Future-facing music conference FastForward (FFWD) will return to Hackney Church in 2027 for its biggest edition to date, once again bringing together leading voices from across the international music industry for a day of ideas, debate, knowledge-sharing and networking.

Taking place on 10th February 2027, FFWD:LDN 27 will bring together figures spanning recorded music, live, technology, artist management, marketing, law, academia and the independent sector to examine the forces shaping the future of music.

The first speakers confirmed for 2027 include:

  • Steve Sayer, SVP and GM, The O2

  • Alice McLean, Head of Label & Artist Solutions, UK, Believe

  • Nick Eziefula, Partner, Simkins and artist Essa

  • Adele Oliver, Author, Deeping It: Colonialism, Culture & Criminalisation of UK Drill

  • Patrick Clifton, Executive Director, ORCA

  • James Ainscough OBE, CEO, Royal Albert Hall

  • Claire Ruddock, Director of Marketing and Culture, Broadwick Live

  • Cam Petschi, Head of Music, co:brand

  • Vanessa Picken, Director Music, TEG Australia

  • Charly Beedell-Tuck, Agent, Solo

  • Benedict Cork, artist

  • Holly Jones, Principal, Music, Greater Manchester Combined Authority

  • Antonia Lines, Senior Programmes Manager, LIVE Trust

  • Dr Rebecca Fiebrink, Professor of Creative Computing, University of the Arts London

  • Emily Thomas, Marketing, Motive Unknown

  • James Fleury, Founder, WYTS

Further speakers, sessions and special guests will be announced over the coming months.

The 2027 programme will explore some of the most pressing questions facing music today including the impact of AI on creators, how to build sustainable careers, the importance of independence in innovation and and how the album format remains commercially and artistically important.

Alongside its panel programme, FFWD will feature its fast-paced 15-minute sessions 'Fast15's, offering focused insights from leading figures across the business. The short presentations will explore global music trends, modern label economics, building music cities, and the criminalisation of Drill culture. 

Founded by music economist Chris Carey in 2015, FFWD has built an international reputation for bringing together different corners of the music business and creating an environment where established leaders sit alongside the people shaping what comes next. 

He shares: “FFWD is on a mission to bring good people together to build a bright future. Part of that means setting up the tough conversations and bringing a diverse range of great minds together to discuss what is next for the music industry. 

"More than that, FFWD goes beyond the content and prioritises creating a welcoming environment where people can meet each other easily and build their own connections and network together.”

The conference places a particular emphasis on practical, actionable conversations and on creating connections across different parts of the sector. FFWD events have led to artists finding managers, businesses finding co-founders, artists getting signed, companies finding investors and many long-term professional relationships being formed.

Sarah Slater, GM, Ticketmaster UK, said: “Ten years in, the thing Chris keeps getting right with FFWD is who’s in the room – the people who’ll be running this business in a decade, sitting alongside the people running it now.” 

She continues:

“The best ideas in music come from managers, promoters, artists, labels, writers and venue teams comparing notes, and FFWD gets them all talking to each other for a day. You always leave with something you didn’t walk in with.”

Super Early Bird tickets for FFWD:LDN 27 are on sale now on our website, priced at £112+VAT: https://ffwd.group/events/ffwdldn27

Sponsors and supporters include Ticketmaster UK, Organization for Recorded Culture and Arts (ORCA), Prisma Music Group, The Money Trench podcast, Signature Brew and Blue Turaco coffee.

Further programme and speaker announcements will follow.