UK Music annually hosts panel events with MPs and key figures from the industry at the political party conferences. These events give UK Music the opportunity to highlight key issues for the music industry to delegates. This is a historic record of party conference events and all job titles and positions were correct at the time of the event.
2025
In 2025, UK music took to the major party conferences where we hosted a panel sessions titled Push the Button: Why Backing British Music Will Kick Start Growth, which highlighted our Hometown Glory music tourism report and celebrated our world-leading industry while shining a spotlight on the key challenges it faces.
Our panel session at the Labour conference in Liverpool featured a stellar line-up comprised of Creative Industries Minister Ian Murray, Musicians’ Union General Secretary Naomi Pohl, Chief Public Policy Officer of the Music Publishers Association (MPA) Ornella Akanga and Labour MP for East Thanet Polly Billington. The session was chaired by UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl. The panel addressed a number of crucial issues, from the threat of AI firms stealing the creative industries’ work to seeking a solution to the obstacles facing UK-EU touring.
You can read more about the panel here.
At the Conservative conference in Manchester, our brilliant panel of music and political leaders explored the extraordinary power of music in driving the economy and employment on both a local and national level. While highlighting the music as an invaluable force for growth, panellists also drew attention to the plight of the grassroots sector and its vital role in providing cultural hubs for communities across the UK and platforming the stars of tomorrow. The line-up brought together UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl (chair); Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee; Sophie Jones, BPI Chief Strategy Officer; Baroness Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Conservative Peer and former Intellectual Property Minister; and Gary McClarnan, CEO of Sparklestreet Projects and long-time music industry fixer.
You can read more about the panel here.
At the Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth, our panel centred on music being a great driver for local growth, while also discussing the threats posed by AI, the importance of access to a first class music education for all, and the challenges of EU touring. The line-up included Liberal Democrat DCMS Spokesperson Max Wilkinson MP, Chief Executive of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Dougie Scarfe, PRS for Music Public Affairs Manager, Meg Harding, and UK Music Chief Executive, Tom Kiehl.
You can read more about the panel here.
Past Party Conference Events
2024
In 2024, UK Music headed to all of the major party conferences to champion our incredible music industry and highlight the challenges facing the sector.
At the Labour conference in Liverpool, we lined up a brilliant panel to highlight the actions needed from the new Government to help the sector grow and to tackle the challenges the music industry faces. The panel featured singer-songwriter and campaigner Rebecca Ferguson MBE; Labour MP Sharon Hodgson who has led the campaign in Parliament against rip-off ticketing; Labour MP Alex Sobel, the new co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Music; and Michael Eakin OBE, CEO of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Chair of the Liverpool City Region Music Board.
Chairing the panel entitled ‘How Can We Turn a Moment of Political Change Into a Moment Of Change for Our Music Industry?’, UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl outlined the success of the UK’s music industry which contributes nearly £7 billion a year to the UK economy. You can read more about the panel here.
The Conservative conference in Birmingham became a pivotal platform for the UK’s music industry leaders to discuss future support and growth strategies. The panel featured notable figures Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Select Committee; Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, Shadow Minister for the Arts; Lara Carmona, Director of Policy and Engagement at Creative UK; and Ammo Talwar, Chair of the UK Music Diversity Taskforce and CEO of Punch Records. The panel was Chaired by UK Music Chief Executive, Tom Kiehl.
Opening the session, Lord Parkinson emphasised the music industry’s significant contribution to society. He said: “The music industry is hugely important for the economy, as well as our social lives and wellbeing”. He highlighted the support the Conservative Party gave the music industry whilst in Government, including financial support during COVID-19 and increased investment in musical instruments for school aged children. You can read more about the panel here.
It was a full house at UK Music’s Liberal Democrat Conference fringe event in Brighton. Chaired by UK Music Chief Executive, Tom Kiehl, the panel line-up included Liberal Democrat MP for Guildford, Zoe Franklin; Liberal Democrat peer and spokesperson for culture, Baroness Bonham-Carter; 2024 election candidate for the Liberal Democrats, Charlie Clinton; and managing director of Revenge nightclub, Steve Jones. The session covered a wide range of topics affecting the music industry, with a key focus on the importance of music education. You can read more about the panel here.
2023
In 2023, we took our newly published Manifesto for Music to all the major party conferences to help politicians and policymakers better understand what the UK music industry wanted to see from Government and the devolved administrations.
At Labour’s conference in Liverpool, our panel line-up featured Shadow Minister for Music and Tourism Barbara Keeley, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Music and Shadow Minister Kevin Brennan MP, Culture Liverpool Director Claire McColgan and Head of UNESCO City of Music, Kevin McManus and was chaired by Labour Peer and Chair of UK Music Tom Watson.
The panel, entitled Manifesto for Music: How Can a Labour Government Protect Our Music Industry, took place October 9 at the Liverpool Hilton Hotel near the Albert Docks conference centre. You can read more about the event in our report here. Pictures from the event can be seen here.
At the Conservatives’ conference in Manchester, Cabinet Office Minister Baroness Lucy Neville-Rolfe pledged before a UK Music panel audience that the Government would ensure music industry concerns over the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) were “fully understood”.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe was joined at the event on October 3 by former Levelling Up Minister and All-Party Parliamentary Group on Music member Dehenna Davison MP, Royal Albert Hall CEO James Ainscough and CEO of Nordoff & Robbins Sandra Schrembi. You can read our report here. Pictures from the event can be seen here.
We attended the Liberal Democrats’ conference in Bournemouth which was our first stop on our tour of the party conferences. We help a reception and networking event which saw a successful turnout of influential figures, including political leaders, industry insiders, and advocates for the arts. You can read more about the event here.
