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LIMF Academy is celebrating its 10-year anniversary by partnering with the Ivors Academy Trust and PPL to launch an all-female music project in the Liverpool City Region. The initiative, called ‘YES WE ARE!’, brings together 12 female songwriters, composers, musicians, and producers for collaborative songwriting and recording sessions at Liverpool’s Kempston Street Studios, supported by an exclusively female team. The programme is led by Michelle Escoffery, an Ivor Novello Award-winning singer-songwriter, with guest facilitator Låpsley, a Liverpool-born artist known for her multifaceted talents as a singer, songwriter, musician, and producer.
Starting in November, the project has seen two rounds of creative and recording workshops. Participants will also take part in a tailored industry day at London’s Roundhouse, with some given the chance to perform at the prestigious Kindred Showcase at the Southbank Centre. This programme seeks to address gender inequality in the UK music industry, focusing on the experiences of women both as creators and performers. It operates through a partnership with the Ivors Academy Trust, a charity dedicated to making composition and songwriting accessible, alongside PPL, the industry’s Collective Management Organisation responsible for collecting royalties on behalf of performers and recording rights holders.
Despite improvements in female representation in mid-to-senior roles within the music sector, women remain significantly underrepresented in senior leadership positions and certain specialist roles such as producers, engineers, and DJs. This disparity extends across various music genres. Data from 2020 reveals that only 16.7% of individuals receiving streaming royalties as songwriters or composers were women. More recent statistics from the PRS Foundation in 2023 show women accounted for only 17% of registered writers and creators. Similarly, in 2024, women represented just 15% of live sound engineers and 12% of studio or mastering engineers, underscoring the ongoing gender imbalance in technical fields.
LIMF Academy itself was established by Liverpool City Council in 2014 as a part of the Liverpool International Music Festival, aiming to nurture local music talent. Over the past decade, it has supported more than 200 emerging artists, delivered over 400 hours of professional expertise through 220-plus workshops and sessions—all free to participants. Alongside the ‘YES WE ARE!’ project, LIMF Academy is hosting a range of other events in 2026. Notably, January featured ‘FOR THE LOVE…’ at the Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room, showcasing new collaborations between alumni artists. Upcoming events include KOJ’s TRiBE concert highlighting Liverpool’s hip-hop scene and the launch of LIMF Academy Sound Sessions, a series dedicated to promoting under-represented DJs through masterclasses, filmed sessions, and mentorship, all facilitated by DJ and presenter Hannah Lynch. The academy’s programming continues to emphasize creative development and equality within the city’s vibrant music landscape.
Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, Councillor Harry Doyle, praised LIMF Academy’s decade of efforts to support local talent and build an inclusive creative community. He described the ‘YES WE ARE!’ project as a “brilliant example” of tackling gender equality in music and expressed anticipation for its impact alongside other forthcoming projects. Michelle Escoffery highlighted the transformational power of creating a supportive, women-led environment that not only fosters songwriting but also champions who gets to create music and be recognized in the industry. Sarah Wall from PPL expressed enthusiasm for supporting the project through PPL Giving, emphasizing its vital role in promoting gender equality. Artist participant Bethane shared her heartfelt experience, reflecting on the safe, empowering environment of the songwriting camp and the invaluable opportunities it has provided her as a female creator within the music industry
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