As part of our Horizon Future Leaders series of interviews, we are connecting with the music industry’s next generation of leaders to gather candid advice and insights into their career journeys.
This week, we spoke to Sean Knibb, Production And Conference Manager at Liverpool’s Sound City Festival.
Coming from a background as a touring musician with a Geography degree, Sean’s route into the live music industry wasn’t the most conventional, but it’s precisely that hands-on experience that’s shaped his approach. Whether booking artists, building conferences or managing a multi-venue festival weekend, he brings a grounded, all-round perspective to his work.
His story is a reminder that there’s no one way in, and that showing up, staying curious and being genuinely helpful can open the right doors.
👇 Read on for Sean’s reflections on starting out without a music degree, building networks by just asking, and learning to step up - even when you don’t immediately have all the answers.
What’s your current role in the music industry?
I am currently employed as the Production And Conference Manager for Sound City Festival. My role is split between ensuring both the conference and music days of the festival happen successfully.
What does your general day to day look like?
I'd say my day to day can be dependent on the time of year. In the lead up to the festival, my days vary from booking artists or speakers, distributing advances, liaising with sponsors, and working alongside the festival manager when programming the line-up.
During the festival weekend, we have around fifteen venues involved from Thursday to Sunday, and I am on hand to make sure any problems that have the potential to arise are dealt with. Post festival, I am currently heading up an artist development programme, programming a course to help the future generation of talent progress their careers in music.
I do enjoy that my job has a varying amount of responsibilities. It is always fun when hunting for new artists that you think are great and can’t wait to showcase on the festival bill. Also, collaborating with music professionals to plan and execute a day of conferencing has given me a greater understanding of aspects of the music industry I’d previously neglected.
There is also the challenge of managing budgets whilst negotiating deals with agents and management, which is a part of the process to make the festival happen.
What steps did you take early in your career to gain experience and build skills to get you where you are now?
I think my journey to get to where I am now wasn’t very straightforward. I did not go to university to study anything music-related; I actually studied Geography.
Since my teens, I have been in a band and have fortunately gained many amazing memories through that, travelling up and down the country playing shows and festival stages. During my university years and beyond, I was taking any work I could get in music, repping gigs, and artist liaison roles at big shows.
Between this and performing in the band, I began to build up a knowledge of how live gigs operate. Being unmanaged and signed to a record label also helped with my understanding of how to conduct myself professionally when dealing with music professionals.
I think what got me this job was down to being very keen to make a good impression. I was offered to join the Sound City team on a semi-permanent role as the Production Manager after being a reliable worker on the local gig scene.
However, as the chaos of booking a festival unfolded and tasks got passed around, I was always happy to take on the workload. Things I didn’t know, I’d try to find out, or just ask questions to more experienced colleagues.
I learnt a lot when I joined the team and was very pleased to be offered a full time role with more responsibilities. I think the skill of just putting yourself out there is something I learnt from playing music for many years and something I applied to this job.
What opportunities did you explore early on that were particularly valuable?
The most useful tool I used was just networking as much as possible. Whatever you are passionate about, attend events and just get talking to people, you never know where it could lead. In my case of music, I’m forever attending shows, going to events, and building an online network of music professionals.
Don’t be scared to ask people to get involved with things they have going on, most opportunities I’ve been given start from simply asking the question, “If you have any work opportunities coming up, I’d love to be involved”.
Has the opportunity landscape changed since then?
It can be very difficult to get your foot in the door of businesses you want to work for. I’d say it would be beneficial to be flexible on what job roles you take early in your career. With rising costs and the current economic climate, it is worth starting your career in the industry you want to be in. Even though it may not be the exact role, you can pick up skills and make invaluable connections along the way.
Are there any specific internships, projects, or initiatives that you would recommend to newcomers looking to pursue a similar role?
I know Sound City offers internships in the lead up to the festival. This is the same for many music companies, and I would recommend researching companies in your local area and making enquiries. If these internships lead to employment, that is fantastic, but at a minimum, you will gain some contacts you can keep in touch with after the placement.
I have already detailed how important I think networking is, and I feel volunteering your time while you are young will benefit your chances of finding a role you want.
At Sound City, we offer some volunteer roles during the festival to help with tasks such as box office and artist liaison. We had a volunteer last year who made such a good impression that we offered him a role as one of the stage managers for this year's event.
What advice do you have for building and leveraging a professional network in the music industry?
It sounds so simple, but in all honesty, it pays to be attentive and helpful to anyone you work or interact with. Someone could have a lot of pressure to get tasks done, and if you can help it goes a long way to staying in their thoughts.
If you are trying to build relationships with specific people or companies, I find it important to do some research. Find out who the people are and see if you have any mutual connections, if you can be introduced, even better.
When meeting people, be kind and steer away from being overzealous. When talking to a potential employer, I try to communicate in a way that shows how I can be useful to them, rather than just trying to shower myself in praise.
How has the evolving digital landscape impacted your role, and where do you focus to stay ahead?
The ever-growing digital space has drastically changed how we consume and engage with music. Sound City is a new music festival and we thrive in discovering new music and having those artists play on our stages.
I love being able to find artists to book, but there is so much content across many platforms, it becomes a very difficult task to manage. It is best to work closely with fellow employees, management and agents to ensure we find great talent to book.
What trends or changes do you see on the horizon for the music industry, and how can early career professionals prepare for them?
We are already seeing the changes to how people consume content. The rise of artists becoming prolific content creators through their social media channels is prevalent in today’s music industry.
I would recommend anyone who wants to work with artists or has an interest in working in live events to stay aware of these trends. It is important to know what you are looking at and what is working to keep that edge.
I also think young professionals should be prepared to be flexible with their job roles within the industry. As technology will streamline tasks, job roles could begin to overlap and lead to professionals taking on roles they didn’t consider before being hired.
What is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?
Let your voice be heard. I don’t mean it is wise to go into meetings and be the loudest in the room, but don’t be afraid to make points, put your ideas forward, and ask questions to those around you. You’ll definitely have some bad ideas, but you will learn a lot more along the way.
I feel it can work in your favour, showing those who you work with that you are eager and have ideas of how to improve the company. As your knowledge builds, your input will be valued at a much higher level.