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We’ve launched an end of year survey! If you’re trying to break into the music industry or recently started in an entry level role, we want to hear from you. We’ve done a lot of work behind the scenes this year and your answers will help us with our planning for Route's 2024 programmes, events and online content. We want to know what it’s like for young people starting out in the industry. What are the main barriers to entry? Do you feel supported enough as a new starter in your role? What practical advice or skills can Route help to provide to make things easier?
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Next up in the ROUTE world is collaboration between ourselves Filly Brook and Dream House Records for a day of live music and learning on Sunday 26 November.
Brush up on your DJ skills with Arnie Wrong then in the evening Filly Brook plays host to a live set from Danalogue (Comet Is Coming) and esteemed drummer Richard Spaven feat. Tendayi.
This show is part of our current series of events alongside London Borourg Of Waltham Forest providing training and work place opportunities for young people wanting to get into the music industry.
RSVP Here.
Join us on Saturday 19 August for a multi venue celebration of live music around Uplands Business Park in Waltham Forest.
Presented by Route and programmed and produced by LNZRT, Uplands begins a series of events designed to create paid training and employment opportunities for 18-30s within the borough, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds and facing barriers to entry into the creative industries due to financial constraints.
Our opening line up features Anti-Net, Denzel Himself, Faye Meana, Isaiah Hull, Jawa Jones, Joe Jas, Lady Kamikaze, Micromoon, Natalie Shooter, Nation Unrest, Peng Femme, Jam Retropxssy and Tony Njoku. Stay tuned for more to come.
We’re also currently recruiting for a number of positions to help us organise Uplands with Stage Managers, Reps and Content teams on site along with Sound Engineer training shifts. Head to our Jobs & Opportunities page for more info.
RSVP to Uplands here︎
Route Placement Programme: *Applications Now Closed
Placement ProgrammeWe’re delighted to share the news that we are launching the Route Placement Programme, partnering with some of the UK’s leading companies to provide three young people (18-25) a five-month paid placement working in the live music sector. Applctions are now open. To find out more click below.
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People, Places & Programmes : Keychange
GenderKeychange is a music industry movement, with a mission to create more space and opportunities for women and gender expansive creators and professionals.
Following the release of the new Keychange 'Pledge Action Plan' we spoke to UK Project Manager Francine Gorman to hear more about their findings, to see what improvements the industry still needs to make when it comes to gender balance and the importance of turning a focus towards intersectionality.
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Landed Your First Job In The Music Industry?
Call OutWe’re looking to hear from young people about their experiences of their first jobs in the music industry for a feature piece on our site.
One or two years into your first role? Positive or negative, we want to tell the story of what it’s like to be a young person working in music in 2023.
If that’s you, then please fill out the form linked here.
We don’t want this to be a totally London centric piece so we’re especially keen to hear from people from across the whole of the U.K.
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In Conversation With : Joy Warmann
Project Manager & Radio HostWe had a chat with Joy about the details of her various day to day roles, how to marry your passion for music to the key skills needed to establish a career and her hopes for the next generation coming through. Read on below.
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People, Places & Programmes : Small Green Shoots
Youth Charity
Small Green Shoots are a youth led charity looking to pave the way for the next generation of workers by equipping those who would otherwise be left behind with the practical and mental skills needed to build a career in music.
We had a chat with founder Founder & Director Natalie Wade about the support they offer and the various programmes they run.
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Route In Coversation With Grove At End Of The Road
EventsEver wondered how an artist gets to the stage where they are selling out headline shows and getting booked for festivals? We’re delighted to announce we’ll be at End Of The Road in September in conversation with Grove and their close knit team. We’ll hear more about the pivotal steps that have seen them rise to become one of the most exciting emerging talents in the UK right now. We’ll also be hearing from their manager Josh Cohen, PR Tom Sloman and DJ, synth and visual creative collaborator Ella Joy to discuss the importance of all the behind-the-scenes work that brings it all together.
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In Conversation With : Matt Harris
Artist ManagerWe caught up with Matt Harris, to chat about his career so far, from throwing parties at University to setting up his own record label, working for Rough Trade and now heading up the artist management arm of much loved festival End Of The Road.
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Kobalt Music Group Internship Program
Jobs and OpportunitiesThis month Kobalt Music Group launch a new paid 6-month internship program across multiple roles in the business running from October 2022 to April 2023. Successful applicants will work 25 hours a week, and receive an 8-week intensive learning course on the music industry, as well as a special speaker series where once a quarter, you will have access to a wide range of industry professionals to immerse yourself in the music publishing industry. These roles are designed to be open to a diverse range of applicants. To find out more and apply click below.
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In Conversation With : Nyla Davison
Tour ManagerWe sat down with tour manager Nyla Davison to find out exactly what the role of a tour manager entails, how to get your foot in the door of the live music industry, and tips for living life on the road.
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Route At Roundhouse Rising Festival
EventsWe were honoured to be selected to be an official partner of Roundhouse Rising festival this year. We hosted a workshop in the Studio Theatre designed to guide young people through the stages of landing a job in the music industry. Check out the photos and feedback.
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Route At Wild Paths : Watch The Conferences
EventsWe had a great time curating the conference day at Wild Paths Festival in October. Our panelists provided great insight across a range of issues including gender parity, anti-racism and the viability of streaming.Now you can watch the sessions in full over on Wild Paths’ Youtube channel.
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Spotlight : Flore Diamant
PhotographyOur latest Spotlight feature showcases the work of photographer Flore Diamant.
