PRS Foundation announces the eighth & ninth round of promoters supported through the Early Career Promoters Fund
- 39 Early Career Promoters have been supported through Round 8 & Round 9
- 75% are based outside London (for the eight & nineth round)
- Deadlines to apply are rolling each month with the next deadline on the 15TH May 2025 at 6pm
We’re excited to announce the latest two rounds of promoters receiving the targeted Early Career Promoter Fund, supported by Arts Council England using strategic funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The 19 early career promoters, selected for support by a network of specialist music industry advisors, are (Round 8):
Samee Pervez – Solid State showcases club-adjacent left-field electronic music and experimental audiovisual performances, creating a platform for marginalised artists and unique productions in intimate underground venues.
Francesca Ter-Berg – Starting up a bi-annual brand new immersive music concert series in Margate called Sounding By The Sea
Cameron Thirlwall – A series of events ran to support the launch of a soon-to-be-newly-opened dance music club in Nottingham.
Luke Doran – Multiple shows featuring underground/grassroots acts on the UK Metal scene, with an aim to expand from our usual Doom Metal sub-genre into other areas.
Connor McGregor-Paterson – Enriching the local music scene by putting on multiple gigs and promoting bands that bridge the gap between Reading, London, Brighton and beyond.
James Nwaduba – To expand BHB across multiple cities and build a large organic fanbase
James Tinubu – 1 club night with live music & 1 gig showcasing underrepresented electronic/alternative acts and DJs. Establishing a community to promote said artists and future events.
Manami Baba – Produce 2x 300 capacity shows at Strange Brew Bristol working with creatives from marginalised backgrounds, to develop skills in content creation and social media strategy.
Jai Deo – LGBTQ+ cabaret HOT QUEER MAGIC’s 2025 programme will feature four events across three grassroots venues, and will centre QTIPOC artists and audiences.
George Thomas – Planning to host 6-8 events in 2025, 3 at Planet Wax, 2 at The Ministry (Borough), 1 clubshow, 1 conference event &a festival stage!
Rebekka Anstem – I will promote two events in 2025; one in March and one in June, across two Manchester-venues featuring line- ups of two acts per event.
Jo Christman – 4 concerts highlighting queer experimental rock bands with a mix of local and regional artists
Laine Given- UK Bassment will build bridges between UK Bass sub-genres, support grassroots venues, showcase local talent, foster community, empower underrepresented groups, and revitalise Newcastle’s Bass scene.
Luke Gill- I wish to use the grant funding to curate 3 shows, ranging in scale, all with a consistent theme of electro, techno & breakbeat.
Misty Adeoye – Further club nights and community workshops.
Max Crowther- Expand my jazz night into a multi-venue, small festival featuring jazz, funk, and spoken word, whilst enhancing my skills through marketing courses and industry experience.
Lily England – Increasing the frequency and scale of our events/broadening who we work with whilst continuing to champion local, underrepresented talent
Naz Khan- Immersive LIVE music experience. Indian subcontinent based performances, and enhanced production. With Projectors, subtitles, meanings and more, we can create moments that deeply resonate.
Nicola Coaker – I plan to allocate the fund towards booking artists, covering venue and production costs, and developing audience outreach through marketing and capacity-building initiatives.
The 20 early career promoters, selected for support by a network of specialist music industry advisors, are (Round 9):
Jordan Stevenson – Push into bigger events by booking bigger established headliners at bigger venues across the city
Abi Moore- Reaching bigger local venues (Lincoln- capacity 220) & introducing it to regional / national venues, & receiving mentorship from experienced promoters & bookers.
Ava Marshall- Carry out three events in Ireland, Bristol and London with a range of Irish, London and Bristol based-artists.
Daniel Woodfield- Promoting four gigs in St. Bartholomew’s Church and establishing the reputation of the Lostwithiel Concert Series in the area. Strengthening my network with regional promoters.
Caetano Capurro- Hosting 3 RESONATE events in Nottingham, upscaling our capacity/ production value to further build the brand and work towards becoming self sufficient.
Jessica Deleyza- Creating our most ambitious production yet, featuring international performers, immersive lights, lasers, and installations, all with affordable tickets and rooted in our home venue, LocoKlub.
Jack Newbury-lamb – Promoting, delivering and establishing Scallywags as an accesible monthly event showcasing diverse line-ups, building a community of emerging artists and new audiences.
Ehigueze Oboite- Deliver transformative Nolly Way events featuring Afrobeats and Amapiano, empowering and levelling up local Black emerging talent and uniting communities through accessible, inclusive experiences.
William Hand- We want to put on a festival-style Summer day-into-night party with a range of headliners at Ouseburn Garden in Newcastle at the beginning of June
Rowan Barnes- A high-energy Breakbeat headliner event featuring local talent, hosted at a grassroots Bristol venue and powered by an independent local sound system.
Melissa Chowles – A underground house and disco club series for families, that supports parents in dance music and raises money for parenting charities.
Jenner Finch – Expanding Haze with larger venues, and multi-arts programming while developing financial sustainability, industry connections, and audience accessibility.
Milo Sellick-Begg- Regular lower capacity community driven events with multiple larger scale events a year, all with a high level of production and diverse performances.
Cassie Layton- I want to run a series of events showcasing Sri Lankan Diaspora artists, providing a platform for diverse and underrepresented voices in music.
Jed Wright- basics | Fusing Brighton’s art scenes with a series three shows, each containing live music, poetry and an art exhibition.
Hannah TW – Ladies Music Pub showcase gig at Ormside venue, as part of our 10 year anniversary celebrations, with Hinako Omori, Tyson McVey and NoHome and DJs,
Gaëlle Marquet-Le Coat- Five high-impact events across the UK showcasing exceptional international artists, building capacity and career sustainability through collaboration and growth
Rieko Whitfield – Music programming for Movements From The Margins festival at Turner Contemporary, Margate in partnership with Diasporas Now, People Dem Collective, and PRAH Recordings
Jess Coulson – This fund will cover rebrand and artwork for DIO, as well as funding three events to kickstart three recurring live music night brands
Adam McCarter – The planning/promotion of No Play Festival 2025, and the general running of No Play Ltd. – with the long-term goal of becoming full-time promoters.
The Early Career Promoter Fund recognises the vital role independent promoters play in supporting the talent pipeline across England and within the nighttime economy, and offers grant funding and capacity building support for individual promoters, with the aim of bolstering the grassroots music ecosystems.
Grants of up to £3,500 are available to support a range of activity, including:
- The booking, programming and promotion of gigs, concerts, club nights, showcases, tours and other performances
- Costs associated with those activities (including venue hire, production, artist and/or DJ fees, crew fees, administration and other related costs)
- Capacity building (including mentoring, coaching, shadowing, workshops, masterclasses, and other skill building and networking opportunities)
- Other expenditure which helps grantees to programme a diverse range of artists, develop new audiences and build their skills
The fund aims to help emerging promoters to do what they do best – book and promote shows to develop scenes, support artists and DJs and to reach and engage audiences locally, regionally, and nationally, and build sustainable careers in the grassroots music sector. Those receiving support will be able to step up to book and promote talent at a scale beyond their current level, and build their capacity, skills and networks.
Managed by PRS Foundation and funded by Arts Council England using Supporting Grassroots Music funding from DCMS, the Early Career Promoter Fund also aims to help address underrepresentation, ensuring support reaches a diverse range of promoters, and proactively encouraging grantees to support a diverse range of artists and music genres nationwide. The fund is now open for applications.
Promoters can find out more information and apply for Early Career Promoter Fund support from PRS Foundation’s website.
