Music is Black: Industry Insights

Explore the future of music. Build your creative career. Connect with the people shaping culture.

The Music is Black: Industry Insights, bring together artists, industry leaders and young creatives for a powerful, intergenerational look at how Black creativity continues to shape the music landscape. These events sit alongside The Music is Black Festival from East Bank, giving you cultural inspiration and real‑world career insight in one place.

Whether you’re into music, live events, digital content, production, marketing or behind-the-scenes roles you didn’t even know existed, these sessions will introduce a wide range of creative pathways - from entrepreneurial approaches to the behind‑the‑scenes roles that help the industry run.

Across conversations, networking and hands‑on guidance, you’ll get to connect to the people, knowledge and opportunities that help you navigate and shape the future of music.

Why You Should Come

These events are built for young East Londoners who want to break into the creative & music industries - or just explore what’s possible.

You’ll get:

Industry panels with artists, producers and creative leaders

Peer groups and like-minded young Londoners

Informal networking with employers and creatives

Insight into real career pathways in today’s creative industries

Guidance on different pathways that connect to jobs, freelance work and creative programmes

This is an opportunity to gain insight, meet industry professionals and explore where you might fit in the creative sector.

Event Themes
The event series consists of 3 events and is aligned with the themes for the Music is Black Festival, details below:
- Power & Respect – Wednesday 29 July, 6pm-9pm @Nico's Bar, Hackney Bridge
  - Women and non‑binary creatives leading, shaping and redefining the industry.
- Queer Frequencies – Thursday 20 August, 6pm-9pm, location TBC
  - LGBTQ+ creatives, grassroots culture and the power of inclusive creative spaces.
- Black to the Future – Thursday 17 September, 6pm-9pm, location TBC
  - Black creatives driving innovation, ownership and the next wave of cultural change.
Guests and panellists to be announced.
What to Expect
Each event features three core elements designed to give you a dynamic, inspiring and genuinely useful experience:

In Conversation
- A headline discussion between a well-known industry figure and a Good Growth Hub alumnus. Expect honest stories, career journeys and real‑world insight you won’t find on Google.
Panel Discussion
- A four‑person panel diving into entrepreneurial, emerging and backend roles across the music industry — from creative direction to production, marketing, engineering and more.
Social, Networking & Performance
- A relaxed space to meet artists, producers, employers and other young creatives. Plus, music, live performances, good vibes and the chance to build real connections.