We shared our Manifesto for Music with politicians and delegates at the Green Party conference in Brighton. You can read how that went here.
And, we also joined Plaid Cymru delegates in Aberystwyth on October 6 for their conference so we could discuss with them what the music industry would like to see from policymakers. You can read our report here.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) marked the last stop on our tour. You can read about our visit to Aberdeen here.
You can read a round-up which summarises our activities at all the 2023 party conferences here.
2022
The power of music to boost health and wellbeing was discussed at the Conservative Party’s annual conference in 2022. UK Music’s event featured UK Music’s Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, Campaign Director for Music For Dementia’s Grace Meadows, MP for Clwyd South and founder of Concertina – Music for the Elderly (which provides live music in care homes and day centres across England and Wales) Simon Baynes MP, BPI’s Director of Public Affairs Sophie Jones and General Secretary of the Musician’s Union Naomi Pohl.
Pictures from the event can be seen here.
Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell was joined by award-winning recording engineer Olga FitzRoy, Grammy and BRIT award-winning producer Steve Levine, and Head of UNESCO City of Music at Culture Liverpool, Kevin McManus and UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin at the UK Music Labour party conference panel.
Pictures from the event can be seen here.
2021
In 2021, the panels discussed how could music recover from the pandemic.
The line-up featured Greater Manchester Combined Authority Sacha Lord, Chief Executive of UK Hospitality Kate Nicholls OBE, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Music Chair David Warburton MP, Conservative MP & APPG for Events Theresa Villiers and Conservative MP & APPG on Music member Simon Baynes.
Pictures can be seen here.
The UK Music Labour conference panel line-up was Shadow Culture Secretary Jo Stevens MP, Festival Republic Managing Director Melvin Benn, DCMS Select Committee Member Alex Davies-Jones MP and Craig Stanley of Marshall Arts.
Pictures from the event can be seen here.
2019
The 2019 events focused on the discussing the challenges facing self-employed parents in the music industry.
The Liberal Democrat event featured Lord Tim Clement-Jones (Lords Spokesperson For Digital), Luciana Berger (Liberal Democrat MP and APPG on Music Vice-Chair), Judith Bunting MEP (EU CULT committee & Liberal Democrat Party Spokesperson), Olga FitzRoy (MPG Executive Director)
Pictures of the event can be seen here.
At the Conservative event panel line-up of speakers included Olga FitzRoy (Coldplay & Doctor Who sound engineer), Baroness Lucy Neville-Rolfe (House Of Lords), Simon McVicker (Director of Policy, IPSE), chaired by UK Music CEO Michael Dugher.
Pictures from the event can be seen here.
Vicky Foxcroft MP (Shadow DCMS Minister), Tracy Brabin (#SelfieLeave Bill Sponsor), Horace Trubridge (General Secretary, Musicians’ Union) and Olga FitzRoy (Coldplay & Doctor Who sound engineer) spoke at the UK Music Labour Party event, chaired by UK Music CEO Michael Dugher,
Pictures from the event can be seen here.
2018
The 2018 events focused on the challenges of sustaining the music industries talent pipeline.
The Labour event was chaired by UK Music CEO Michael Dugher and included Steve Rotheram (Metro Mayor, Liverpool City Region), Kevin Brennan MP (Shadow Deputy DCMS Secretary), Sharon Hodgson MP (Co-chair APPG on Music), Horace Trubridge (General Secretary, Musicians’ Union) and Vanessa Reed (CEO, PRS Foundation).
Michael Dugher was joined by Baroness Sue Garden, Lord Tim Clement-Jones, Mel Thornton and Tom Gray for the panel at the Liberal Democrat conference.
At the Conservative Party Conference event Michael Dugher, Damian Collins MP, UK Music Chairman Andy Heath, Margot James MP and Julian Lloyd Webber all spoke.
2017
In 2017 the panels discussed the potential impact on the music industry of the UK leaving the European Union.
The UK Music event at the Labour Conference featured Horace Trubridge, General Secretary of the Musicians’ Union and included Sharon Hodgson MP, Co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Music, Kevin Brennan MP, Shadow Deputy DCMS Secretary and Stewart Wood, a Labour peer, and former Number Ten adviser on Culture, Media and Sport.
Christine Jardine MP (Lib Dem Shadow Secretary of State for DCMS), Jane Bonham-Carter (Lead Lib Dem Spokesperson on DCMS in the House of Lords), Tim Clement-Jones (Lib Dem Spokesperson on the Digital Economy in the House of Lords), Councillor Jon Tolley (Kingston councilor and owner of Banquet Records) and Vick Bain, CEO of BASCA (now Ivors Academy), all spoke at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference event.
The Conservative Party Conference event panel line-up featured UK Music CEO Michael Dugher, Digital Minister Matt Hancock, Chelmsford MP Vicky Ford and CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn.
Pictures from the event can be seen here.
2015
In 2015 the panels discussed arts, culture and creativity after the election.
The Labour Party event featured UK Music Chief Executive Jo Dipple, John Kampfner from the Creative Industries Federation, Matthew Fell from CBI, the BBC’s James Heath and Shadow DCMS Secretary Michael Dugher.
Pictures from the even can be seen here.
UK Music CEO Jo Dipple was joined by John Kampfner (CIF), Matthew Fell (CBI), David Warburton MP, Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Minister for IP), James Heath (BBC) and David Morris MP for the Conservative Party Conference event.
Pictures from the event can be seen here.
The Liberal Democrat event panel line-up was Jo Dipple (CEO at UK Music), Dan Wilson (BBC), Tom Thackray (CBI), Harriet Finney (CFI) and Liberal Democrat politican Baroness Bonham-Carter.
Pictures from the event can be seen here.
