American Express and the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) have renewed their partnership with the launch of the fourth Amex Unsigned.
The initiative helps to create opportunities for emerging music talent through access to live gigs, social campaigns and mentorships.
Launched in 2022, Amex Unsigned was developed in recognition of the fact that live music and grassroots artists were in need of support.
“Now entering its fourth year, the programme has grown into a powerful platform that backs a diverse community of artists and live venues, giving artists access to mentoring and performance opportunities that enable them to explore their passion and build confidence,” said a statement.
Previous years’ Amex Unsigned artists have played at a number of major festivals including Wilderness, American Express presents BST Hyde Park, Lido and All Points East.
Opportunities have also included having music synced in advertising campaigns and receiving mentorship from industry experts.
Since coming on board last year, the FAC supported Amex Unsigned with their Mentorship programme including an afternoon at All Points East In the Neighbourhood and a mentorship day held at a grassroots music venue in North London.
Amex Unsigned is open to emerging UK-resident artists from all genres. Applicants must be aged over 18, make original music and not be under a major label contract. Full details can be found here.
Amex’s Unsigned programme is targeted specifically at emerging talent and opening opportunities on some of the UK’s biggest stages
Gary Reid
Gary Reid, head of partnerships & programmes, Featured Artists Coalition, said: “We are delighted to build on our partnership with Amex Unsigned and to help amplify this important initiative. Amex’s Unsigned programme is targeted specifically at emerging talent and opening opportunities on some of the UK’s biggest stages. In what is an incredibly tough climate for upcoming artists, Amex Unsigned has a proven track record of helping them break through.”
Dave Edwards, VP American Express, said: “We are delighted that our fourth year of Amex Unsigned will allow even more artists to access the backing they need in an increasingly tough industry. With support from the Featured Artists Coalition, we can open more doors for aspiring artists across a breadth of genres through all-important mentoring and exciting breakthrough opportunities.”
Sistra, part of Amex Unsigned 2025, said: “Amex Unsigned truly transformed our year and our careers. Having our song in an American Express advertising campaign opened so many doors for us and enabled us to go full time with making music. The FAC mentor days were amazing – being independent artists can be very isolating, but coming together with our Amex Unsigned cohort made us feel we were truly part of a community.
“Through Amex Unsigned, we also played our favourite festival: All Points East – we had the best day, and felt so encouraged and inspired to believe that anything is possible. We love the team at Amex Unsigned and feel so proud to be part of that family!”
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