An organisation set up to help champion and grow Sunderland’s music scene is celebrating a successful first year.
Sunderland Music City CIC was set up last summer to help drive cultural, economic and social development across the city through music.
Bringing together artists, businesses and community groups, the organisation was established to celebrate the city’s many music success stories and create a new, more vibrant identity for Sunderland moving forward.
Central to this was an ambitious application to join the Music Cities Network, an international music network made up of globally recognised cities including Berlin, Manchester, Sydney and Reykjavik.
The team worked for months on the application, preparing the bid, securing the views and buy-in of people and organisations from across the city and hosting member cities, before finally being accepted into the prestigious network in January 2025.
Eight months on from achieving Music City status for Sunderland and the organisation’s founders are now looking to build on the success of the launch of a five-year, city-wide music strategy with a programme of events to help put Sunderland on the global stage as a music city – known as Sunderland Year of Music 25/26.
Michelle Daurat, CEO of the Sunderland Music Arts and Culture Trust and Sunderland Music City CIC, said: “It’s been an absolute rollercoaster of a first year for Sunderland Music City and we can’t thank everyone enough for their support.
“Not only have we secured Music City status, which in itself is a remarkable achievement and a badge of pride for the city, but we have also helped support over 780 music practitioners and created over 100 new paid music opportunities, delivered over 30 free music events and workshops, created 3 brand new full-time music industry jobs, and had the honour of raising over £50,000 for our chosen charity Love, Amelia.
“We have a fantastic team with a proven track record of success and eclectic skillsets whose experience will be key to helping us deliver the Sunderland Year of Music 25/26 and our five-year strategy to further champion the city’s music scene, which deserves our support.
“It’s been a real labour of love for everyone involved and we couldn’t be happier with how the first year has panned out, but we know there is work to do going forward and we need the help of our partners in the city to deliver our strategy moving forward.”
Sunderland Music City CIC was supported in its journey to becoming a social enterprise by the North East BIC.
The support helped the team navigate the complexities of setting up a social enterprise and also saw the two organisations collaborate on a sold-out Music Growth Lab event at The Fire Station in January where the Music City result was officially announced.
Looking ahead, they are hoping to have an even greater impact on the community by improving access to music for young people, championing local artists and ensuring Sunderland’s burgeoning music sector delivers opportunities for all.
Michelle added: “We’ve loved working with the BIC. Their support has been nothing short of wonderful, but it doesn’t stop there.
“Music has so many cultural and social benefits and we want everyone on Wearside to have more exposure to music by breaking down the barriers to entry for people of all ages and from all backgrounds.
“This means ensuring everyone can access music, providing more platforms for local artists to showcase their talent and partnering with charities, educational providers and community organisations to promote and launch new programmes and workshops.
“We genuinely believe Music City status will be transformative for the city and we look forward to working with the BIC and our partners across the city to ensure this is something that truly delivers for everyone.”
Anthony McDermott, social enterprise adviser at the North East BIC, said: “As someone born and raised in the city, working with Sunderland Music City has been an absolute privilege.
“Their passion for using music to create cultural, social and economic impact is inspiring, and they’ve already achieved so much across the city – from international partnerships to a whole raft of new gigs.
“We’re proud to have supported them at the BIC and can’t wait to see their five-year strategy come to life.”
The BIC’s social enterprise support in Sunderland aims to help grow of the city’s social economy. The Wear Together Initiative – which is part of this support – has received £312,000 from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund Programme which is managed in Sunderland by Sunderland City Council on behalf of the Sunderland Partnership.
To find out more about Sunderland Music City, visit: https://www.musiccity.uk