The MMF and YouTube Music unveil Accelerator’s class of 2024

30 April 2024 - Press release

   

• 18 talented independent music managers join the 6th edition of our groundbreaking funding and training programme  

• In total, Accelerator has now supported over 130 UK-based music managers to develop sustainable businesses and participate in an extraordinary network of entrepreneurs

• Accelerator alumni represent five of the songwriter and composer nominees at this years Ivors 

• Alongside YouTube Music, the programme is supported by Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, the Scottish Music Industry Association, and our new partner PPL

 

The Music Managers Forum (MMF) and YouTube Music are delighted to unveil the 18 talented independent music managers participating in the 6th annual edition of our Accelerator Programme. 

All will benefit from grant funding of up to £12,000 as well as an extensive schedule of expert-led training. 

Drawn from all over the UK - from Scotland to the South Coast; from Wales and Birmingham to Leeds, the North East and London - between them, these amazing entrepreneurs bring a wealth of experience to the programme and represent more than 60 artists, songwriters, producers and other creative talent. 

These clients include DJs and electronic acts, alternative rock bands, contemporary Scottish folk performers, a Hip Hop crew from Farnborough, a pioneering modern British Panjabi artist, and a self-released artist with 1.35m YouTube subscribers. 

The Accelerator Programme’s Class of 2024 is as follows: 

• Aimmi Dunsmuir - Machina Management (Scotland) - Dead Pony, The Deep Blue

• Antonia Lyall - CPO MGMNT (London) - Big Zeeko, Zach Koullas, Blue Ringed Baby

• Cem Akdeniz - Country Dons, JayG, GW, RP9, ProDag, Hrry Oliver and MKORMASE

• Connor Hunnisett - Jigsaw Music Group (South East) - Ren & Pat

• Gilbert Johnson - Final Draft (London) - Jarreau Vandal, Olivia Nelson, Nii

• Hannah Beasley-Garrigan - Repercussion Management (Bristol) A for Alpha, Fiyahdred, Madam X and Tash LC

• Jen Anderson - The Bothy Society (Scotland) - Valtos, HEISK, Evie Waddell

• Josh Daniel Grant - JD Media Group (North East) - Alfie Sheard, Hunni, ShayShay 

• Maarten Puddy - VOWTA (London) Baltra, Ciel, Guava, SHADED & Dan Tombs (Visual Artist)

• Marta Martinez - Bedmar Music (London) - Skinny Living, Michael Blackwell, Sonni Mills, Angus Parkin

• Martha Cleary - Glow Artists (Brighton) - Sly5thAve, Bryony Jarman-Pinto, Steven Bamidele, Miranda Joan

• Perrie Wilson (Wales) - Mace The Great

• Ryan Morgan - Polkadot Music Collective (Leeds) - Divorce, pencil, Victory Lap & Big Warm Bed

• Suki Padda (Birmingham) -  Jaz Dhami  

• Tabeah Berler - Pon’t Danic Music (Manchester) - Cassia, Dominik Hartz,. Pippa Crossland, Rob Ellis & Jacob Leff

• Terry Ferguson - Turbo Management (London) - ABSOLUTE., Joel Stewart,  Kosmo Kint, Mia Lily, Narciss, ABSOLUTE. x Dot Major

• Tobi Mwa (London) - Nippa  

• Yuxuan Li - Soundar Entertainment (London) - Luke Black, Princess Xixi, Oliver Marson 

For detailed bios and manager quotes, please see the MMF website here.  

Since its launch in 2019, Accelerator has become widely recognised as one of the UK music industry’s preeminent business development programmes.  

To date, 115 individuals have completed the programme, benefitting from its unique collaborative approach to learning and personal growth - including managers of Joy Crookes, Shygirl, PinkPantheress, FLO, Eliza Rose, Joy Anonymous, Moses Boyd, Enny, Nafe Smallz, Squid, Joesef, S1MBA, Moonchild Sanelly, The Reytons, Steam Down, Dry Cleaning, Employed To Serve, Yolanda Brown, Wes Nelson, Shabaka Hutchings, Goat Girl, Bree Runway, Porridge Radio and Caskets.

At last week’s announcement for the 2024 Ivors, Accelerator alumni represented five of the awards nominees - including Poor Things composer Jerskin Fendrix (managed by Alex Putman), Yussef Dayes’s songwriting collaborator Rocco Palladino (managed by Leon Wright), PinkPantheress (co-managed by Phoebe Gold) and rising stars Chrissi (managed by Cleo Amedume) and Nino SLG (managed by Adrian Thomas). 

With Accelerator participants encouraged to share knowledge and experiences and develop a self-sustaining community, the programme has already left a lasting legacy of success. It has also laid the groundwork for the MMF to expand our professional development services across the UK supported by funding from Arts Council England, Creative Scotland and Creative Wales. 

A report published last year to celebrate five years of Accelerator’s successes illustrated how the programme has generated at least £9.4m in turnover for artists and talent represented by participants. 

The MMF is also proud of the diversity of managers supported by Accelerator.  To date, over 50% of participants have been based outside of London, 42% have been female and 43% have been from Black, Asian or Ethnic backgrounds.  

Alongside our core partner, YouTube Music, Accelerator has received extensive support from Arts Council England, Creative Scotland and the Scottish Music Industry Association. 

This year, we are also excited to welcome PPL as a partner. 

Paul Bonham, Professional Development Director, MMF: “Music management attracts entrepreneurial people who are driven to deliver creative and commercial success for the talent they represent. It’s a tough job. There are few safety nets, and the demands increase every year. The goal of Accelerator is to provide these incredible people with a support network, and to help them forge the bedrock of a successful and sustainable business. I am absolutely over the moon with 2024’s intake and can’t wait to get started on another rich and rewarding year.”

Dan Chalmers, YouTube Head of Music EMEA "Over the last 5 years, Accelerator has become so much more than a programme. It's a true community; one in which we learn as much from the participants as we do provide support and mentorship. The Accelerator classes never fail to show us how creative, resilient and entrepreneurial the next generation of management talent in the industry are, and we're excited to see how we can collaborate to create some amazing results with the new cohort.”

Peter Leathem OBE, CEO, PPL “The MMF Accelerator Fund has done a fantastic job to date in developing some of the UK’s up and coming management talent into leaders in their field, enabling musicians to focus on what they do best, creating and performing music. Through PPL Giving we’re delighted to be supporting work that equips managers from across the nations and regions with a diverse range of skills so they, and the artists they represent, can go on to build successful and sustainable careers in the music industry.”

Michelle Walker, London Area Director, Arts Council England: "We're thrilled to see the continued success of the Accelerator Programme, a scheme that we have proudly supported since its inception. Now in its sixth year, this programme does so much to support the development of upcoming music managers, offering excellent opportunities and equipping those involved with the skills needed to take the music industry by storm. This is the first round of the programme since the MMF have become one of our National Portfolio Organisations and we can't wait to see what amazing talent is nurtured with this year's cohort of talented managers, and in the years to come."

Robert Kilpatrick, CEO & Creative Director, Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA): “We're delighted to see two more Scotland-based music managers participate in the MMF's Accelerator Programme. As the organisation which exists to strengthen, empower and unite Scotland’s music industry, the SMIA has been a partner with this fantastic initiative since day one and seen a succession of individuals benefit from its combination of grant funding and expert-led training. Going forward, we look forward to continuing our work with the MMF, YouTube Music and the other project partners in building this vital and important network."