IQ Magazine Integrates Hearby Gig Guide into Manchester Report

IQ Magazine has incorporated Hearby’s gig discovery platform into its Manchester Report 2026, offering a data-backed view of one of the United Kingdom’s most active live music markets.

This article was created in collaboratio nwith DMN partner Hearby.

The report highlights Manchester’s sustained position as the UK’s second-largest live music hub. It pairs editorial analysis with a live gig guide powered by Hearby, surfacing thousands of live music events across the city. The integration provides a practical layer to IQ’s reporting, translating industry insight into real-time event visibility.

Manchester’s historical influence remains central to the report’s framing. “The city’s musical heritage is formidable, from the post-punk innovation of Joy Division and the emergence of The Smiths in the 1980s, through The Haçienda and Madchester redefining UK club culture, to the Britpop era, when Oasis took Manchester’s swagger global,” reports IQ. That legacy continues to underpin a modern ecosystem shaped by infrastructure investment and population density.

The report points to long-term civic planning as a key driver in Manchester’s live entertainment scene. Regeneration following the 1996 Manchester bombing, combined with initiatives like the Commonwealth Games and MediaCity development in Salford, has reinforced Manchester’s appeal to touring acts. The city now supports a wide spectrum of venues from arenas to grassroots rooms, with a strong regional draw across Northern England.

Hearby’s dataset reinforces the scale of Manchester’s live music scene by highlighting events on the map. The platform currently tracks activity across 737 venues in Manchester, with more than 3,300 upcoming events listed. This breadth captures both major touring circuits and emerging artist pipelines, offering a snapshot of audience demand and venue utilization.

IQ Magazine’s Managing Director Chris Prosser emphasized the functional value of the partnership by saying, “It’s fantastic to be able to say where events are happening nearby so easily. Making audiences aware of their choices to support local events is key.” The Hearby integration aims to bridge awareness gaps at the local level where discovery remains fragmented.

Hearby, a US-based platform, has expanded rapidly across the UK market. It provides the World’s Best Gig Guide and features more shows across the UK than any other source, from small shows up to large arena tour stops. Hearby and IQ’s partnership represents a continuation of growth that includes collaborations with Ticketmaster UK & Ireland, Music Venue Trust & the UK’s largest news publisher, Reach PLC.

The company positions its growth in the UK as aligned with broader ecosystem support. “Hearby’s mission is simple—to make live music events more accessible and get a few more people to a lot more shows,” Hearby CEO Gary Halliwell tells Digital Music News. “If we can do that, we help the R&D of the whole UK music scene.”

The collaboration between IQ Magazine and Hearby signals a shift toward integrating live data tools into industry reporting. By combining editorial analysis with real-time event visibility, the partnership delivers a more grounded view of local music activity and venue ecosystems.