The partnership will provide educational opportunities, workshops on music production and songwriting, networking opportunities with industry professionals, and the possibility of publishing artists from Can-Do Musos with MediaTracks. The aim is to empower musicians with diverse abilities by providing them with the resources and support they need to succeed in the music industry.


Can-Do Muso

"We are delighted to be joining forces with MediaTracks in 2023 for what we anticipate will be a fruitful partnership and one that will open doors to opportunities for our musicians, in areas of the industry they may not otherwise be exposed to. We recognise in MediaTracks a company who hold similar values to Carousel - primarily a desire to be artist-led - and we are both eager to start working with them and very excited to see the results" - Gareth Evans, Artistic Director at Carousel

Carousel is a UK-based charity that focuses on championing the rights of artists with a learning disability, for them to flourish and be celebrated. In film, music, performance, digital arts, and in their partnerships/training, Carousel is dedicated to making learning disabled creativity a valued part of the cultural landscape. A key player in the Brighton arts and cultural scene since 1982, and now internationally renowned, Carousel works in partnership with learning disabled artists providing training, production and leadership initiatives that enable those who are often overlooked by mainstream arts to develop and showcase their creative skills.

In 2022, Carousel celebrated its 40th anniversary with various impressive achievements: their radio platform got over 15,000 listeners from 65 countries; their first live event after lockdown, A Lark in The Park, welcomed nearly 200 guests; and over 40,000 viewers tuned in to the first series of Carousel TV via Latest TV. Similarly, MediaTracks celebrated its 25th anniversary during the same year, and commemorated its quarter-of-a-century with a relaunch of its website, the creation of its five labels (MT Electronic, MT Heritage, MT World, MT Records and MT Vocal), and the announcement of its five core values: excellence, creativity, humanity, innovation, and inclusion & diversity.

MediaTracks is an independent, family-owned production label that operates on a global scale. Being an artist-centred company, it focuses on building strong relationships with each composer and artist who works with them. Following their core values, MediaTracks has taken several initiatives to actively diversify the production music industry. These include the creation of the MT Apprentice scheme, the release of their 2022 diversity report, and a 20% increase in 2022 releases from diverse composers (e.g. female, non-conforming, ethnically diverse), among others. Their partnership with Carousel kickstarts the year 2023 with a drive for change and an exciting range of opportunities to be offered to young and talented musicians.

To initiate the partnership, MediaTracks is delivering a workshop to Carousel artists based in Brighton (and surrounding areas) on The Basics of Production Music, which will take place in late April (exact date TBC). This workshop is aimed at highlighting production music as a potential career path for young composers and artists and will involve guest speakers and interactive modules where composers will be asked to work in groups and tackle briefs from diverse musical genres. Likewise, Carousel will contribute to MediaTracks’ development by guiding the production music company on how to produce accessible material (written and audio-visual) for audiences with learning disabilities.

William Saunders, Creative Director at MediaTracks, highlighted the importance of these types of partnerships: "We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Carousel, which opens a world of new possibilities for artists with learning disabilities in the production music industry. With MediaTracks and Carousel joining forces, we are creating a platform for these talented musicians to showcase their skills and share their unique artistic visions with a wider audience. This is an exciting time for everyone involved and we can't wait to see what new musical opportunities will emerge."

Carousel

Championing the Voices of Musicians with Learning Disabilities

Unfortunately, it's common for these professionals to go unrecognized and uncredited for their contributions. That's why we're proud to pledge our support to Credits Due, an organization dedicated to advocating for proper credit and recognition for all music creators. By providing a platform for these professionals to be acknowledged, we can ensure that they receive the respect and recognition they deserve, and that the music industry is fair and equitable for all.

Credits Due

As part of this pledge, MediaTracks commits to bringing the gender balance of new composers they sign annually closer to 50% female-identifying composers and having at least 20% of their yearly album releases being written and/or performed by diverse composers, including gender, sexual, and racial diversity, among others.

Keychange

We also have access to a detailed and complete analytics system that facilitates finding the right audiences for our composers and tracks. This partnership opens a world of opportunities to all Kycker artists and composers who might be interested in the production music industry, especially younger artists who can benefit from our growth and development programs such as the MT Apprentice Scheme. In MediaTracks, we believe in the power of collaboration as a tool for building an inclusive and fairer music industry, and we are excited to welcome Kycker on this journey.

Kycker

The partnership aims to provide opportunities for students to explore their artistic identities, gain insights into the music publishing industry, and develop new skills that can be applied across sectors.

Leeds Conservatoire

Apprentices are assigned a mentor who guides them through several 1-2-1 sessions, providing compositional guidance, business development, marketing programmes, and how to write successfully to briefs. Additionally, MediaTracks registers the apprentice’s album with the PRS and promotes their work on social media and sub-publishers to seek placement of their music. Apprentices have the opportunity to write a minimum of 1 album of 5-6 tracks exclusively for MediaTracks use and distribution. Are you interested? Join MediaTracks’s Apprentice Scheme and gain useful knowledge in creating music, develop a career in the music production industry, and become part of an exciting team that champions unique artistic flair and welcomes constructive support.

MT Apprentice Scheme

We are launching this partnership with the She Creates: Production Music Challenge, a music competition dedicated to providing guidance on production music to female-identifying composers, who might have never considered it as a career choice. With the aim of achieving a fairer gender balance in an industry that is heavily male-dominated, this competition offers a unique opportunity for female-identifying composers to participate in the production music world.

MT Apprentice Scheme

MT Partnerships

Can-Do Muso

Championing the Voices of Musicians with Learning Disabilities

Credits Due

Keychange

Kycker

Leeds Conservatoire

MT Apprentice Scheme

Music Production for Women