Announcement of Amplify London 2024 Projects
Amplify London, the London Music Fund’s partnership with YouTube Music, announces its fourth cohort of funded grassroots projects which will support young artists, composers & creatives towards careers in the music industry.
The London Music Fund and YouTube Music are delighted to announce the five organisations that will receive funding from Amplify London 2024. The fund supports grassroots organisations that are providing progression and training opportunities for talented young musicians, ultimately aiming to strengthen the ecosystem of the music industry by improving access to careers for those facing barriers or from underrepresented backgrounds.
· Amplify London announces a further five organisations which will receive a grant to deliver grassroots music projects for young people in London in 2024.
· Among the projects being funded are an emerging artist programme for individuals with learning disabilities, a programme enabling 15 talented refugee and asylum-seeking musicians to take the next step in their music careers and a community project empowering at-risk and vulnerable young women through the medium of music.
· The five grants awarded by the London Music Fund will enable local grassroots organisations to provide bespoke training and development opportunities to support more than 60 talented young people aged 14-25.
Chrissy Kinsella, CEO of the London Music Fund, said:
“We are thrilled to extend our collaboration with YouTube Music, facilitating the support of five new Amplify London projects for 2024. It's an exciting opportunity to empower grassroots organisations, allowing them to expand their initiatives. Through these projects, we aim to provide a platform for young voices and pave the way into the creative industries.”
Christina Matteotti, Head of Music, EMEA Partnerships at Google, said: “YouTube Music is excited to continue to support grassroots arts organisations through Amplify London in partnership with the London Music Fund. At YouTube Music, our dedication to improving music accessibility, empowering emerging artists, and endorsing innovative community initiatives aligns with our fundamental priorities. We look forward to seeing the growth and development of young creatives as they receive support through these projects.”
Debbi Clark, CEO of HvH ARTS said: “Camden is the home of music, but not every young musician gets the same opportunities. Our grassroots young band has been finding their voice over the last three years. Amplify London is now providing a unique platform to take their music to the next level - performing in front of festival audiences, filming their own Camden Rock-U-Mentory, and owning their futures as young creatives. We’re thrilled to be working with the London Music Fund and YouTube Music to support their journey.”
Amplify London’s fourth cohort of organisations and summaries of their projects are below:
Based in Croydon, Club Soda is dedicated to breaking stereotypes and fostering a society where individuals with learning disabilities are valued and integrated. They will deliver an Emerging Artists Programme across 6 months which aims to nurture young musicians with learning disabilities, offering tailored pathways for skill development, live performances, recording, and band formation. Rooted in Croydon’s community, it will foster inclusivity, partnerships, and evening/weekend accessibility, enhancing opportunities for social integration and creative growth.
Compass Collective is an award-winning refugee art charity that assists unaccompanied minor refugees and young people seeking asylum to build resilience and integrate into the UK. They will deliver ‘Songs of Sanctuary’, a 7-month programme in collaboration with Music Action International and Promised Lands Studios enabling 15 talented refugee and asylum seeking musicians to take the next step in their music careers. The course will include masterclasses from industry professionals at MAI, culminating in a performance at 'The Jago'.
Independent female-led grassroots organisation Girls of Grime strives to steer change towards gender balance within the music industry. Their 'Big Sister Circle' project empowers at-risk and vulnerable young women through music by fostering community. The initiative will explore music career pathways, focusing on artist development, content creation, marketing, and live event production.
Music and media organisation Community Albums aims to support 10 people between the ages of 14-21 hoping to forge a career in the music industry. Designed to help and give those who face economic, social or opportunity barriers the chance to hone, develop and showcase their talent, their mentoring programme Beats Working will help marginalised and disadvantaged young people in Newham develop their musical talents through the process of writing, producing and recording a song.
Camden based arts charity HvH Arts will deliver a 3-month summer project Camden Rock-U-Mentory supporting 10 talented young band members aged 14-16 to develop their musical, production and performance experience. Alongside musical training and career skills mentoring by industry professionals, the young people will record an EP, perform a live mini-tour and create their own rockumentary with a young professional film-maker.
About Amplify London
Amplify London is a partnership between the London Music Fund and YouTube Music. It supports grassroots organisations that are providing training and development opportunities for young musicians in London, by funding specific local projects and helping the organisations to forge links with the music industry and the music education sector.
Through Amplify, the London Music Fund aims to support organisations that offer music and/or music technology activity in London for young people aged 14-25 and aren’t being funded by Music Services or schools. Successful organisations are awarded a grant of up to £6000 towards the proposed project.
About YouTube Music
YouTube Music is a completely reimagined streaming music service with music videos, official albums, singles, remixes, live performances, covers and hard-to-find music you can only get on YouTube. It’s ALL here!
YouTube Music serves music based on your tastes and what’s moving the community around you. Discover something new or keep up with what’s trending. Basic functions such as playing music and watching videos are totally free, and you can upgrade to YouTube Music Premium to explore the world of music ad-free, offline, and with the screen locked.
YouTube Music is currently available on mobile and desktop within 90 global markets. For additional information, visit www.youtube.com/musicpremium.
About the London Music Fund
Established in 2011, the London Music Fund is an independent charity (no. 1141216) with the Mayor of London as Patron. Winner of ‘Outstanding Musical Initiative’ at the 2021 Music & Drama Education Awards, the London Music Fund’s mission is to transform under-served communities by enabling children to access high-quality music education. Our vision is that every child who demonstrates significant musical ability, enthusiasm and commitment to learning an instrument is given the opportunity to develop their potential.
The Fund works with every London borough to provide outstanding progression and development opportunities to children and young people who demonstrate musical potential and a commitment to learning an instrument. Since 2011 the Fund has:
· Invested more than £4.2 million to music education in the capital,
· Awarded 832 four-year Scholarships across all 32 London boroughs, 65% of which have been given to children from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds
· We have funded almost 80 inspirational projects with professional arts organisations, ensembles and venues
· Our work has directly involved more than 12,000 young musicians, and almost 50,000 others have benefitted by attending concerts, workshops and taster sessions
The London Music Fund’s Patron is the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. Ambassadors include Simon Cowell, Nicola Benedetti CBE, Jools Holland OBE, YolanDa Brown, Stephen Hough CBE, Steven Isserlis CBE, Miloš Karadaglić, Julian Lloyd Webber, Wayne Marshall, Rachel Portman OBE.
To find out more Amplify London visit www.londonmusicfund.org or contact CEO Chrissy Kinsella: chrissy@londonmusicfund.org