Are you looking for an opening to further your career as an artist or band? Whether you’re new to performing or a seasoned musician wanting to raise your profile, there’s plenty of action you can be taking.
There are so many music opportunities in Southampton – from funding, training and gigging to networking events. The city has some of the best live venues and development programmes along with a community of successful working professionals.
In this article, we’ll explain how to harness all these possibilities and improve your prospects as an emergent vocalist, band or instrumentalist.
Music opportunities in Southampton
If you’re a Hampshire based musician and feeling a little stuck, there’s much you can do to drive your career forward. In addition to the nationally relevant work of marketing, uploading your tracks to streaming sites, touring and creating music videos to post online, you can open yourself up to local opportunities. This will help you become a bigger fish in a smaller pool, rather than always swimming around in the huge pool of UK musicians.
There are some locally based schemes that will enhance your development too, applicable to those based in this region. These cover aspects of music learning and making, like songwriting, production, instrumentals, music theory and recording. Living in Southampton makes it much easier to gig in the city, meaning you can cover more ground and get your sound out there. But how can you do this and where?
Live music in Southampton
Southampton is packed with buzzing music venues, playing host to some top acts. The city has also seen some of the most legendary rock and pop concerts of all time, with many of the most famous bands in history having played here. You too can be a part of this rich musical history and culture, by becoming an integral part of the music scene. While it’s always vital to proactively create your own opportunities as an artist, you can also jump on board some of the existing ones. And get inspired for your own independent projects in the process.
MAS Records
This is a Government Education scheme aimed at encouraging young people aged 16 and over to get involved in developing their music careers. It’s fully funded by the state, so you don’t need to pay to be part of the programme. Participants work towards a Diploma that can fit in around other education or work commitments, and receive mentoring and masterclasses from record label A&R.
As part of the mentoring process, each artist receives a bespoke development plan for the academic year. This includes arrangement, development of songs, practice, performance, marketing, promotion, recording and a release at the end of the year. Also included are two hours a week of free studio rehearsal time (or four hours per fortnight). Bands and solo acts can apply and wind up with 24 hours recording time (for bands) and six hours (for single artists). This enables participants to release a single track or EP.
MAS also runs bi-weekly lessons in production, drumming, guitar, piano and singing. There’s also the chance for additional free rehearsal and production time, recording and songwriting sessions. The lessons are in collaboration with SYIMM – more on that next.
Southampton Youth Inclusion Music Network (SYIMN)
SYIMM is a means to learn and create music for free. It’s open to underprivileged young people from Dorset and Hampshire. To apply, you must be under the age of 25 and show a commitment to developing yourself in the musical arena. Run by River Studios on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it comprises music-making activities with an emphasis on fun, nurture and inclusion.
Participants create and learn through singing, playing an instrument, songwriting, music production, music appreciation and theory lessons. This culminates in the writing of original songs (lyrics and melodies) and the development of instrumental skills, working towards recording and performance. There are also opportunities for those who’ve taken part to be independently involved in music afterwards.
SoCo Music Project
Established in 2008, SoCo Music Project is all about nurturing talent and helping those from all backgrounds to develop new skills. The project has two strands:
Engage – launching projects and creating spaces that inspire, captivate and entertain, introducing music to those who may not otherwise get to experience it.
Elevate – supporting emergent musicians in activities such as recording tracks at SoCo’s professional studios or playing at their Balcony Session showcase. Mentoring, masterclasses.
In 2020, the organisation under a branch called RISE, curated an album showcasing 24 of the best local Rap, Hip-Hop and R&B in Southampton. Entitled The Sounds of Southampton Vol 1, this project was funded by the Arts Council and PRS Foundation. You can listen to the album on Spotify.
Local radio stations
Those wanting to be heard by their community should try to get onto the radio. There are plenty of stations and shows you can approach including:
- BBC Introducing Southampton and Solent
- Voice FM
- Express FM
- Forest FM
- Wave FM
- Heart Hampshire
- Radio Sonar
- Eagle Radio local showcase Hampshire
- Skyline FM
- Sam FM
Find out how to get your music played on Southampton-based music stations, in this article.
Gigs in Southampton
One of the best ways to be seen and heard is to play gigs. These can be live or online. But if you want to get your name to a local fanbase, in-person gigging must be part of your game plan.
Music in the City
MITC celebrates local talent from across the Solent area. Now in its 12th year, even lockdown didn’t stop the event from happening in 2020, when the festival went online. Almost all genres of music are represented and it’s brimming with homegrown talent. The events are usually spread across 22 venues, ranging from historic buildings to huge shopping malls.
