15 local artists selected for leading music programme & bursary award

Fifteen of Northern Ireland’s finest emerging artists have been selected to take part in CMU’s Pathways Into Music Foundation and Help Musicians Fanbase Builder Programme to help early-career musicians in Northern Ireland build a solid business around their music-making and to ultimately grow their fanbase.

The Pathways Into Music Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation launched by CMU to support music educators and music talent development programmes around the UK and beyond, and to help early-career music-makers plan their personal pathways into music.

By offering expert music industry advice in the form of workshops and one-to-one sessions, the Fanbase Builder Programme will empower the chosen musicians to undertake a fanbase building project that will ultimately accelerate their music career. Participants will also receive a £500 bursary and bespoke expert support as they deliver that project.

The lucky 15 NI artists are:

• Balcony Sunrise

• Clodagh May

• May Rosa

• Sugarwolf

• Ethan Hollan

• HY:LY

• Ferna

• Moon Landing

• Hi/Lo & the Tribes

• Kid Apollo

• Lemonade Shoelace

• Sarah Toner

• Sasha Samara

• Search Party

• Glass Wings

Keith Millar, Help Musicians Northern Ireland said: "Building a career around music means writing great songs and recording great tracks, but also understanding how the music business works, and how to find an audience and grow a fanbase.

"With early-career music-makers facing even more challenges today as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s particularly important that we help musicians to access that knowledge and hone those skills. The Fanbase Accelerator Programme will do just that, and then help participating artists to put what they have learned into practice by pursuing a project while, with the support of music industry experts, will help them grow their fanbase and take their career to the next level."

Phil Nelson, Pathways into Music said: " Fanbase building is the both most important and yet least understood part of a DIY artist's early career progress. I’m thrilled to work with Help Musicians Northern Ireland on what I hope is going to be a ground breaking programme that will benefit the creative musical talent in Northern Ireland."

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• local artists
• Belfast Gigs
• cmus pathways into music foundation