48 UK music organisations announced as PRS Foundation Talent Development Partners

Launched in 2016, this pioneering network of Talent Development Partners brings together organisations working at the frontline of talent development in the UK, supporting a broad range of music creators across different music genres, career levels from the grassroots up and across the regions of the UK.

The network – which includes venues, festivals, rehearsal spaces, studios and other talent development experts – reaches over 5,000 diverse and exciting songwriters, composers, artists, bands, ensembles and producers each year.

Organisations are selected because of the quality and range of opportunities on offer for music creators in their specialist field or region, the impact of their work, and because of what they bring to the network.

Talent Development Partners receive a grant from the Foundation for their year-round activity. They also work closely together and with PRS Foundation to address talent pipeline gaps through joint work and signposting. Hundreds of creators are already benefitting from the strategic partnership opportunities which have resulted from working together.

Funded activities include composer and songwriter development workshops, residencies, recording and release support, commissioning new music, live programming, advice and mentoring. Creators supported by Talent Development Partners include Nubya Garcia, Theon Cross, Daniel Casmir, Abel Selecoe, Nik Nak, Black Country New Road, Lady Sanity, Jasdeep Singh Degun and Nwando Ebizie.

PRS Foundation’s approach to diversity, inclusion, equity and justice includes co-founding impactful initiatives such as Women Make Music, Keychange and more recently POWER UP. The team is applying learnings across all its programmes and the Talent Development Partner network presents an opportunity to share great practice on the ground in the UK and across all music creator career levels. As well as asking the Talent Development organisations to report on the backgrounds of the creators they support, they are asked to report on the diversity of their management teams, Board members and those delivering programmes. The sector has a long way to go in terms of the talent development workforce reflecting the diverse backgrounds of music creators, and Talent Development Partners are playing a key role in shaping a more inclusive, fairer and equitable sector, with several diverse-led organisations already in the network and an increasing focus on authentic representation in decision-making, delivery and programming.  Additionally, several of this year’s organisation applications, including Audio Active and Drake Music, highlighted the health and wellbeing strands in their programmes, recognising a growing need for this type of support for those entering or working in the industry.

During the Talent Development Conference in January 2021, PRS Foundation announced that music licensing company PPL would be supporting the Talent Development Partner network. This partnership builds on the close relationship forged between PPL and PRS Foundation through the PPL Momentum Music Fund and the International Showcase Fund and provides match funding for the Foundation’s donation from PRS for Music.

As with other grantees, PRS Foundation has been supporting Talent Development Partners as they adapted through the unprecedented challenges facing organisations and music creators due to the COVID-19 pandemic – from virtual performances to creating Covid-safe and accessible spaces to work in real life and online, to sourcing vital new equipment for creators, alongside the usual transformational offerings. Network member festivals, venues and programming bodies face particularly tough months ahead but are well placed for more outstanding adaptation and delivery.

Joe Frankland, CEO of PRS Foundation said “The music industry has faced unprecedented challenges in the last few years and so the role of organisations across the UK working in talent development has never been more important. The organisations revealed today as part of our network of Talent Development Partners have adapted to face these challenges on the front line of support in their specialist regions and genres for talented music creators from the grassroot up. We’re looking forward to working closely with each and every one of the organisations in the network to ensure the talent development pipeline continues to enable fantastic music creators to develop, regardless of location, background, gender or ethnicity.”

Peter Leathem, CEO at PPL, said: “It is a pleasure to enter our second year as supporters of the PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner network. These organisations are doing vital work in all corners of the UK, supporting the future artistic and professional talent of our music industry. Congratulations to all the organisations for being chosen and we look forward to working with them over the coming year to develop and promote the next generation of UK music.”  

Becci Scotcher, Senior Grants & Programmes Manager at PRS Foundation said, “We’re excited to be supporting and working with this year’s 48 Talent Development Partner organisations around the country, to enable them to deliver their programmes over the next 12 months. As well as being part of the talent pipeline for music creators, this network of organisations will have opportunities to collaborate, share ideas and best practices to ensure music creators have the best opportunity to push their careers and practice forward.”

The 48 PRS Foundation Talent Development Partners for 2022/23 are:

• AudioActive
• B:Music
• Baby People
• Brighter Sound
• Bristol Music Trust
• British Underground
• Britten Sinfonia
• Come Play With Me
• Cryptic
• Drake Music
• Drake Music Scotland
• English Folk Dance & Song Society
• FOCUS Wales
• Forté Project
• Future Bubblers
• Generator
• Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble
• Heart n Soul
• Higher Rhythm
• Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (hcmf//)
• Jazz re:freshed
• Liverpool City Council
• Manchester Jazz Festival
• Mercury Musical Developments
• Moving On Music
• Music:Leeds
• Nonclassical
• Oh Yeah Music Centre
• Opera North
• OTO Projects
• Oxford Contemporary Music
• Psappha
• PUNCH
• Red Note Ensemble
• Roundhouse Trust
• Saffron Records
• Sage Gateshead
• Serious Events Ltd
• Sneaky Pete’s
• Sound and Music
• Sound Festival
• Sound UK Arts
• South Asian Arts-uk
• The Music Works
• Tomorrow’s Warriors
• Tŷ Cerdd – Music Centre Wales
• UD Music Foundation
• Wide Days