Giving a rendition of Oasis’ Wonderwall and Heaven Knows I’m miserable now by the Smith’s Greater Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham issued a call to arms for the region’s music industry as he launched Greater Manchester’s Music Commission
The Commission will build on successful cultural initiatives in Greater Manchester such as United We Stream and the Greater Manchester Town of Culture, which is held by Bury until the end of 2021. It has been a challenging time for the cultural sector and The Met in Bury are supporting the Town of Culture by taking residence at Burrs Country Park from 27 August–5 September to put on Burrs Live.
Burrs Live, supported by Bury Council, GMCA and Arts Council England features a host of talent from across the city-region, from Badly Drawn Boy and Everything Everything to Happy, a festival celebrating the life and work of local hero Victoria Wood and will be a highlight of Bury’s time as Town of Culture.
The Greater Manchester Music Commission is now looking for representatives from across the music industry including, artists, venues, promoters, festivals, labels, managers and representative and membership bodies to join the Commission. It wants to represent a wide range of music genres from rap and hip-hop to classical and jazz, DJs and electronic music to indie, folk and pop.
“Greater Manchester is a global capital of music, but we must always be wary of trading on past glories and resting on our musical laurels.” said the Mayor
“One of the strengths of this city-region is its willingness to bring on the new and that is what I hope this new Greater Manchester Music Commission will help us to do.
“Right now, our 10 boroughs are home to a vibrant music scene, and we recognise the need to do everything we can to nurture it. We want to celebrate and champion music of all types from all of our communities and support our music industry at every level. There are many players in this and that’s why we will ensure that the Commission represents all of those voices.
“I will take a close personal interest in the work of the Commission and make sure its voice is heard and acted upon.
“The launch of the Commission and the ongoing Greater Manchester Town of Culture initiative will be a legacy of Cllr David Greenhalgh and his contribution to culture in Bolton and across Greater Manchester. It was his drive that helped to bring the Commission and Town of Culture to fruition and his genuine passion for our cultural sector shone through in all the work he did. I am grateful for his contributions to Greater Manchester and the work we did together as part of GMCA.”
GMCA would encourage anyone who thinks they fit the bill to be a member of the Greater Manchester Music Commission to apply to be a commissioner. You can find more information about eligibility and how to apply on the GMCA website here: https://
Applications open Monday 23 August and close Friday 10 September. Membership of the Commission will be announced in late September and with a first meeting scheduled later in 2021.
