MMF Accelerator Programme 2022 Application

Backed by YouTube Music, Arts Council England, Creative Scotland and the Scottish Music Industry Association, the 4th round of MMF’s Accelerator programme is now open for applications.

AIMS OF THE PROGRAMME

GROWTH To strengthen and stimulate UK based music management enterprises and support this growing sector, driving activity, artistic development, and investment.

DIVERSITY To enable a diverse talent pool of next-generation music managers in expanding their economic and cultural footprint within the UK and around the world.

SUPPORT To address investment gaps at key phases of managers’ company and industry development cycles.

SKILLS To develop key skill sets in the management community, through training and mentoring.

RESILIENCE To springboard self-sustainable businesses that can go on to develop multiple artist careers.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

You must be based in the UK
You must be currently managing at least one artist, songwriter, DJ or producer. Talent can be based anywhere in the world and of any genre.
You must have been working as a manager for at least 18 months as a freelancer or at a company you own. If you have recently left a company you are still eligible to apply if you have 18 months experience.
The creator(s) you work with should have collectively had at least £20,000 in gross income/turnover in total, including known/confirmed pipeline income in the last the past 12 months (Oct 2020-Oct 2021)
Due to the impact of COVID-19 we are asking managers unable to meet this criterion to provide any additional income and evidence from the previous 12 months demonstrating a minimum artist income of £20,000. For example an advance outside of the eligible period Oct 2020- Oct 2021).
We welcome applications from managers who were previously unsuccessful applicants to the programme and meet the basic criteria.

OPENS 9th September – CLOSES 25th October

Application Form

HOW TO APPLY

The application process is in two stages;

STAGE 1 – Expression of Interest and Video/Audio application Open 9th September – 25th October 2021

This stage of the application is intended to give us an overview of you and your work. The application form is available here and you will also need to submit a five-minute video.

THE FORM: BASIC INFORMATION

How long have you been operating as a manager?
What are the gross income of your artists’ businesses over the past 12 months and a breakdown in which areas this income has been earned and any net profit made?
What is the overall income of the artist/songwriter/producer business in the past 12 months INCLUDING pipeline income?
What is the overall income of the artist/songwriter/producer business in the past 12 months EXCLUDING pipeline income?
What is the NET income of the artist/songwriter/producer business in the past 12 months?
What is your income ONLY from artist management in the past 12 months?
What is your income from non-management activities in the past 12 months?
What other work do you do besides artist management?
Which artists/music creators do you represent and links to the music?

THE FIVE-MINUTE PITCH

Your video/sound file must clearly cover the following areas;
How long have you been operating as a manager and how did you come to the role?
Tell us a bit about the artists you work with and why you work with them?
Tell us about an achievement or success you’ve had in the past 12 months
Tell us about a time you’ve failed or could have done better in the past 12 months
The reason why you should be an Accelerator Manager and give an outline of your plans over the next two years’ and where you aim to be.

STAGE 2 – 24-month Work Plan /Business Plan – 8th November 2021 TBC

Applicants who are accepted on to Stage 2 will be expected to submit a short 24-month plan (Jan 2022 – December 2023). More details will be announced soon. For any further information or queries, please email accelerator@themmf.net

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is there a particular age I have to be to apply?

No, you can be any age to apply. As long as you have been working professionally as a music manager for at least 18 months.

If the act I work with is based in the UK, can I still apply even if I am not?

No, you need to be living in the UK in order to apply, but the act may be living anywhere in the world.

How professional does my five-minute video need to be?

We are more interested in what you say in the video, than your skills in video production. In previous years the range of Stage 1 successful applicants’ video styles was very broad. Our advice is to keep the video clear, answer the questions required and keep within the five-minute time-frame. We are unable to watch beyond five minutes of each submission.

£20,000 seems like a lot to have earned, can I still apply if my act has not earned that much?

Don’t forget that this is gross income – as in anything the artist has received or is owed. This can include PRS, PPL, merch sales, advances, streams, grants, rescheduled touring plans, live income, brand income etc. If you sit down and work it all out, you may be surprised that you actually have turned over more than you thought across your roster. We have made a provision regarding COVID-19 by allowing applicants to provide incomes for a previous year if they can demonstrate a track record of their artists meeting this minimum turnover.

What if I am working with a co-manager?

You can still apply if you are working in partnership with another manager but we ask you to detail this in the application. If you are both applying as individuals, please email accelerator@themmf.net to confirm the two names that are applying either as individuals or as management partnership. If you are applying as a partnership representing the same artists it is unlikely we will award two places on the Music Manager Accelerator.

What if I manage two acts that between them have earned over £20,000 but not individually?

You will possibly make a stronger application if you work with at least one act that has individually earned over £20,000 but you are eligible if you reach this total across a number of music makers.

Do I need to have been working with the same act for the past 18 months?

No; as long as you have been managing artists, songwriters, producers or DJ’s for at least 18 months, you are eligible to apply for the programme.

How much of the training and education programme will I be expected to attend over the 12 months?

You will be required to attend at least 80% of the training on offer and will have travel funded to attend the in-person training.