Lancashire Music Summit 2025
The Lancashire Music Association hosted the 2025 Lancashire Music Summit: an event for all music stakeholders.The summit explored what’s needed for Lancashire’s music people, scenes, places, and industry to thrive.
It featured future-facing talks from experts on the live music industries, technology, funding opportunities, inclusivity and accessibility, music-related education, artist and band development, and other key topics.
Attendees connected with a wide range of music stakeholders including members of the LMA advisory board, and had the opportunity to network and contribute to important conversations about the future of music in Lancashire.The summit welcomed a diverse group of attendees: industry experts, trade association and local authority representatives, music makers, producers, venue operators, promoters, managers, DJs, record labels, publishers, tech professionals, supply chain and retail workers, educators, investors, funders, and other stakeholders across the music ecosystem.
Those with a professional interest in the music industry had the chance to engage directly with accomplished professionals and help shape the regional music landscape.
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Speakers
Jon Collins - CEO, LIVE
Jon Collins is the Chief Executive Officer of LIVE, the UK’s umbrella organisation representing the live music industry. With decades of experience at the highest levels of the night-time economy and entertainment sectors, Jon plays a vital role in championing the interests of venues, promoters, artists, and live music professionals across the country. His leadership brings together key players across the sector to present a united voice to government, media, and the public.
Rufy Ghazi - Music Tech & Research Consultant
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The Tech Toolkit: Essential Digital Innovations for Lancashire's Music Scene
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Rufy Anam Ghazi is a Music Tech & Research Consultant with a dynamic background spanning product management, digital operations, and music research. Based in London, a Tech Nation alumna and a recently appointed mentor for Abbey Road REDD, Rufy has worked with major players like ByteDance (TikTok) and Amra (Kobalt Music Group), as well as supporting a range of innovative music tech startups in fractional product roles.
Rufy co-authored PROMPT for Musicians, an essential guide for artists and industry professionals exploring the power of AI tools like ChatGPT. As the Music Research Lead at Audience Strategies, she led research for the "Third UK Electronic Music Industry Report" for the Night Time Industries Association, offering vital insights into the resilience, innovation, and economic impact of the UK’s electronic music scene. Her thought leadership has been featured in outlets like Billboard, where she has written on the transformative potential of AI in music production, marketing and operations.
Tom Salmon - Supporting Grassroots Music Relationship Manager, Arts Council England
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Arts Council’s Supporting Grassroots Music programme - funding for Lancashire's grassroots music sector
​Tom Salmon (he/him) is the Supporting Grassroots Music (SGM) Relationship Manager for the North at Arts Council England. The SGM programme is available to venues, promoters, festivals, recording studios and rehearsal studios in the grassroots music sector, and offers funding of up to £40,000.
Tom is an events producer, musician, and promoter from Cumbria, with a decade in broadcasting. He spent much of that time presenting and producing the weekly BBC Music Introducing in Cumbria programme, championing new music locally and nationally, featuring on BBC Radio Cumbria, Radio 1, Radio 2, and 6 Music. Tom is passionate about developing networks and using his experience and knowledge to support the Grassroots Music sector.
Jay Hall - Progression and Inclusion Manager, Lancashire Music Service
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Accessing music related knowledge and skills in Lancashire.
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Jay Hall is the Progression and Inclusion Manager at Lancashire Music Service, where he plays a central role in ensuring that all children and young people—regardless of background or circumstance—have access to high-quality music education and opportunities to thrive through music.
Maia Barker - Accessibility Expert, Attitude Is Everything
Accessibility and Inclusivity in Lancashire's Music Industry: Context, Benefits and Opportunities for Progress
Maia Barker is an accessibility expert, with a Master’s degree in Music Industry Management and Promotion from UCLan. Their academic research focused on improving sensory access at live events, which they have presented at conferences across the country.Their commitment to breaking down barriers in the music industry continues in their work at Attitude is Everything, where they began as a Skills Development Intern and now holds two pivotal roles: Charter Systems Coordinator and Artist Engagement Coordinator.
Maia has helped to develop the charter for accessibility at live events. They bring both lived experience and professional insight to their advocacy, helping to shape a more equitable future for artists and audiences alike. Maia has also worked with Lancashire-based charity Blaze Arts on the Access All Areas project—an initiative designed to create meaningful creative opportunities for young disabled people in Preston.
Stephen Holl - Guitarist, Massive Wagons
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How to develop a Successful Band in Lancashire: Success Metrics and Methods.
Stevie Holl is the guitarist for the hard rock band Massive Wagons, one of the North West’s most electrifying success stories in recent years. Hailing from Lancaster, Stevie is part of a band that rose from local pub gigs to national recognition, with multiple albums breaking into the UK Top 10 and earning a loyal fanbase across the country.
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He has had 8 years experience of touring within the UK and Europe through supports, headline gigs and festivals far and wide. From playing down at your local to performing at some of the biggest named festivals in Rock.
Supported by
Tony Rigg- Music Industry Advisor & Educator/ Founder, Lancashire Music Association
Tony Rigg is a Music Industry Advisor, Practitioner, and Educator at the University of Central Lancashire, where he leads the Master’s Programme in Music Industry Management, which he co-founded in 2012 with Peter Hook and co-chairs the university's Music Research Group and supervises PhD candidates. He also collaborated with Hebei University (HBU) in China to set up the Music Industry Management MA programme launched in 2023.With senior management experience at leading music and entertainment organisations, including the role of Operations Director at Ministry of Sound, Tony has overseen over 100 music venues and delivered thousands of events. He is the Director of the Preston Jazz and Improvisation Festival and has a chart pedigree as an artist and producer featured on chart-topping and gold-selling albums.
Ewa Mazierska - Professor of Film Studies, University of Central Lancashire
Dr Ewa Mazierska is a Professor at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and Research Coordinator for REF Unit 33. Ewa has published over 20 monographs and edited collections on music and culture, including the collaborations with Rigg plus Sounds Northern: Popular Culture, Music and Place in England’s North (Equinox 2018). She is also the principal editor of Studies of Eastern European Cinema.
Harry Westall - Community Development Manager/Researcher/Educator
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Harry Westall is the Community Development Manager for the Lancashire Music Association and a PhD Researcher. He is responsible for connecting with and developing relationships with the counties musical stakeholders. Whilst his research with the LMA covers a wide range of the music industry, Harry's PhD research focuses specifically on branding, marketing and community development strategies for grassroots music artists. and has advised on a number of projects in their early stages. Harry has presented research at the Night Time Industries Association Summit in Birmingham and will be presenting at the Association for Popular Music's European Conference in July.