Made in Salford – Manchester Music Mooch app launches for summer of music

Made in Salford – Manchester Music Mooch app launches for summer of music

The history of Manchester’s globally renowned music scene is set to be celebrated with a unique, new app – Manchester Music Mooch which shares its rich story by taking fans on an immersive journey of the city’s iconic musical heritage locations while giving emerging artists a platform to shine.

Made possible through The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players and using Augmented Reality (AR) the app takes music lovers on an interactive trail across five grassroots music destinations. Including Tony Wilson Place – featuring The Boardwalk, Hacienda and the Ritz to the Northern Quarter, taking in – Band on the Wall, Fat City Records and the Roadhouse as well as influential music spots in Oxford Road Corridor – Manchester Academy, Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and the former BBC building as well as influential clubs in the Gay Village.

A variety of genres are included from rock and roll to upcoming pop artists with Manchester’s finest – DJ Paulette of No1 Club/Hacienda/Ibiza fame, Rowetta (Happy Mondays), Luke Una (Electric Chair, Homobloc), Kate O’Donnell (Paradise Factory, Trans Creative) and Middleton born singer songwriter JP Cooper providing the narrative.

The app was created by MediaCity based Dig Media and award-winning app developers – ArcadeXR, in collaboration with Manchester Digital Music Archive, Salford University, Toasted Productions and the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), along with support by Manchester Accommodation Business Improvement District and Visit Manchester.

ArcadeXR will have overall responsibility for the app development, UI and design with brand assets designed by Rich Pell, Dig’s Creative Director.

An extension of the Echo Salford app that Dig Media launched a couple of years ago – at its heart the Manchester Music Mooch is a community-based project which involves a raft of contributors including students from The University of Salford MediaCity campus, University Technical College MediaCity, Salford Futures, Band on the Wall and MediaCity’s Immersive Technological Hub (MITIH).

Embedded in the MediaCity eco-system, Dig Media was supported by its academic facilities – tech, project development and production as well as provided a training ground for its students and with support from Salford City Council – job opportunities for locals. The MediaCity Immersive Technology Innovation Hub (MITIH) also supported with Augmented Reality (AR) in bringing the RNCM museum to life.

Its launch comes as the city celebrates a sensational summer of live music, with a whole series of music themed activities as part of Manchester City Council’s MCR Live ’25 campaign, including Wild In Art’s Music for the Senses Guitar Trail. It is expected 1.3 million music tourists will hit the city for events such as the Oasis concerts, Pride and Manchester International Festival.

Simon Marsland, Dig Media’s Founder who has been based in the heart of MediaCity for over 10 years said: “Manchester’s music history is globally renowned but the city often struggles to convey its story cohesively. With Dig Media’s expertise in media production, archiving and technology, alongside extensive local and international music networks, we’re spearheading a resilient way of sharing Manchester’s musical legacy never done before. Thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and to National Lottery players for making this all possible.

“While names like Oasis and The Hacienda shine, the environments nurturing them often go unrecognised. Grassroots music venues such as The Boardwalk and institutions like the Royal Northern College of Music shaped pivotal moments in Manchester music.”

As well as the immersive trail the app plays an important role in supporting emerging artists alongside established local musicians and producers from Manchester’s grassroots music culture.

Loops have been created for the app by the band Doves (3 x No1 UK albums), Mercury Music Award nominated artist Jon Coley, local techno producer JS Zeiter (Kontakt Records), as well as a number of music students from The University of Salford and The Manchester College.

A number of loops come from the archive collection of recorded performances at the Royal Northern College of Music which also features on the trail. There are also loops created from rarely heard, early

experimental electronic music by ‘the father of modern computing’, computer scientist, cryptanalyst and Reader of Mathematics at Manchester University, Alan Turing, who created the first recorded computer-generated music but better known for cracking the enigma code in the second world war.

Simon adds: “Music Loops have enabled us to place emerging artists on a level platform as established, successful artists which was an important element of the project even users of the app can get involved by easily producing and sharing their own music.”

The Manchester Music Mooch app is free to download and is supported by a website offering extra interactive content, more in depth history and information.