Back in 1977, the Beatles became the first act to be honoured for their outstanding contribution to music at a London ceremony that would later become the Brit Awards.
Ever since then, for more than 40 years, the show has taken place in the capital; the link was celebrated by Sabrina Carpenter and her dancing beefeaters earlier this year, and Dua Lipa when she arrived on stage in a stylised Tube carriage for her performance in 2021.
The annual Mercury Prize, another of the industry’s most significant awards ceremonies, has also taken place in London every year since it launch in 1992.
And it’s not just the awards shows, but the labels, too. The idea that you have to be in the capital in order to find success in the industry has been prevalent for years; a frustrating and difficult notion for those who cannot afford to pay the higher cost of living, as well as creatives calling for investment elsewhere.
But things are changing. As the digital era has brought down barriers to entry, action around geographical decentralisation is also ramping up. In 2023, EMI launched EMI North – the UK’s “first ever major label office” based outside London, with the aim of creating employment opportunities “and to uplift and upskill” people in the area.
Brit Awards organisers have announced a move to Manchester‘s new Co-op Live venue for the 2026 and 2027 shows. Next week, the Mercury Prize ceremony will be held in Newcastle, with a week of fringe events talking place in the city in the run-up.
“We’ve always had the ambition to extend its reach, move it out of London, because it is a prize that is showcasing the best music from across Britain and Ireland,” says Jo Twist, chief executive of BPI, which organises the Mercury Prize. “We have talent everywhere… it’s what makes the British and Irish music industry so fantastic on a global stage, that diversity of talent.”
She highlights success stories from the North East – from Sting to Brit winners JADE and Mercury nominee Sam Fender – and says she would love to see more awards shows taking place in different locations.
“We shouldn’t have to move from one city to another necessarily to have a career. And actually bringing a show like this has so many other benefits, not just the exposure and the stuff we can do around the fringe event, but also the economic impact.”
Jason Iley, chairman and chief executive of Sony Music UK & Ireland, which is organising the Brits for the next three years and spearheaded the ceremony’s move, says it will “invigorate the show” and build on the legacy of “celebrating and reinvesting in world-class music”.
And Manchester, with its famous musical heritage – acts from The Smiths to Harry Styles, Happy Mondays to The 1975, and, of course, Oasis – was the perfect choice for the first show outside London.
Manchester has always had the scene, says rapper, songwriter and producer OneDa. Now, she says, a better industry infrastructure is building up around it.
“It’s important for young people from the North to realise you don’t have to go to London, because that seemed [at one time] to always be the case… no, it can happen right here. There’s so many different industries, especially the creative industries, hubs, that have moved to Manchester, and that shows that they can feel it as well.”
Earlier in October, OneDa hosted Beyond The Band, a music careers event for young people held at Co-op Live and supported by Ignition Music, an independent record company and part of Oasis’s management.
The biggest challenge facing the industry is the cost of making music, she says, but decentralisation helps with that and empowers the whole country. “People have more access points now… A lot of the best music comes from pain, comes from struggle, comes from the grit and resilience and being able to overcome obstacles.
“To make sure it’s not just middle class and rich people making music we have to help people on that level by providing spaces that they can network and meet people in… so they can carry on with their passion.”
The Brits moving to Manchester will also help other businesses in the area, says Sarah Pearson, one of the co-founders of the Beyond The Music co-operative, alongside Oli Wilson and Rose Marley. “It is going to be a huge for the music industry in Manchester.
“And it’s going to encourage – like the Oasis shows – those entrepreneurs and that energy in the city, and the next generation to think, I can do this, I can be part of this. There’s going to be more jobs available. So it’s really exciting.”
It’s something the MOBOs have already been doing for a while now; their first event outside the capital took the best of black British music to Glasgow in 2009. Coventry, Leeds and Sheffield have all hosted, too – and next year, like the Brits, the show moves to Manchester for the first time.
Founder and chief executive Kanya King says MOBO is more than an awards show, highlighting how it has shaped culture and “opened doors for generations” of talent.
“We recognised early on that to truly fulfil our mission, we had to take MOBO beyond London,” she continues. “Incredible talent exists in every corner of the UK and it was vital for us to shine a light on those communities too.”
There were doubters, King says, when the ceremony first left the capital. People who thought “artists wouldn’t travel or audiences wouldn’t show up”. However, the opposite was true. “The energy was electric, and it became one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.”
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Ahead of the Mercury Prize ceremony on Thursday, organised through a collaboration of the BPI, Newcastle City Council, The North East Combined Authority, and North East music development agency Generator, the fringe events are now under way.
“I love that different scenes are being highlighted,” says nominee Emma-Jean Thackray, who is shortlisted for her second album, Weirdo. “There’s so much going on, it’s not just about London – I live in London and I love London, but I’m from Leeds and there’s so much going on there and other different parts of the country.”
Fellow Jacob Alon, who grew up in Fife, says they were excited by the move. “I think there’s just so much vibrancy everywhere and it’s nice to get a bit of spotlight on those different projects.
“Maybe one day it’ll end up in Fife. Who knows?”
