The Featured Artists Coalition have announced the ten awardees for 2024’s Step Up Fund, with Amazon Music. Check them out below.
Established in 2022 to counteract the growing financial and structural challenges facing upcoming, independent artists in the UK, the Step Up Fund has so far helped 31 artists through grants and mentorships.
Among previous awardees are Amie Blu, Chalk, Cherise, Declan Welsh & The Decadent West, Elkka, Friedberg, Jalen Ngonda, Joel Culpepper and VUKOVI.
This year’s awardees, who were selected by a panel of industry professionals, span a range of genres including pop, metal, hip-hop and R&B, and are drawn from across the UK. They’ll all receive a grant of up to £8,000, alongside mentoring, a one-year PRO membership to the FAC, a one-year subscription to Amazon Music and content creation opportunities.
2024’s cohort is made up of Azekel, BEKA, Blair Davie, Dirty Nice, Hana Lili, Lime Garden, Olive Jones, ShaSimone, SOFY and unpeople. You can check out their music through an introductory playlist here.
The fund will allow the artists to pay for things to boost their careers in music — including recording and mastering costs, video creation, PR and marketing campaigns, showcasing and touring.
Brighton indie-rock band Lime Garden, who are among the awardees, spoke to NME about their experiences as emerging artists in the UK earlier this year.
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On receiving the award, they said: “Awards like Step Up provide essential support for new artists to develop sustainable careers in the music industry. For us, the costs associated with playing summer festivals, shows around Europe, and our first U.S. headline tour this Autumn are huge financial commitments.
They continued: “Having the funding support from Amazon Music and the industry support from the Featured Artists Coalition makes touring possible”.
The fund is open to artists aged 18 and above who have released at least three songs within the last year, which must have a minimum of 15k streams per song or one song with 45k streams on a chart-eligible UK streaming service. Awardees must not have an ongoing agreement with a major or large independent record label.
In a statement, David Martin, CEO of Featured Artists Coalition said he was “consistently inspired by the quality and the sheer volume of artists who apply.”
“The UK clearly has no shortage of talent, and there is evidently a real need for more of this kind of targeted funding, that can help independent artists realise their potential and build sustainable careers,” Martin continued. “Thanks to the generosity of Amazon Music, the FAC’s Step Up Fund is playing a real part to help address that challenge. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together in such a short amount of time, and look forward to seeing how 2024’s awardees progress over the next 12 months.”
Laura Lukanz, Head of Music UK, Australia & New Zealand, Amazon Music said: “Teaming up with the FAC to support the Step Up Fund for a third year continues to be a highlight of the year for the team and I.
She went on to say: “The outstanding calibre of applications we receive every year serves as a powerful reminder of the immense pool of talented artists we have in the UK. Making our selections is always a challenging process. I can’t wait to see what’s next for the 10 artists receiving a grant each this year.”