How the new Beatles Story attraction will support future talent
Kev McManus, Head of Liverpool UNESCO City of Music, reflects on this week’s announcement about a new home for The Beatles Story and how it will help support future talent…
Apple Corps will be opening a huge, new state of the art Beatles attraction in Liverpool in 2028. It is great news for the city in so many ways but for me what really struck home were the quotes from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Both acknowledged that The Beatles and Liverpool are inseparable. The city made them, and their ongoing love for the place shone through in their words.
The other really exciting element for me was the announcement that every ticket sold to The Beatles Story will contribute to the Apple Corps Liverpool Trust, a charitable initiative established to provide financial support and opportunities for emerging Liverpool artists. This type of support is absolutely vital at the moment – a time when it is increasingly difficult for emerging artists to breakthrough into a music industry that has changed beyond all recognition since the days that The Beatles did so.
This gift back to the city and its musicians is a brilliant gesture and it is why during the local press launch we had some musicians who had benefitted from our own talent development programme, LIMF Academy. Bethane, Koj, Michael Aldag and Astles are all now forging successful careers in the music industry. They were all able to talk about how important the type of support that this funding will facilitate can be. Yaw Owusu, who developed the LIMF Academy concept and has managed it alongside the team from Culture Liverpool, was also there to give his insights into why programmes like this are invaluable in helping emerging artists to develop sustainable careers.
In May this year Liverpool partnered with Hamburg for the Hamburg River Festival. There is obviously a very strong link between the two cities because it is widely recognised that their stints in Hamburg helped forge The Beatles into the all-conquering group they became. In recognition of the fact the Liverpool’s musical development didn’t end with The Beatles, we sent over five emerging artists from the Academy stable who showcased the strength and diversity of our incredible music offer. And as a nod to the historic link we did send over a young Beatles cover band, Beatles Complete. To be honest I think this is what The Beatles themselves would have wanted. They were a group that always pushed forward and rarely looked back. They were constantly innovating musically and taking in influences from all over the world, pushing boundaries and looking forward. So it feels only fitting that they are looking to support the next generations of musical talent with funding from what will be an amazing attraction that will bring in visitors from all the world.
Source: liverpoolexpress.co.uk/Paul Johnston
