Board formed to champion city's music industry

A new board has been formed in Leicester to champion the city's music scene and raise the profile of its creative industry on a national stage.

The Leicester Music Board (LMB) is being unveiled as part of plans to make it one of the UK's foremost music cities.

Leicester City Council is supporting the board, which seeks to build on the success of the inaugural Leicester Music Conference in February, which was attended by more than 300 delegates and engaged 30 music organisations.

One of the LMB's first tasks will be the development of the Leicester Music Conference and Festival 2025, which is expanding to two days.

A Young People’s Music Careers Conference will be held on the first day on 27 February, with the Leicester Music Conference for industry professionals taking place the day after.

It will be held at the 2Funky music venue in New Park Street and will feature live performances and workshops.

Yasin El Ashrafi, who founded the Leicester Music Conference, said: “I’m genuinely excited about our ambitions for the city.

"With a powerful blend of expertise across music, education and community, we have an incredible foundation to build upon.

"Together, we’re working to elevate Leicester’s music scene, ensuring it remains vibrant, inclusive, and impactful for generations to come.”

The board said another aim it has is to develop better pathways into industry careers and ensure opportunities exist within the city to stop the "exodus of talent".

Sarah Barton-Wales, head of Leicestershire Music, said the board, which aims to strengthen grassroots support for the city's music community, is "leading the way to bridge the gap between music education and the music industry".

“The board will place industry and education side by side to make sure that young people are supported into a career much better and equipped with the skills to build their careers in the way that they want to."

The board is made up of representatives from HQ CAN, 2Funky Arts, Leicester City Council, TiME – Technology in Music Education UK, National Youth Jazz Collective, Leicestershire Music, UMC Management, PPL PRS and DMU.

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