FOCUS Wales, the nation’s flagship music industry event, returns to Wrexham from 8 to 10 May 2025, bringing together over 400 industry professionals and more than 250 showcasing artists from across the globe. Celebrating its 15th edition, the festival continues to be a vital platform for new voices and ideas shaping the future of the music industry.
With support from the Welsh Government via Creative Wales, the FOCUS Wales Conference will include the participation of music industry professionals from around the world, including organisations such as PRS Foundation, PPL, PRS for Music, British Council, Arts councils and export agencies.
This year’s conference programme is dedicated to fostering a healthier and more sustainable future for music, with a focus on evolving best practices, equitable opportunities, and strengthening connections between artists and professionals. Across three days, attendees will engage in thought-provoking discussions, insightful panels, and networking sessions designed to drive collaboration and innovation.
Building on last year’s discussion, Cardiff University will present a session on music and language in Cymru and Aotearoa, featuring Māori artists Jordyn with a Y and MOHI. This panel will explore the developments of Prosiect Pūtahitanga, offering a unique opportunity for cultural exchange, joined by a delegation from Aotearoa.
In partnership with FOCUS Wales, Eisteddfod Genedlaethol will host a panel on support networks for women in music, featuring Ani Glass, Heledd Watkins (HMS Morris), Adjua and Tara Bandito. This conversation will highlight the support available for women navigating the music industry, showcasing both institutional and artist-led initiatives that are fostering opportunities within Wales and internationally.
Festival media partner IQ Magazine is staging Watershed Moment – The Next Generation of Music, a panel moderated by IQ’s Deputy News Editor, Lisa Henderson. In addition to her role at IQ, Henderson is the founder and editor of the magazine’s annual Pride issue and heads the agenda for the ILMC Futures Forum conference. She will lead a discussion with a group of emerging professionals who are shaping the future of the music industry through transformative change. The discussion will explore the industry’s evolution, the adoption of new methodologies and the changing landscape for future generations. Molly Palmer, founder of a new digital radio station supported by an R&D grant from Radio Cymru, will share her insights alongside booking agent at Earth Agency, former BBC producer and programmer at the Royal Albert Hall Duncan Smith and Katie Morgan, a programming manager at ASM Global. Together, these voices will illuminate the shifts reshaping the way music is created, shared and experienced.
For the first time, the festival will feature a live episode of The Money Trench podcast, offering an in-depth exploration of the inner workings of the music industry. Produced by Tape Notes and hosted by PPL, The Money Trench is the brainchild of renowned music journalist Mark Sutherland, whose career spans Billboard, NME, Rolling Stone, Variety and BBC Radio 6 Music.
These events will take place alongside previously announced panels curated by LIVE, PPL and Music Venue Trust, as well as a keynote talk by Neil Ingham, Executive Director of Samaritans, discussing the transformative impact of deep, empathetic listening in suicide prevention.
Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership, Jack Sargeant, explained:
“FOCUS Wales exemplifies the creative spirit that makes Welsh culture renowned worldwide, and we’re very proud to be supporting the organsation via Creative Wales again in 2025. As we celebrate its 15th year this flagship event showcases our homegrown talent whilst strengthening Wales’ position on the global music stage. This year’s programme, with its focus on building a more sustainable and equitable future for music, reflects our commitment to nurturing diverse voices. These conversations are essential as we ensure Welsh creativity continues to thrive and resonate both at home and internationally.”
The festival also welcomes exciting additions to its artist lineup: Danish instrumental euphoria trio Smag På Dig Selv (SPDS), one of the wildest live acts in the Nordics, who will appear as part of the ESNS Exchange Programme. They will perform alongside previously announced ESNS Exchange acts Elinborg (Faroe Islands), MAQUINA (Portugal), Muireann Bradley (Ireland) and We Hate You Please Die (France). Joining them on the bill is Cardiff rock band Himalayas, bringing the powerful sound of their new LP Bad Star to Wrexham.
New delegate confirmations include representatives from SXSW, AXEAN Festival (Indonesia), Galway International Arts Festival, M for Montreal, The Line of Best Fit, ASM Global, Music Venue Trust, BBC Wales and many more.
With a diverse mix of festival programmers, artist managers and international booking agents FOCUS Wales remains an essential hub for industry leaders shaping the global music landscape. As FOCUS Wales celebrates this milestone year, it continues to champion emerging talent and industry innovation, amplifying voices from across Wales and around the world. With a lineup spanning genres and generations, the festival promises to be an unforgettable celebration of music’s power to unite, inspire and drive change.
Delegate passes are available at focuswales.com, granting access to all conference events, private networking sessions, the pre-festival showcase, the online delegate database and priority entry to all live performances.
FOCUS Wales is supported by Arts Council of Wales, Welsh Government, and PRS Foundation’s Talent Development Network.
For the full schedule and more details about the conference programme, visit focuswales.com
