The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) Step Up Fund, generously supported by Amazon Music, is pleased to announce its return for a second year. Both the FAC and Amazon Music, Amazon’s immersive audio entertainment service, are delighted to relaunch this initiative.
The Step Up Fund aims to provide a comprehensive financial and developmental support package to a selection of up to ten emerging artists. This initiative recognises the monetary and structural barriers faced by artists during these early, yet critical, stages of their careers.
In a saturated industry, carving out a distinctive identity as an artist is a challenging task, a reality exacerbated by the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic implications of the UK’s departure from the EU, and the ongoing cost of living crisis.
The Step Up Fund is designed to help its recipients navigate through these obstacles. Artists are encouraged to apply to the Step Up Fund for support related to any aspects of their career, including but not limited to recording, releasing, marketing, content creation, and tour support.
Full application guidelines can be found here.
Eligibility Criteria
The fund is designed to support projects over a 12-month period. Applications are invited from professional artists of all genres, residing in the UK. Eligibility requirements include:
- Must be aged 18 years or older
- Must have released at least three songs within the past year with a minimum of 15k streams or one song with 45k streams on a UK chart-eligible platform
- Cannot be under an existing contract with a major or large independent record label, or be in receipt of a large advance.
Recipient Benefits
Recipients of the fund will receive:
- Financial support of up to £8,000 for their project
- A one-year membership and exclusive benefit package with the Featured Artists Coalition
- Opportunities for content creation with Amazon Music
- An Amazon Echo device
- A 12-month Amazon Music subscription
The application deadline is 23:59 on 26th May 2023.