Music Publishers Association

• Applications invited from diverse talent of all backgrounds keen to work at a music company
• 10 participating independent music companies announced to benefit from BRIT Trust funding

London, 18^th January 2019 –

Following its launch in January 2018, the BRITs Apprentice Scheme is back for a second round in 2019 to offer further exciting opportunities to people of all backgrounds looking to develop a career in music.

The BRITs Apprentice Scheme gives ten people the opportunity to benefit from quality paid employment and on-the-job training at an independent record label or music company.  It will enable successful applicants to develop some of the basic insights and skills needed to develop a career working in music, receiving practical ‘hands on’ mentoring and experience, honing relevant abilities and making key industry contacts.

The scheme was devised by UK record labels association the BPI, which owns and runs The BRIT Awards and which also developed its charitable arm, The BRIT Trust.  Apprenticeships are an important way to help bring in new and diverse talent into the industry and are in line with the Government’s commitment to education, skills and training.

The Scheme is open to individuals of all backgrounds aged 18 and over. Successful applicants will be matched with independent record labels and music companies that are members of the BPI.  They will receive specialist training in either business administration or digital marketing.

Round 2 of the BRITs Apprentice Scheme will commence in April 2019 and run for 15 months.  It is hoped this experience will lead to further employment opportunities either at that company or in the wider music industry.  The deadline for applications is 10th February 2019, and the BPI/BRIT Trust organisers are calling on enthusiastic applicants from all backgrounds to apply as soon as possible.  Full details are available on The BRIT Trust website here.

Ten music companies drawn from across the vibrant independent community – ranging from record labels and digital distributors to music publishers and artist management – have signed up to take on an apprentice.  Please see Notes to Editors for details and supporting quotes. 

There will be five places for candidates in London and a further five around the country in Belfast, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Sheffield and Wolverhampton.  In London, the salary will be £18k and outside it will be £15k to reflect lower living costs.  The BRIT Trust will fund two-thirds of each salary and relevant expenses – leaving the participating companies to cover the remaining third (approx. £5k – £6k).

The Scheme is overseen by the BPI, while its day-to-day operation is managed by DiVA – the recruitment and training organisation specialising in business, creative and digital apprenticeships, whose experienced experts have a successful track record in delivering apprentices in the creative industries.

The Scheme will be funded via The BRIT Trust, which distributes monies raised by The BRIT Awards and other industry events to promote education and wellbeing through music. The BRIT Trust has to date awarded over £21 million to range of charities and good causes, principally The BRIT School, which it helped to set up, East London Arts and Music (ELAM), Nordoff Robbins music therapy, War Child, Key4Life, and other to organisations, including the addictions and mental health charity Music Support.

Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive BPI & BRIT Awards, said:

“We’re delighted with how well-received the Scheme has been in its first year and pleased to announce its return for a second round.  The BRITs is committed to reflecting and promoting diversity across the music industry and this Scheme is an important way in which we can open up new opportunities for young people from all backgrounds who want to pursue a career in this exciting business.”

John Craig OBE, Chairman of The BRIT Trust, said:

“This is an incredibly important scheme and completely matches the BRIT Trust’s mission of enabling and furthering young people through their education and careers around music. It is often overlooked that The BRIT Awards is also a charity show and our thanks must go to all the artists who make it all possible.”

Arit Eminue, Director DiVA, said:

“We’re delighted The BRIT Trust and BPI have decided to support the BRITs Apprentice Scheme for a second year. The scheme is a stepping stone for new talent who ordinarily would have found it difficult to enter into the music industry. The first cohort have benefitted from a year-long, paid, meaningful work placement and training delivered by industry practitioners, all of which will stand them in good stead for the future.” 

Looking back on their experience as one of the first companies to participate in 2018, Antony Smith, Business Director Nimbus Records, said:

“We’ve been impressed by our apprentice Oliver Jones, and the difference he has made with his commitment and willingness to develop his and our digital marketing skills. We’d be happy to make the position permanent, as Oli has a bright future, but we respect his desire to experience other facets of our industry. Oli will leave with our thanks and best wishes and hopefully a solid foundation on which to build his career. We have been delighted to participate in the BRITs Apprentice Scheme, which is well run by DiVA and the BPI, and we eagerly recommend it to others.”

Speaking of her experience as a BRITs Apprentice, Ella Harding, Sales Strategy Apprentice Ingrooves Music Group, said:

“My experience as a BRITs Apprentice has far exceeded my expectations. I have learnt so much about the industry, different career paths, networking and so much more. I have attended events such as the BRITs, the Music Week Awards, the AIM Awards among others. I have been so involved in every aspect of the business and it has given me a taste of what working in the music industry would bring. This year has confirmed that this is what I want to pursue a career in and that it is an environment in which I can thrive.”

ENDS –

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Enquiries

Gennaro Castaldo            [email protected]      07801 194 139 | 020 7803 1326

Darren Kruse                     [email protected]                               020 7803 1390

Arit Eminue                        [email protected]  0843 289 9204

Notes to Editors

Participating companies 2019

1. Absolute Label Services | www.absolutelabelservices.com/ Wimbledon, London

Absolute Label Services is a leading provider of tailor-made sales, marketing and business management solutions for independent record labels, single-artist labels and brand-owned music labels.

Fran O’Donnell, Absolute Label Services General Manager, said: “We are delighted to be part of the BRITs Apprenticeship Scheme, and we embrace the opportunity to be introduced to such a diverse pool of talent.  The chosen candidate will receive a full and wide-ranging apprenticeship experience, working with our marketing, digital and administration teams. Our team is made up of several former apprentices and others have used the experience gained to go on to new exciting roles.”

