Aspiring youngsters given taste of music industry

25 April 2008

Calling aspiring young performers and music entrepreneurs!

The British Urban Collective music project is rolling out across the country for the first time this year, and Hull is the only city in Yorkshire to be chosen to take part.

Auditions will be held next week for 16 to 25-year-old aspiring musicians, singers, producers, DJs and managers to hone their skills and learn the inner workings of the music industry.

Those lucky enough to be chosen will be trained by industry experts, including singer Sam Brown. They will then go on to create their own songs, which will be produced in the University of Hull's professional-quality Salmon Grove Studios.

Music executives at major record companies, including Universal, will then pick the best three tracks from each city for a CD album to be launched in London later this year.

The University's state-of-the-art facilities will be used for recording and staff, including Michael Fletcher of the University's Music department, will be giving advice on higher education. Final-year University students will also assist in the recording phase, providing them with industry experience and giving the young musicians a flavour of what Music at the University of Hull has to offer.

Michael Fletcher, Salmon Grove Studios Manager and Engineer, said, "This project is a great way for us at the University to help nurture and build upon the latent talent pool in Hull and the region, to generate real outcomes for local musicians. For the lucky participants who make it into the Collective, the training, networking and recording opportunities afforded by this project should provide the impetus to launch exciting careers."

British Urban Collective started as the Urban Collective in London four years ago. It provided young people access to expertise and facilities to help them forge a career in the music industry. Now, the founder, Harry Leckstein, is rolling the programme out to five cities across the UK, including Hull.

He said, "In the past four years, the Urban Collective project has helped more than two hundred young people across London. Now we have the chance to work across the UK and I'm very excited to work with all the young people out there who are determined to become the new pioneers of our industry."

The scheme is establishing permanent legacies in each of the cities it visits. In Hull, it is hoped young people chosen for the scheme will continue its work with their own recording studio and live events.

Auditions start on Monday at the Freedom Centre, Preston Road, and continue throughout the week at venues across Hull. One of those venues is The Warren, which specialises in working with inner-city young people and is partly-funded by the Execution Charitable Trust, the main funder behind British Urban Collective.

Stewart Baxter of The Warren said, "The project is aimed at young people in urban areas who possibly would never get a chance like this. We are very excited to be a part of the project and are sure the whole experience will be hugely beneficial for the people involved. We hope this is just the start of more projects understanding the importance of the arts to the development of young people."

Following on from the auditions, a group of young people will be chosen for the specialist training and expert advice and will create their own music. The best three tracks from each city will be picked by industry experts later in the year for a nationally-launched album and live event in London.

Harry said the auditions are open to young people interested in any aspect of the music industry.

"We are looking for people with the right attitude," he explained. "There are plenty of talented people out there, and some may not have a lot of experience, but if you are interested just turn up and have a chat. This is open not just to musicians and singers, but DJs, aspiring producers and managers."