Joining the Dots will provide artists, promoters and others working in independent music in England with ‘seed corn’ funding of up to £10,000 to test alternative models they think could help make live music more financially viable. The project focuses on 3 specific areas:
- Financing touring, commissioning and presenting live music
- Using digital technology to increase live attendance and income
- Developing young adult audiences for specialist independent music (eg folk, jazz and electronica)
Joining the Dots will support 6 potential game-changers, who’ll each get a bursary of up to £10,000, plus other mentoring and networking support. And from March 2014, the hub will also host a series of Joining the Dots ‘semesters’, including webinars, blogs, online resources and meet ups, designed to help people make a living from independent music.
EFDSS is partnering with the hub on the project, and will host the two Joining the Dots conferences as well as a series of other events happening as part of the project at Cecil Sharp House.
Broadcaster and artist Tom Robinson, who appears in the project’s launch film (above), is clear about how important he thinks new models are for the future of live music. Interviewed for the film, he says:
“So many people of my generation say that the model of music is broken, the industry is doomed... and that it’s a terrible time to be making music. I totally disagree. There’s never been a better time for artists with genuine talent to get heard, but that’s going to depend on us finding new models of earning money and interacting with the audience.”
Applying for a Joining the Dots award is simple; initially all applicants need to do is submit a short film about their idea. Applications are now open and close on 31 January 2014. If the Joining the Dots panel likes your idea, you’ll be asked to work it up in more detail by March 2014.
Interested? Find out more at www.joiningthedotsmusic.com
Find out how to apply
You can also follow all the latest Joining the Dots news via the hub's Twitter @tweetsatthehub and Facebook /thehubuk accounts.
Find out more about the hub
And on the EFDSS website we’ll also be running regular features about the project, so keep an eye out!