2. Asian Arts Agency | www.asianartsagency.co.uk/ Bristol

Asian Arts Agency is one of the UK’s leading South Asian music agencies, presenting world-class South Asian music internationally. Over the last 10 years it has promoted more than 500 events across the UK and overseas, reaching in excess of one million live audiences.

Jaswinder Singh, Asian Arts Agency Director, said: “We are delighted to be working with DiVA and the BPI for the BRITs Apprenticeship Scheme. We thrive to offer equal opportunities and a collaborative learning environment for everyone.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for an apprentice to work with us on some really exciting national and international music projects, producing new digital content and developing their digital marketing skills. We look forward to working with someone who is driven, is passionate about South Asian music, and wants to build a career in the music industry.”

3. BMG Rights Management Services | www.bmg.com/uk/ Paddington, London

BMG is the first new international music company to be launched in the streaming age. Founded in 2008, the same week as Spotify, BMG is already world’s largest international music company outside the three established majors. Combining the traditionally separate disciplines of record label and music publisher, BMG’s service-oriented approach to artists and songwriters is based on fair treatment and transparent reporting. BMG UK clients include George Ezra, Jess Glynne, Camille Purcell, Aphex Twin and Mabel (music publishing) and Dido, Rejjie Snow, The Sherlocks, Prodigy and Kylie Minogue (records).

4. Champion Sound Music | www.championsoundmusic.com/ Belfast

Champion Sound Music are an award-winning music management company and associated record label based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It currently manages the careers of five full-time artists involved in the music industry. Its artists have in the past four years achieved 100 million streams on Spotify; it has had ten albums shortlisted for the Northern Ireland Music Prize; and it has won the Northern Ireland Music Prize for the past two years.

Lyndon Stephens of CS Music Management, said: “Champion Sound Music are extremely happy to be involved in the BRITs Apprentice Scheme for 2019 and are proud to be the company chosen for the region of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland has always had a strong musical legacy and it is a great opportunity for a young person from the region to learn the business alongside their peers to a national standard. The young person will work with our company and the artists we represent creating video and image based content that is hugely important in how an artist connects, engages and grows their fan base.“

5. Distiller Records | www.distillermusic.com/ Paddington, London

Distiller Music is establishing its prestige as an independent label with an ear for the sounds of tomorrow, releasing records from some of the hottest up-and-comers on the circuit including Anteros, Bloody Knees, Cassia, The Ninth Wave, and The Ramona Flowers.  It also pioneered Distiller TV, a leading platform in new music discovery.

6. Fire Records | www.firerecords.com/ Stoke Newington, London

Founded in 1984, Fire Records is an established independent record label based in East London, releasing music across the sonic spectrum. The label works with a diverse range of artists from around the world, incl. the likes of Hater (Sweden), Virginia Wing (UK), Kristin Hersh (USA), Jane Weaver (UK) and The Lemonheads (USA). As well as the current roster, catalogue artists include Pulp, ESG, Spacemen 3, Pere Ubu and The Groundhogs. The Earth label focuses on reissues of folk classics from Bert Jansch, The Music From Bagpuss and Trader Horne, while FROST releases soundtracks such as Ladybird, Blue Velvet, Black Mirror and more.

Jonny Halliday, Fire Records Label Manager, said: “Fire Records is thrilled to be partnering up with DiVA and the BPI to take on a new member of the team as part of the BRITs Apprentice Scheme. We look forward to working with an enthusiastic and driven individual, who is keen to work at a thriving independent label and start their career in the music industry.”

7. Kycker / Kryptic Media Ltd | www.kycker.net/ Sheffield

Kycker is a free online platform created for artists to use to manage their DIY careers and earn a sustainable income from their music. Artists can distribute their music to over 850 platforms, including iTunes, Spotify and more. Users are also able to claim performance royalties from all live shows and radio broadcasts at the push of a button.

Frank Wilkes, Kycker Director, said: “The team at Kycker is excited to be taking part in the BRITs Apprenticeship Scheme. With most of us having set out as apprentices ourselves, we know how important these opportunities can be and are eager to help open doors for newcomers. The Digital Marketing Assistant role that we are taking on will entail social media management, creation and upkeep of blog and other promotional content. It really is a smashing opportunity for someone.”

8. One Media iP | www.onemediaip.com/ Iver Heath, Bucks

One Media iP is an exciting digital music and video business. It has a catalogue of over 250,000 music tracks, from a range of genres spanning soul to classical music and rock to pop, including from 1,700 diverse artists such as George McCrae, Merle Haggard, Ricky Valance, Edwin Starr, Evelyn Thomas, Mungo Jerry, Eric Burdon, the Troggs, Marv Johnson and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. One Media iP looks to use its tracks and 10,000 hours of video by recompiling the content for sale through digital music and video stores. In addition, One Media’s library of content is available for TV, movies, adverts and websites requiring synchronised music.

Alice Dyson-Jones, Managing Director One Media iP, said: “Navigating your way into the record industry at the start of your career can be a seemingly impossible task. Thanks to the BPI, the BRITs Apprentice Scheme has created the equivalent of Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket to the music industry and we are thrilled to be involved.”

9. Revolver Music | www.revolverrecords.com/ Wolverhampton

Revolver is an independent Record company, first created in 1979. The label has been an IFPI member since 1984 and a BPI member since 1988. In that time the label has released 6000 albums, and it currently produces new artists albums at around one to two per month.

10. VDM Music | www.vdmmusic.com/ Great Portland St, London

VDM Music is a music management company looking after artists and songwriters in an array of genres. It is a boutique company which it has built from scratch over 10 years ago. The company roster includes Nina Nesbitt, Olivia Sebastianelli and Robbie Jay.