Let’s Sing Until Mr. Sunak Hears Us Out!

The band “Darts” made a song for Chancellor Rishi Sunak so he understands the struggles of the music industry and decides to #InvestInMusicians

The situation of musicians in the UK is critical. According to the Musician’s Union COVID impact poll of 2020, almost 40% of them are not eligible for government support due to design flaws in the aid programmes; a similar percentage is considering leaving the industry, and an alarming 88% considers the government has not done enough.

This could change if Chancellor Rishi Sunak includes the concerns of the music industry in his Budget speech, which will be delivered tomorrow. Here you have some options to reach out to him:

Share your message for Rishi Sunak on social media:

Write to Rishi Sunak at the Treasury:

We have a few hours left, let’s not keep quiet!

“Success Beyond The Score” With Tony Bean, Part 2

Welcome to Episode 2 of Season 2 of Success Beyond The Score! Today we pick where we left off with Tony Bean. He talks about some of his career highs & lows; dealing with personalities in the studio, home and work balance and his 5 tips to help you develop as a music producer. Watch here:

This recording took place using Zoom, over the internet because of the social distancing requirements in the UK, so you will notice a difference in the audio quality but there are still fantastic experiences for you to learn. This episode is also available as a regular podcast on all your favourite platforms.

3 Ways To Convince Rishi Sunak To #InvestInMusicians

The Budget statement is approaching. The Musicians’ Union is focused on five points for Chancellor Rishi Sunak to consider in regards of the music industry, which are:

1.   Extend SEISS (Self-employment Income Support Scheme) and furlough beyond April for sectors that cannot return to work.
2.   Adjust SEISS to ensure that all musicians are covered in future rounds of funding.
3.   Open up the second round of the Cultural Recovery Fund (CRF) to freelancers in England – in line with Scotland and Wales.
4.   Introduce an insurance scheme for summer festivals and other events.
5.   A subsidy for live events to happen with reduced capacity under social distancing.

They are doing everything in their power, but we as musicians working in the UK need to take action as well, and we must hurry because the budget speech will be delivered on Wednesday!

There are three things you can do to convince Mr. Sunak and the government to invest on musicians:

Share your message for Rishi Sunak on social media:

Write to Rishi Sunak at the Treasury:

Share your story using the MU’s customisable graphic:

Find “Success Beyond The Score Season 2” On AffinityXtra Radio

Success Beyond The Score season 2 is airing in the radio station Affinity Xtra every two weeks, following the same schedule season 1 had: Tuesdays and Sundays at noon.

Tune in in just an hour to www.affinityxtra.com and listen to the first episode, in which Millicent interviews Tony Bean, founder and CEO of 5am Records, so you are all caught up and can listen to the second part of the interview when it premieres on Youtube and all podcast platforms next week.

We really hope you are enjoying the new format for the second season!

#BeXtra

First Episode Of “Success Beyond The Score” Season 2

Millicent’s podcast to help you find your way in the music industry is back for season 2. This time, she gives the microphone to prominent voices of the area, from producers to performers, singers, musicians and more, so they can share their knowledge and unveil some secrets to boost your career.

In addition, the podcast now has a version on video that you can watch on YouTube. Start with the first episode, in which Millicent has an interview with music producer and record label owner Tony Bean.

Success Beyond The Score will have new episodes every two weeks. Find it in audio format on iTunes, SoundCloud and Mixcloud!

Emergency on stage!

Anything can happen on stage and, as performers, we must be prepared! However, sometimes things go wrong no matter how hard you think about every possible inconvenience ahead of time. That’s the case of the Taiwanese-Australian violinist star Ray Chen during a concert in Brussels some years ago:

We feel his pain, but the video is hilarious! Check how everybody reacts super fast while the director pays no mind whatsoever to the chaos unfolding right next to him. The show must go on and orchestras know this better than anyone!

We hope this brings a smile to your face and some energy for the week that just started. Things are difficult, but with the right mindset, we can be like Ray Chen and brave it like pros on the stage 😉

This Monday: “Success Beyond The Score” Returns For Season 2!

Just recently, AffinityXtra radio finished a successful run of Success Beyond The Score‘s first season, where our creative director Millicent Stephenson walked us through a lot of useful information to carve our path in the music industry. Now, the podcast is back for a second season in which prominent voices of the field will join Millicent for in-depth interviews!

Every two weeks, get valuable insights on the life an work of producers, coaches, singers, performers and more! This time, the podcast will be available in video format through YouTube in addition to the usual audio on SoundCloud, iTunes, Mixcloud and, of course, AffinityXtra radio.

More info to come with the first episode on Monday 15th February. Please look forward to it!

Millicent’s journey to success

February is Black History Month, which reminded us of the talk Millicent gave for the Active Wellbeing Society last year, during the same occasion. Let’s get inspired together by her journey and the tips she gaves us from her perspective:

Find out more about the Active Wellbeing Society: https://theaws.co.uk/​
Explore Millicent’s music industry coaching & education site: https://www.successbeyondthescore.com/​

New Success Beyond The Score Podcast returns for Season 2

That’s right, Success Beyond The Score Podcast will return for a second season in the next few days. There have been some changes so watch this video to hear all about what’s new for Success Beyond The Score Podcast return for Season 2:

Watch The Parliament Discuss Future UK-EU Relations

On Thursday 21st January, representatives from the Musicians Union, the British Film Institute, the British Council and members of the EU services sub-commitee of parliament had a meeting in which they discussed the new conditions Brexit imposes over the entertainment industry, among other things like why the UK decided not to look into a renewal of participation in the Creative Europe programme. It is an interesting watch to understand the current situation and the position of the different actors in the matter.

Watch it here.

As usual, we recommend following the Musicians’ Union to keep up to date with the state of our industry.

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