The Featured Artists Coalition and Amazon Music have opened applications for Step Up, the fund that supports upcoming independent music artists.
Now entering its fourth year, Step Up has provided grants totalling £250,000 to over 30 UK bands and solo artists across various genres – helping them pay for new recordings, underwrite the costs of live touring, as well as marketing, PR, video making and other content creation.
Artists who have benefitted from the Step Up since 2022 include Azekel, Aziya, Amie Blu, Beka, Chalk, Cherise, Elkka, Friedberg, Jalen Ngonda, Joel Culpepper, Lime Garden and Nix Northwest.
The announcement also takes place during The Great Escape, where FAC are joining with other members of the Council Of Music Makers and the Association Of Independent Music, to curate the TGE conference programme and place a spotlight on the challenges faced by the next generation of musical talent. Two of 2024’s Step Up awardees – Olive Jones and Sofy – are also performing at the festival this year.
“With The Great Escape conference kicking off, and the FAC shining a light on the opportunities and challenges faced by developing artists, it feels hugely appropriate to open applications for another year of Step Up with our friends and partners at Amazon Music,” said FAC CEO David Martin. “From our campaigning and advocacy work, we understand the innate costs that artists are having to shoulder when developing their careers. That’s why this funding is so important. It’s an investment in creativity, and it can make a huge difference to all who receive it, as well as to the future of music talent in the UK.”
"Over the past four years, The Step Up Fund has supported over 30 artists across the UK, and we’re proud to be working alongside them again for the 2025 edition,” added Laura Lukanz, head of music UK, Australia & New Zealand at Amazon Music. “It's an important initiative that helps independent artists at a crucial stage in their journey, and supports them in moving their careers forward. We're looking forward to reviewing this year’s applications and discovering more standout talent, as we’ve been fortunate to do in previous years."
Olive Jones said: “As a fully independent artist, the FAC Step Up Fund has enabled me to release my first body of work and to elevate my artist career to the next level. The general support from the FAC has made me feel like part of a community that wants to help me achieve my goals, create opportunities for me and offer guidance and advice in an industry that can often feel like the Wild West. I’m so grateful to be a part of the FAC family and recipient of the Step Up Fund.”
Sofy commented: “We’re so grateful to FAC and Amazon Music, the Step Up Fund allowed us to accept opportunities to play overseas, which we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to do. We also sold out our UK headline tour and the funding helped us to make the most of this opportunity and level up our live shows.”
