Feature
NextGen Fund Round Two recipients
Announcing the recipients of the second round of the Youth Music NextGen Fund: 34 young creatives making their ideas happen with a grant of up to £2,500.
How and why you should update language in your organisation
Global Majority or BAME? Disabled or D/Deaf and Disabled? Which language should we use? And how do we make those decisions?
5 young women leading the way in music - on and off stage
This International Women’s Day, check out some of the young women we know who are making waves in the music industries.
Meet the winners of the Youth Music X VIP Studio Sessions competition judged by Bicep
Check out the winners of the first Youth Music VIP competition, judged by Bicep.
Incubator Fund Round Three Grant Recipients
We're backing 27 more organisations through the Youth Music #IncubatorFund - opening up sustainable careers in music for people aged 18-25. Explore the creative employers incubating new and diverse talent with grants of up to £30k.
Youth Music Self-Expression Report
Read our new report exploring the links between songwriting, self-expression and wellbeing in young people.
NextGen Fund Round One recipients
Learn more about the first round of organisations receiving grants from our Incubator Fund, designed to help open up access to sustainable careers in music for people aged 18-25, particularly those who are underrepresented; and to support creative employers to innovate and incubate new and diverse talent.
What we've learned about young people working in the music industries so far
In 2019, more than sixty 18-25 year olds have benefited from paid freelance work as a result, with more than one thousand also enjoying access to industry expertise and job opportunities through our Youth Music NextGen community.
Find out what impact we’ve had so far, and what more we can do to help more young people make, learn and earn in music.
3 examples of how to use a grant from the Incubator Fund
Reform Radio, Palm Bay Music and Young Guns Network have all previously been awarded a grant from the Incubator Fund. Find out how they used the funding to open up access to the music industries for all young people.
Inside the music industry
Ever wondered what it's like to work in the music industry? Introducing our new three-part YouTube series, Inside the music industry, a sit down with professionals working in the industry to discuss their jobs, and share advice for young people trying to get their foot in the door.
Incubator Fund Round Two grant recipients
Learn more about the second round of organisations receiving grants from our Incubator Fund, designed to help open up access to sustainable careers in music for people aged 18-25, particularly those who are underrepresented in the music industries.
Making an album in lockdown: Circle of Light
Nottingham based project Circle of Light took 2020 by storm with a new album, recorded and produced during lockdown. Hear from six of their participants about their time on the project.
Making music during the pandemic: Key Changes goes online
Hainault based Singer-songwriter and Community Arts Practitioner Rosie Webb (21), discusses the music-making opportunities organisation Key Changes provided for her during the pandemic and the impact of music on mental health.
Brighton Dome on becoming a Living Wage Employer
We spoke to Brighton Dome about why the real Living Wage is important in ensuring greater inclusivity in access to the music industry.
Incubator Fund Round One grant recipients
Learn more about the first round of organisations receiving grants from our Incubator Fund, designed to help open up access to sustainable careers in music for people aged 18-25, particularly those who are underrepresented; and to support creative employers to innovate and incubate new and diverse talent.
The Higher Frequency
Produced and presented by the next generation of creators across the UK, Youth Music’s original podcast, The Higher Frequency, delves into the social and political issues behind the music you love. This six-part series features special guests GIRLI, Zoka the Author, [K S R], Lavs, Estee Blu, Nadia Khan, VITAL and more.
Arts Council Member and disability champion Andrew Miller on increasing accessibility and support for Disabled musicians
Andrew Miller discusses Youth Music’s new report, Reshape Music, which highlights issues around accessibility for Disabled musicians within the music industries - a problem which has never been more pressing.
Youth Music Awards 2019 winners: One year later
In October 2019 we celebrated the first ever Youth Music Awards in association with Hal Leonard Europe. One year later, we caught up with some of the winners to find out what they've been up to.
UNLOCKED: Seven aspiring young musicians experiences during COVID-19 (long read)
In June 2020, we hosted two online focus group discussions with young musicians (aged 18-25) at various stages of their musical careers. This report explores some of the ways in which the coronavirus pandemic has impacted on the lives and careers of these seven young musicians.
Lockdown, the music industry and artistry with Jungle’s Tom McFarland
Jungle's Tom McFarland talks live shows and lockdown, power and privilege in the music industry and more in this interview with Youth Music Next Gen Journalist Lily Fontaine.
How music venues saved me, and why we need to save them: A Love Letter.
"Before the pandemic, we were already living in a world whose heart beat through the pages of social media and now that we are forced to predominantly communicate this way, we’ve realised how stagnant this can be."
Soundtracking Inspiration: the Music Keeping Us Motivated In Lockdown
Katie spoke to various industry players to find out what they’ve been listening to in order to stay switched on and inspired during lockdown.
Take Note Academy with Youth Music - watch the online interview series
Take Note in collaboration with Youth Music and LWE brings you a new week long series of daily interviews from Monday 6 July at 5pm with Emerald Rose, Keep Hush, Gerald Sagoe, Reprezent Radio and UKF.
Live in Lockdown: advice for new DJs
Live in Lockdown is a series of interviews with young DJs and producers about their experiences getting into DJing, how their careers and creativity has been affected by lockdown and their advice for new DJs.
The Importance of Identity in Cultivating a Stand-Out Brand
"Sometimes it takes a lot of guts as an artist to say, ‘I want to do what I feel’, as opposed to what might feel safe in the market." - Lorna Blackwood.
Supporting artists in South Wales to achieve their ambitions
Youth Music has partnered with PRS Foundation to support their nationwide Talent Development Partner programme. Ellie, a member of Next Gen interviewed Spike Griffiths, Project Director of Forté Project, to find out more about how the project is supporting young musicians in South Wales.
Why are there so few Black music supervisors?
As part of Commission Mission, Jumi Akinfenwa Senior Music Supervisor & Cultural Curator at Pitch & Sync discusses with her peers the lack of diversity in music supervision.
Why Community in Music Makes Things So Much Better
As part of Commission Mission, Founder of Alcopop! Records Jack Clothier writes about the importance of community when you work in music.
Bicep share how to start and sustain a career in music production
Electronic duo Bicep share their tips on a long career in music production, ahead of Youth Music and Charanga's new competition for electronic music tracks produced on VIP Studio Sessions.
From Intern to President of Straight Forward Music: Q and A with Dani Stephenson
As President of Straight Forward Music Group, Dani Stephenson has been working in the music industry for over 15 years, working with artists such as Anne-Marie, Drake, and P Diddy. In an interview with Youth Music, Dani shares his personal journey and the insights he has gained from his experiences.
What will happen to Live Music Events? Before/ After COVID19
Long-time live music fan Deseree shares her thoughts on the future of the live music event scene.
Freelance Event Producer shares how Coronavirus has affected her
We asked Clara, a part of Youth Music Next Gen, to share how the UK-wide lockdown has affected her work. Watch the video here.
The importance of being paid for creative work
We spoke to young creatives who worked in roles at the Youth Music Awards 2019 about what it meant to them to get paid for their work.
"Rap is me" - Taz's story
Taz is a 17-year-old rapper from Cambridge. Over the last three years she’s taken part in a number of music-making projects run by local youth charity Romsey Mill.
Discovering a career in music - Chi's story
Chi, 21, is a beatmaker and music producer from Oxford. The Beat Route project, run by the Ark T Centre, has helped him learn new skills and work out a direction for his future.