• Up to 10 places are available with grants of up to £8,000 to help boost your creativity and career development

• Applications close at 23.59pm on Friday 26th May. See HERE for full details

• 2022’s Step Up awardees were Daniel Casimir, Friedberg, LVRA, Joel Culpepper, Elkka, nineteen97, Cherise, Deyah and VUKOVI.

Unsigned artists have just 3 DAYS to submit applications to the FAC’s highly sought-after Step Up Fundpowered by Amazon Music and the opportunity to qualify for grants of up to £8,000 for use on music-related activities such as recording, releasing, content creation, marketing and touring

Artists or their managers/team can submit applications atthis linkuntil 23:59pm Friday 26th May.

Launched for the first time in 2022 by the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), the UK trade body representing the rights and interests of music artists, and Amazon Music, Amazon’s immersive audio entertainment service, Step Up was established to boost the career development of talented upcoming artists.

Representing an incredibly diverse range of genres and backgrounds, 2022’s beneficiaries were Daniel Casimir, Friedberg, LVRA, Joel Culpepper, Elkka, nineteen97, Cherise, Deyah and VUKOVI.

This year, up to 10 awardees will qualify for funding, as well as a one-year FAC membership, a 12-month subscription to Amazon Music, an Echo device, and content creation opportunities.

Applications are welcome from any UK-based artists aged 18+ who have released at least 3 songs within the last year - with a minimum of 15k streams per song, or one song with 45k streams on a chart-eligible UK streaming service.

They must not have an ongoing agreement with a major or large independent record label.

Successful Step Up applicants will be decided by a panel of independent industry professionals, and announced in June 2023.

David Martin, FAC CEO, says:

“Last year, the FAC Step Up Fund powered by Amazon Music got off to a flying start, and in 2023 we’re looking to award more artists with funding of up to £8,000. As well as this substantial grant, it’s also a fantastic opportunity to become part of the FAC’s rapidly expanding community. I would urge any unsigned artists who meet the entrance criteria to submit an application before this weekend to take the next step in their career. ”

2022’s Step Up awardees utilised their funding for a wide-range of music-related purposes, including studio recording, video production, digital marketing and press and social media campaigns.

Scottish rock band VUKOVI used their grant to make and produce an array of audio-visual content, including two promo videos that went on to attract 100k+ viewers, and recently received a record FIVE nominations for the upcoming Heavy Music Awards. Speaking about the impact of Step Up, the band said:

“Step Up has made us feel seen and supported throughout our last album campaign. Being on a smaller label makes budgets very tight which can have an effect on the standard of visuals that go hand and hand with the music. Step Up was the reason we were able to up our game with our video and photo content. They allowed us to make pieces of history that we envisioned.”

Meanwhile, Birmingham-based rapper nineteen97(aka DevantéBarrett) used his 2022 Step Up funding to pay for recording costs and a release campaign, picking up BBC Radio 1Xtra’s Record of the Week as well as playlist support from Rinse FM, Reprezent and BBC Radio 6 Music’s Jamz Supernova.

“The fund allowed me to fully focus on the creative process,” says Devanté,“without the stresses or concerns around the financial side to creating music. The weight of those elements off of my shoulders meant that I was able to put out my most ambitious, creative project to date & position myself into the next level of my career.”