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Ten independent artists in the UK will be supported by Amazon Music and The Featured Artists Coalition’s Step Up Fund in 2024. The fund, established 2 years ago, has helped 31 artists so far through grants and mentorships. The awardees will receive up to £8,000 in grants, a 1-year subscription to Amazon Music, mentoring, a one-year PRO membership to the FAC, and additional content creation opportunities. Others who have previously been helped by this fund include Friedberg, Jalen Ngonda, and Amie Blu.
This year’s recipients of the Step Up Fund were chosen by a group of industry professionals. Among the genres represented are hip-hop, R&B, pop, and metal, extending across Britain. The funding will enable the artists to further their careers in music by funding activities like video creation, marketing, showcasing, touring, and recording and mastering costs.
As per the eligibility criteria, the fund is available for artists aged 18 and over who have released a minimum of three songs in the last year. The eligibility also requires that either one of the songs must have 45k streams on a chart-eligible UK streaming service, or all of them have to collectively have had a minimum of 15k streams per song. Awardees must not have any ongoing agreements with major or large independent record labels.
The ten independent artists who will receive the award include Azekel, BEKA, Blair Davie, Dirty Nice, Hana Lili, Lime Garden, Olive Jones, ShaSimone, SOFY, and unpeople.
David Martin, CEO of Featured Artists Coalition, stated that he is consistently inspired by the immense talent in the UK, and it’s evident that there is a real need for more targeted funding that can help independent artists. Laura Lukanz, Head of Music UK, Australia & New Zealand at Amazon Music, noted the pool of talented artists they have in the UK and expressed her excitement to see what’s next for the grant recipients.
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