Oldham's Twisted Wheel, have just been signed by Columbia. They were only formed a year ago. “I feel a sense of pride when I see local bands signed after ITC,” said Waddington. “Music and football are what Manchester is most famous for. It's good to see the council realise how important they actually are.”

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