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Image credit: Paul Hampartsoumian

The Music Managers Forum (MMF) is delighted to reveal the next wave of 24 independent music managers who will take part in our 2023 Accelerator Programme for Music Managers.

Now entering its fifth year, Accelerator is a groundbreaking grants and training initiative aimed at putting independent music management businesses on a more sustainable footing. Supported by YouTube Music, Arts Council England, Creative Scotland and the Scottish Music Industry Association, the programme is overseen by Paul Bonham, the MMF’s Director of Professional Development.

Since 2019, more than 100 independent music managers have participated in Accelerator, benefitting from £1.5m of investment and training. Many have gone on to enjoy extraordinary successes in support of the artists, songwriters, music producers and other creative talent they represent.

Most recently, these include:

• Rob Harrison, co-manager of BRITs Rising Star winners FLO

• Rich Goodwin, manager of recent UK album chart toppers The Reytons

• Alessia Avallone, manager of Soundwalk Collective, composers for Oscar-nominated documentary All The Beauty and the Bloodshed

• Anique Cox, nominated in the Best Manager category at the Accelerator-sponsored Young Music Boss Awards for her incredible work with Bree Runway

• Callum Reece, winner of Breakthrough Manager at the 2022 Artist & Manager Awards for his successes at One House for Eliza Rose, Sherelle, Cktrl and Mwanjé.

Other Accelerators have worked on Mercury and Grammy-nominated projects, as well as developing commercial partnerships and collaborations with a wide range of record labels, distributors, music publishers, live music companies, brands and other management businesses.

The MMF is proud to have two previous Accelerators – Clare Wright and Nike Durosaro – among our board members.

We are confident that the extraordinarily talented class of 2023 will follow in their footsteps. Representing artists including Låpsley, SIPHO, Gee Lee, Jesse Boykins III, Felixthe1st and Pigs x 7, our 24 managers are drawn from all corners of the UK (65% are based outside London) and, as in previous years, include a strong balance of genders and backgrounds.

The Accelerator class of 2023 are:

Alex Putman – TAAHLIAH, Jerskin Fendrix, Famous

Alfie Briggs – Piccolo Music

Ben Magee – Joshua Burnside, Dark Tropics, Lemonade Shoelace, CHALK

Bradley Kulisic – Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Holy Moly & The Crackers, Lindsay Munroe, The Dawdler, LUNGE

Danni Skerritt – Kaspa, Ruby Tingle, Iora

Declan McAlister – Mack Jamieson, Parked Up, Carys Selvey, Unflirt, Chloe Qisha, Joe Hartwell Jones

Frances Barber – Shillito Ben Malone, Hugo Cantarra, My Friend, Louis Millne, Toriah

Hannah Turnbull-Walter -TYSON, Låpsley, Joe Winter

Isus Calmellow – Femi Tahiru, Jay Faded & DeBe

Jamil Carrol – Kwengface, VXMOB, VX Duse, M.G

Jamila Scott – Melle Brown, Jack Kane, Halfrhymes, Hannah Yadi

Jim Frew – Spyres, Uninvited, The Roly Mo, Ava in the Dark & The Katuns

Joel Reyes – Lo Lauren, Izi Redmond, Carys Selvey, Andysocialclub, Alex Wildwood

Kariss Andrew – kitti , MOY , Park Lane Studios

Kieran Thompson – SIPHO., Thai Mason, Cay Caleb

Leon Wright – Fabiana Palladino, Tex, Dane Burge

Marley Azu-Jones – Fonzie, Felixthe1st & DJ Mastaque

Nina Smith – Alfie Sharp, Kirk Spencer, Family Friend

Sade Lawson – Lil C, Jesse Boykins III, Bam Marley

Trina Smith – Victors, The White Lakes, Mutya Buena, Khalysis, Andrew Kingslow, Dan Carasco, TOMI (DJ Tazer), Luke Juby, Taper, Liam Geddes and Andrea Lepori

Vanessa Sinclair – MR MACEE, EL SAM, GAMBIMI, ABZ WINTER, DJ STEADMAN, CLAIRE ANGEL

Willem Lord – ayrtn, Downtown Kayoto, GEE LEE, Jack Marlow, Jaish, Izadora

Willow Dingwall-Fordyce – EVALINA & Leventis

Yvonne Ellis – Secret Night Gang

Annabella Coldrick, Chief Executive, MMF:

“The support and funding provided by Accelerator can be life changing and managers who’ve participated on the programme have gone on to enjoy incredible successes with artists, producers and songwriters such as FLO, The Reytons, PinkPantheress, Bree Runway, Joy Crookes, Wes Nelson, Eliza Rose, Squid, Dry Cleaning, ENNY, Joesef and Moses Boyd. With the support of YouTube Music, I’m really proud that the MMF is helping provide this kind of focussed professional development and see it pay long-term dividends.

Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music, Google & YouTube

We are incredibly proud of our role in co-creating the Accelerator program with the Music Managers Forum 5 years ago. Being a manager is one of the toughest jobs in the music industry and through our Futuremaker partnerships, we are committed to supporting the next generation of talent on both sides of the mic. We’ve seen so much progress so far from this best in class program and I look forward to what the future holds as we move forward.

Paul Bonham, Director of Professional Development, MMF:

“I can’t believe we’re now in year five of Accelerator! I am so proud of each and every individual that’s taken part in the programme, and incredibly grateful for everyone who has shown support. Through targeted funding and training we have been able to successfully address some of the fundamental challenges facing our sector and ensure that an upcoming generation of independent music managers can develop sustainable businesses that empower British talent to succeed.”