Pride and Potential: A Music Strategy For Sunderland 2025-2030
The Sunderland Music Strategy (2025-2030) is a comprehensive plan that aims to propel the growth and prosperity of Sunderland’s music scene.
It strategically focuses on critical areas of development and emphasises music’s role in driving economic, social, and cultural progress. By aligning Sunderland with other leading ‘Music Cities’ globally, the strategy seeks to harness music’s impact in enhancing citizens’ lives and fostering vibrant, prosperous communities.
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"This strategy provides a framework for ideas and projects to help Sunderland flourish into an internationally renowned, creative city with music at its heart. It builds on the fantastic foundations we have established in our transforming city, offering even more encouragement for our local artists, and sparking inspiration in the next generation of musicians in Sunderland. This city is committed to nurturing its vibrant music industry, which is why I support the Sunderland Music Strategy for 2025-2030. I invite you to support this wonderful sector and embrace the excitement of Sunderland’s Music City."
Cllr. Michael Mordey - Leader of Sunderland City Council
Sunderland Music City will audit spaces and places not currently used for music to explore their feasibility for gigs, festivals, rehearsal spaces and other suitable uses.
A city-wide prospectus will be made available to bookers and promoters so they understand the Sunderland landscape.
And we'll work with partners to improve connectivity between venues and highlight current spaces and places through improved marketing and promotion.
Sunderland Music City will partner with educational providers and community organisations to promote and support music programmes and workshops.
We'll explore local and national funding avenues for music education to help provide financial support for music programmes and initiatives. Sunderland Music City will support, co-promote, and host live music events with partners.
Alongside this we will develop partnerships with music businesses, venues, studios, and music education organisations to provide work experience and training opportunities for young people and emerging artists. And we'll promote the significant benefits of music education to parents, caregivers, and the broader community.
We'll establish the Sunderland Music City Directory as the primary resource for people looking to advance in their musical journey in Sunderland.
We'll host informal networking and social events where emerging and established musicians can connect with industry. We'll signpost mentorship and career progression programmes, and we'll create platforms for emerging artists to showcase their work.
Alongside this we will collaborate with businesses, educational providers, and music organisations to offer internships and work experience opportunities for those interested in gaining further insight into the music industry.
We'll collaborate with partners, including the North East Business and Innovation Centre, to offer a series of workshops and masterclasses on topics that are directly relevant and beneficial to the music sector, such as financial planning and management, understanding copyright law, engaging and building an audience, contract negotiations, effective networking, marketing, and navigating diverse media platforms.
We'll offer weekly surgeries with the Music Office for individuals or organisations seeking advice, referrals, and guidance on music-related matters, such as commissioning musicians and applying for funding. We'll serve as a mediator, advocate, and connector between musicians and the industry. And we'll collaborate with the Living Wage Foundation and the Musicians’ Union to ensure that individuals working in the music sector in Sunderland experience fair pay and conditions.
Sunderland Music City will collaborate with Children North East to conduct Poverty Proofing sessions across the city’s music sector to remove obstacles hindering access to and participation in musical activities.
We'll work with all venues in Sunderland to assess their accessibility for individuals with disabilities and provide support for implementing reasonable improvements. And we'll map accessible venues throughout the city.
In addition, we will support educational bodies by highlighting the benefits technology can have on accessibility in the music-making process, so that everyone can make and enjoy music if they wish to.
Sunderland Music City will collaborate with the music sector and the Musicians’ Union to create a mental health charter that recognises the challenges musicians and artists face and develops mechanisms to help anticipate and overcome them.
We'll collaborate with Sunderland Culture and other organisations in Sunderland on social prescribing through music. Social prescribing is a non-clinical intervention that includes activities typically offered by voluntary and community-sector organisations, such as the arts, gardening, and cooking.
We'll provide guidance toward secure environments for musicians and individuals within the local music community to discuss their mental well-being. And we'll provide and promote mental health first-aid training for those in the local music industry by trusted professionals and accredited mental health organisations.
We'll collaborate with Sunderland City Council to convene festival and event organisers throughout Sunderland. This initiative explores the development of and the commitment to a gender equality policy in programming and support roles.
Sunderland Music City will work alongside Sunderland Music Hub, We Make Culture, Cultural Spring, Sunderland Culture and others to guarantee that a wide variety of individuals are included in learning resources and serve as role models and mentors in their engagements with children and other learners.
We'll ensure that marginalised and underrepresented groups are involved in planning and decision-making from the outset and encourage others to do the same.
In addition we'll conduct and review current research to explore the career journeys of women, gender minorities, and global majority music makers in the music industry, focusing on their motivations, experiences, and challenges.
musiccity.uk will become a central hub for all Sunderland music listings and we'll investigate selling tickets for venues if they wish.
We'll introduce a free membership for Sunderland music fans, giving them access to exclusive ticket deals at local venues. Launch Music City Radio, a global station highlighting Sunderland Music City to an international audience. And we'll repurpose selected radio content and interviews for the Music City Podcast and Vodcast.
We'll establish designated visitor points for Sunderland Music City throughout the city; create and distribute a Sunderland Music City roadmap for musicians in collaboration with NARC Magazine, and design and provide walking routes that connect all venues in Sunderland.
We'll increase awareness of our city’s musical history, and develop a strategy to market Sunderland as a music destination, working with business, musicians and authorities.
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Sunderland is entering an exciting chapter in its cultural journey, with music ready to lead in shaping its unique identity and future growth. The Sunderland Music Strategy (2025- 2030) lays out an inspiring and clear plan to tap into the incredible power of music to transform the city in wonderful ways - economically, socially, and culturally.
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