Southbank Centre launches new free education initiative Emerging Music Professionals with Ninja Tune and Big Dada

18 August 2022 - Press release

 

• The free-to-access scheme, supported by Lambeth Council's ELEVATE Careers fund, the Southbank Centre, Ninja Tune and Big Dada, will develop the next generation of diverse producers, promoters and programmers in the music industry

• Emerging Music Professionals is open to 18 - 24-year-olds and aims to support people from backgrounds that are under-represented in the music industry. The 10-month training programme includes workshops, mentorships and placements in the music industry, culminating in a digital-release and live event

• The deadline for applications is 5pm, Wednesday 21 September 2022 via the Southbank Centre website

 

The Southbank Centre and pioneering independent labels Ninja Tune and Big Dada have today announced the launch of a free joint education programme, Emerging Music Professionals to develop the next generation of diverse talent in the music industry. Supported by Lambeth Council's ELEVATE Careers fund, which enables young people to acquire vital skills to support progression into further learning and paid employment, the programme will support ten participants and equip them with the knowledge, confidence and networks they need to change the face of the music industry. 

Designed in conjunction with the Southbank Centre's Creative Learning and Contemporary Music teams, and Ninja Tune and Big Dada, this programme is open to young people aged 18-24 living in Lambeth. Emerging Music Professionals will focus support towards those from under-respresented backgrounds, includingBlack, Asian or Ethnically Diverse, LGBTQI+, disabled or neurodivergent, and/or people from working class communities.  

Targeted at young people interested in becoming music producers, promoters and programmers, the programme includes a week-long intensive foundational course followed by eight monthly artist-led sessions. Participants on the course, who will be paid for their time at the London Living Wage rate in addition to expenses, will hear from record executives, artists, promoters, and programmers while undertaking an intensive foundation course learning about record label structures, A&R, signing artists, marketing and promotion, budgeting, venue and artist liaison, and an overview of the live music industry. 

There will also be a strong interactive learning component to the course. Through practical workshops, participants will compile a toolkit to understand workflow and productivity and the different terminology, tools, and assets that are key to working in the industry. Finally, they will showcase their knowledge and work creatively as a group to produce and promote a digital-release compilation album, supported by Ninja Tune, and a live music event at the Southbank Centre. 

Each course participant will be partnered with an industry mentor to support their onward progression. These individuals will provide ongoing employability support to all involved as well as with help with building their networks across the business. Members of the Southbank Centre's Creative Learning and Contemporary Music Programming teams will also provide one-to-one follow-up employability sessions post-programme to help participants identify and apply for jobs in the industry and further training opportunities, as well as making introductions to contacts in the live and recorded music sectors.

Applicants must be based in Lambeth. Applications are open via the Southbank Centre websiteand will close on  5pm, Wednesday 21 September 2022. 

In addition to London Living Wage payments, there will be full travel reimbursement and catering as well as access bursaries (to cover e.g. childcare or loss of income) to ensure that the programme is accommodating to all potential participants regardless of their financial circumstances.

Commenting on the launch of Emerging Music Professionals, Mark Ball, Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre, said: "The Emerging Music Professionals programme will provide an incredible opportunity for young people who are looking to make their creative mark in the music industry but perhaps don't see themselves represented in it. The expansive course, generously supported by ELEVATE, is testament to the incredible work of our Creative Learning and Contemporary Music Programming teams and, of course, the commitment to diversifying the talent pipeline by our industry partners, Ninja Dune and Big Dada." 

 

For full information, please visit the Emerging Music Professionals information page here. Visit the ELEVATE website for other exciting careers opportunities: https://elevatelambeth.london/opportunities/