Musicians in Your City
Whether you’re a musician looking for work or hiring one, this universal site is a good place to start. Musicians in Your City. Employers post job opportunities, and performers (bands and solo acts) can sign up to the central register and apply for them. You can search a radius beyond a range of cities (of which Southampton is one) and by your musical discipline. The fee structure is split into three options and paid either annually or monthly. Users have reported landing good contracts for recording and sync licensing.
Last-Minute Musicians Southampton
This is a very similar setup to Musicians in Your City. You apply to be included in the Solo Musicians available in Southampton, Hampshire page, where you can be found for live gigs. Many of the jobs on here will be for functions like weddings and events though, rather than industry-focussed performance opportunities. It’s also a useful resource to find out what other musicians charge and offer.
Busking with Go!
Designed as a response to social distancing, this busking project was launched by Go! Southampton, in association with the city’s Business Improvement District (BID), SoCo Music Project and the Solent University. Approved busking events were organised to animate Southampton’s central areas, in between lockdowns. This ran until the end of December 2020, so keep an eye out for a possible resurgence in 2021. And if not, you can always get out and create your own busking platform.
Southampton Festivals
In addition to Music in the City, there are many music and arts festivals happening in Southampton throughout the year. Start off small, if you’re yet an unknown quantity in the industry. A simple introduction email, with your electronic press kit or links to your work, maybe enough to get you a slot. To find out what’s coming up (as many of the gigs will change year on year), keep an eye on sites like Eventbrite, listing all the music festivals happening in the area.
Facebook music promotion pages
In a digital world, much networking takes place online and here, social media is king. Joining groups, keeping your eye on forums and proactively messaging social contacts can be a superb way to spot, generate and take advantage of opportunities.
If you’re looking to join a band, do check out other generic online sites too, such as Gumtree and Craiglist, which often have ads relating to music.
Southampton-Music
This is the public Southampton – Music group, with around 3000 members and growing. Anyone can post news, events and listings and discuss music in the local area (and many do every day). This group is monitored and moderated to ensure spam is kept to a minimum and gets an average of four posts a day, so is pretty active. Members advertise everything from beat tracks, to lessons and competitions. It’s linked to the Southampton Music Mag and sometimes includes shout-outs to those wishing to be included in publication features.
Southampton LIVE MUSIC
This is an opportunity to post anything that’s related to live (rather than recorded) music. The group has 1.3 thousand members and also averages around four posts per day. Additionally, the group’s admins post work opportunities as well as listing any live music gigs and open mics in and around Southampton. Southampton Live Music is a public group, so you can use it for free self-promotion. Most artists will include links to their SoundCloud, YouTube etc.
Southampton Musicians and Performers
Southampton Musicians and Performers is a 1.8 thousand strong group, encompassing all of the performing arts. Here you can digitally mingle with musicians, actors, storytellers, circus performers, venues, organisations and anyone involved in the industry in Southampton and the surrounding areas. This group was set up and is administered by, The Art House. The organisation’s aim is to promote local musicians, performers and venues. While posts will be deleted if they clash with The Art House’s ethos, you are welcome to post your promos.
Southampton Musician and Promoters Forum
This is a meeting place exclusively for musicians and promoters in the city. Use it to find and contact others. Look for gigs and open mic nights, as well as advertising your services on the forum’s wall. Promoters post when looking for performers for their nights – so be sure to follow the group and keep your notifications switched on. The Southampton Musician and Promoters forum average four posts a week.
Hampshire UK Musicians Community
Designed as a place for musicians to contact each other and promote dates for gigs, Hampshire UK Musicians Community, also serves as a hub for people looking for equipment, instruments or backup artists. Both musicians and people that have an interest in music are welcome to join, but there are a couple of questions, as the admin vet all new members. Pubs advertise their gigs on here too. But be aware that any unrelated posts will be deleted and the person posting them banned permanently. So no spamming! The group has just over a thousand members.
Now it’s over to you. Get applying, joining and contacting, to maximise your own music opportunities in Southampton. The more you perform and network with others, the higher your chance of attracting influential watchers. And you never know where that may lead.
Related Questions
How do I find musicians to play with?
Ask around – personal recommendations from peers are always a good way to find decent collaborators. You can also check forums and websites like Gumtree, either by advertising yourself or seeing who else is out there offering their services. Local record studios will often be able to advise you too.
How much does it cost to hire a musician?
This depends on how long it’s for, where the gig is, what level they’re at and what’s involved. Expenses may have to be added too. As an approximate guide, the Musician’s Union published expected rates of pay. A session musician can expect to receive around £130 for a three hour recording period.
Do Facebook ads work for musicians?
They can do, but it really depends on your strategy and marketing campaign. Randomly buying ads from the platform without a plan can be a waste of money, so it’s important you spend time working it out. Do it right and ads can definitely help draw attention to your work, and widen your audience.