Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has accused the British and American music industries of failing to create anything of value.

In a speech in Manchester, Marr said he also believed that all of pop music's greatest innovators were “outsiders”.

Marr was addressing students and fans at Salford University's Maxwell Hall as a visiting professor of music.

"I am not a cynic. I am not really down on the British music industry. However, it has never created anything in its history,” he said.

“It never invented anything, although it has done plenty of good things, like good records, but nothing has ever been created of value by the British or American music industries."

The guitarist said in his lecture that music's great advances had been made by musicians who were initially rejected.

"People out of necessity, rejection or frustration, with talent and vision built their own ark and sailed it alongside the music industry," he said.

Marr's lecture, Always from the Outside: Mavericks, Innovators and Building Your Own Ark, was his first in what will be a five year residency at the University.

Maxwell Hall was the scene of one of the Smiths last ever concerts together in 1986.

(by Jason Gregory)