In 2025, Actual Music delivered the second phase of its artist development programme, supported by Arts Council England, with the aim of supporting high potential Lancashire-based artists to develop a professional portfolio of audio & visual assets and upskill artists in commercialising their practice through promotion and live performance. Applications are now open for the next cohort in 2026. 

The programme covered the following assets & outcomes for eight artists & bands:

• 1 x Single Fully Produced At Our Studio & Distributed via Actual Music
• Development Of EPK, Distribution & Marketing
• 1 x Live Lounge Style Video
• 1 x Live Showcase At The Grand Venue in Clitheroe
• 1 x Live Multi-Cam Video From The Showcase Performance
• Delivered Workshops From Industry Professionals On Promotion And Revenue Streams
• Working online resource library & artists toolkit 
• Established peer network
  

As part of the project, participants had the opportunity to network and collaborate with each other creatively, as well as contribute to the National Festival of Making as part of wider partnership work. 

Artist Featured Posts

 

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Live Lounge YouTube

In the press

Ripple Effect Images:

Ripple Effect Live Videos:

Ripple Effect Audience Comments:

“It was a fantastic showcase of local up and coming musicians with a great variety of music styles all of a very high standard giving them a great opportunity to reach new fans.”

“A fab day out with a variety of genres, food available and reasonable beer prices”

“A great concept much appreciated and an opportunity to see a diverse range of up and coming bands.”

“I love the varied music culture in Clitheroe. Ripple Effect provides an opportunity to hear up and coming local talent in the club setting of the Grand. It’s exciting to be part of it all.”

“Fantastic annual event where you always come away with some new favourite bands, and merch!”

The National Festival Of Making Showcase:

Evaluation:

When asked ‘How satisfied were you with the quality of the outcomes of the assets produced as part of the programme (single, videos, images etc)’ the average score was 4.7.

When asked ‘How well do you think the following elements of the project supported your artistic development?  (scale of 1 (slightly) to 5 (significantly))’ the average scores were as follows:

• Training Day 1 (guest speakers & information based): 4.4
• Training Day 2 (project based): 4.1
• Production of a single: 4.2
• Live music video: 4.3
• Mentoring Sessions: 4.3
• Ongoing support & resources from AM team: 4.2
• WhatsApp group & peer support: 3.8
• Ripple Effect events: 4.4

Artist Comments:

 

“Actual Music massively helped me get up and running as an artist. They gave me the opportunity to have access to a range of facilities and contacts that I never would have been able to make on my own, and the programme was also a great way of meeting some amazing artists and industry professionals. I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a way to jumpstart their music career.” – Hannah McMillan

 

“An amazing opportunity providing resources studio time and a great network and ethos to build your career” – Alexander Hulme

 

“Actual Music have definitely given us the knowledge confidence and resources to move to the next level of our career. They are all so easy to get along with and we will definitely be staying in touch for future collaborations.” – Pretty Shivers

 

“The artist development programme helped me re-asses my perspective on being an artist and has helped me grow my knowledge of the music industry as a whole.” – Harris Rafferty

 

“The Actual Music team did a phenomenal job with their ‘Ripple Effect’ showcase, highlighting the level of talent within Lancashire, and providing them with a platform to perform to a new audience, and develop their experiences in both a live and studio setting.” – The Empire Police

Are you interested in joining the next cohort in 2026? The eligibility criteria is as follows:

 

• Solo artists, duos or bands based in Lancashire.
• Members aged between 14 – 35
• Artists should perform their own original music
• Artists at any stage of their career journey as long as they are not signed to a record label (artists can be published or have booking agents and managers)
• All artists regardless of cultural background, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and disability status
• The programme will be completely free to access for all participants who are selected through the application process. 

If you are interested in accessing this artist development programme, simply fill out the form below.