For one week each year, dBs Institute opens its doors and hands over the timetable to the people inside the music industry, and this year was our biggest yet.
Over 40 industry guests ran more than 30 sessions across our Bristol, Manchester and Plymouth campuses; workshops, panels, A&R listening sessions, masterclasses, and kit demos, all happening at the same time, all week long.
Students heard directly from people actively shaping the industry right now: from Sony Music Senior Engineer Tobin Jones and Nashville-based Grammy-nominated mixer Joe Carrell, to Tony Colman - better known as London Elektricity, co-founder of the iconic Hospital Records - and A&R professionals from Universal Music and Reservoir. Alongside them, specialists in live touring, radio, PR, spatial audio, sync licensing, and grassroots venue culture rounded out a genuinely panoramic week.
“What makes weeks like this valuable is the proximity to reality. Students get to hear directly from people actively working in the industry right now, not theory, but lived experience. They see the different pathways into careers, understand where things can go wrong as well as right, and begin to build confidence in navigating the industry themselves.” - Damian Morgan, Industry Team
While some sessions were intimate, specific and hands-on - modular synthesis workshops, Dolby Atmos deep dives, live recording masterclasses - others opened up bigger conversations about identity, career pathways, and what it actually takes to build something sustainable in music.
The energy across campuses this year was electric with students asking thoughtful questions, staying behind to network, and engaging with guests long after sessions had ended.
“Another fantastic year at dBs Industry Week and jam packed with great conversations between our students and professionals. It’s completely awesome to see and hear the enthusiasm and genuine fascination throughout each session.” - Adam Berwick, Industry Team
"I found industry week super inspiring and beneficial. We’re super lucky to get the opportunity to take on wisdom from leading industry professionals, giving us a break from our regular module timetables whilst still activating our brains in the right ways to spark creativity" - Student, Bristol campus
One of the most powerful things about Industry Week is showing the students that a career in the music industry is attainable. When a student can sit across from a Universal A&R, a Grammy-nominated engineer, or the co-founder of one of drum and bass's most iconic labels and have a real conversation, those roles shift from abstract ambitions to realistic possibilities, and the connections made can be genuinely life-changing.
"A&R's, event management, radio hosts, recording workshops, you name it Industry Week had it. It's an opportunity to make (literally) life changing connections with people in the industry. The best part of it all, there's events all day everyday, small gaps for breaks, but the back to back events allowed me to stay locked in during the day, and stay in a creative and open minded mindset." Music Production & Sound Engineering Year 2 Student, Manchester Campus
Industry Week is built on a simple idea: that proximity to the industry builds confidence, sharpens ambition, and turns abstract career goals into realistic ones. The connections students make during this week often extend far beyond it.
“Industry Week is one of the absolute highlights of my year,” added Ellie Goldsack, Head of Student Experience. “Seeing our students completely immersed in dynamic lectures, hands-on masterclasses and inspiring workshops, building powerful connections and expanding their professional networks is genuinely exciting. They leave feeling inspired, motivated and creatively recharged, with fresh perspectives, new opportunities and real, lasting value from every single session.”
Industry Week is a huge undertaking (coordinating over 40 guests and 30 sessions across three campuses simultaneously is no small feat!) but the value it delivers to students makes it one of the most important weeks in the dBs calendar. If the energy of 2026 is anything to go by, next year is going to be even bigger.
Your future career in the music industry is closer than you think. Book your place at one of our upcoming Open Days to learn more about how dBs Institute can help make your dreams a reality.