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In Conversation With : Harrison Jones
A&R / ManagementHailing from Luton, Harrison Jones is an A&R and Management assistant at London based record label Another Rhythm. In his early 20s and at the start of his career, he talks us through his journey from leaving uni to landing his first job, and speaks about the importance of helping more working class people into music industry roles.
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People, Places & Programmes : Saffron
Music TechStaggeringly just 5% of the music tech workforce are women and since 2016, Saffron has been operating as a social enterprise looking to redress the balance. We caught up with founder Laura Lewis-Paul to talk about the development of Saffron over the years and how gender, race and class intersect when it comes to access.
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Route x Roundhouse Rising Festival
Partnerships / EventsWe're thrilled to have been invited to curate an evening of live music and a workshop at this year's edition of Roundhouse Rising Festival. We’ll be taking over the Roundhouse Studio Theatre on Wednesday 20 October to bring you a workshop on landing a job in the music industry as well as live show featuring South London’s Jerkcurb and Glasgow art-punk outfit comfort.
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Route x Group Therapy At The Social
Partnerships / EventsWe team up with our friends at Group Therapy for the second in the series of events at The Social. We’ll be hearing from experts across PR, Radio and Artist Management to get their insight into the behind the scenes processes involved in a release campaign. What are the key roles, how release plans are put together and how to build a client roster.
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Route x Wild Paths Festival Conferences
Partnerships / EventsWe are thrilled to be able to finally announce we have curated a selection of conferences in collaboration with Wild Paths Festival, due to take place in Norwich this October. The two days of panels and talks feature music industry professionals, artists and special guests.
We are delighted to have panelists and hosts from the likes of Youth Music, PRS, shesaidso, Keychange, Women In Ctrl, DICE, UK Music and more. See the full panel line ups below.
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Accessible Employment Guide Launch Event
Partnerships / EventsAt the end of May Route teamed up with independent charity organisation Attitude Is Everything to put together a live streamed launch event for their Accessible Employment Guide live at MOTH Club in Hackney.
The Accessible Employment Guide is part of the new Beyond the Music Programme, a three-year programme funded by the National Lottery Community Fund to improve accessibility to the music and live events industries for Deaf and disabled professionals, employees, and volunteers. You can watch the event back in full below.
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This Must Be For You Community Fund
PartnershipsThis Must Be For You Community Fund is a new pay-it-forward scheme that offers free tickets to those who might not ordinarily attend events due to financial constraints, mental health concerns or other barriers to access.
Put together by venue programmers LNZRT, music industry advice platform Route and gift giving service TMBFY tickets from the fund will be distributed in partnership with charities Arts Emergency, Shoreditch Trust and Tickets For Good.
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In Conversation With : Zakia Sewell
Radio Production / PresentingZakia talks through her journey from working at Honest Jon's Records to producing podcasts and documentaries for the likes of BBC Radio 4, Resident Advisor and Tate.
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In Conversation With : Sarah Joy
ATC
Live AgentWe caught up with on-the-rise booking agent Sarah Joy to hear about her journey to working for revered agency ATC Live. She talks about how wanting to be a radio DJ eventually led her down the path of bookings, and what it feels like to work with a band from their first shows to filling 5,000 capacity rooms.
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Spotlight : Marieke Macklon
PhotographyThis week it's a collection from photographer Marike Macklon.
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Talking Mental Health In The Music Industry With Brace Yourself’s Kieran Allan
Mental HealthWe sat down with Kieran to talk about the importance of recognising mental problems early on. Here he opens up about his own struggles, offers advice on getting help, and how having a boss that recognises the need for down time can make all the difference in this fast-paced industry.
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Spotlight : Molly Dyson
Graphic Design︎︎
In Conversation With : Annette Lee
4AD
PRAs Head Of Press at 4AD, Annette Lee has worked on campaigns that have seen the likes of Future Islands and The National grow from niche acts to arena stalwarts. We had a chat to hear how she came to work in music PR, how a press campaign is structured, and what employers look for in this line of work.
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In Conversation With : Kate Hutchinson
The Last Bohemians / Worldwide FM
Journalism & Broadcasting“Be brave in sending editors your ideas but don’t be disheartened if they get rejected.”
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In Conversation With : Andy Rossiter
Love Thy Neighbour
Live Music PromotionThe Brighton based promoter shares tips on how to get your events off the ground, and offers an optimistic outlook on the music industry’s resilience.
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Spotlight : Wunmi Onibudo
Photography︎︎
In Conversation With : Letitia
Douglas
Reform Radio
RadioLetitia Douglas, Studio Assistant at Manchester's Reform Radio speaks about the support and training the station has given her, and gives advice to others her age wanting to get a foot in the door of the music industry outside of London
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Industry Jargon Explained Part 3
TipsIn part three we talk gig promotion, sync, digital operations and more.
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Women Who Built A Career In The Music Industry Without Going To University
Music CareersUniversity isn’t for everyone but it’s often hard to know what other options are out there. We spoke to six women who built careers in music without a degree to hear how it worked for them.
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People, Places & Programmes : shesaid.so
Gender Equalityshesaid.so is one of the pivotal organisations seeking to redress the gender imbalance within the music industry through community efforts and female oriented support networks.
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People, Places & Programmes : Creative Scotland
Funding & Creative AccessWe spoke to Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative Manager Morag Macdonald to learn more about the programme and the correlation between music making and future employment and what they look for in funding applications.
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