Index

Berwick: last chance to put your two pence in!👀 We’ve had the pleasure of working with the lovely people at @createberwick since October to find out about music in and around your town: 👉 What is done well? What could be done better with more resources and funding? 👉 How can people be better supported to access music and enjoy fulfilling careers? 👉 What is missing? What could improve? If you have any thoughts on the above - now is your last chance to fill out our survey before it closes on the 20th March, it won’t take longer than making a cuppa we promise! ☕ Or if yapping face to face is more your thing, we have a few more 1:1 chat slots to fill (in person or online) - get in touch via [email protected] if you’re feeling generous with your time, we really appreciate it! 🙏

So, why “Index”? 🤔 It’s no secret that working in music in the North East is no easy task. Finding the right people, or the right people finding you, can be a hassle Just like an index found at the back of a book, we want to bring together all the information that’s often hidden and hard to find, putting it in one place to save the North East Music Community time and help level the (metaphorical) playing field! 🤝 Thank you for all the love on Index so far 🥰 sign up to our mailing list if you want to find out more!👆 #IndexMusic #CheckIndex #MusicCommunity #MusicIndustry #NorthEastMusic #NorthEast #Music #AccessMusic #DisruptingBarriers #JoinTheCommunity

Introducing our very first Index intern: Alex Brownbridge!😁 Maybe you recognise him from helping us out at in-person events? Alex has been with us for about a year now, and he’s mainly supporting us behind the scenes, researching and grafting on the not so glamorous side of building a directory 🤓 Alex up-rooted from Bristol, and is currently studying Contemporary and Popular Music at Newcastle University, specialising in electric guitar. Outside of uni he’s putting his talents to use, getting stuck into the Newcastle DIY community up here, playing in bands, promoting gigs and supporting his pals projects 🖤 You might find him at his favourite venues @thelubberfiend or @thecumberlandarms ! We’re so grateful for this support from Alex and @nclcareers , it’s really helped make some of our ideas a reality😁 Be sure to check out Alex’s bands Ardent (@championsleague__7 ) & @dish_texas Thank you @nclcareers for part funding this internship!

@mcrpunkfest Punk Beyond Borders live podcast: Attention DIY artists and fans! Do not ‘just focus on the music’, that is terrible advice. Without music you’ve got nothing, but with only music you may as well have nothing. This Punk Beyond Borders live podcast is about how to exist and coexist in the diy punk scene. As the weekly Punk Beyond Borders radio show breaks down geographical borders exploring local diy punk scenes across the country and beyond, this live podcast version also tries to demystify and break down the borders to getting things done, the ‘doing’ in do-it-yourself. Think of it as a how-to from the who’s-who! We will have a panel of special guests sharing their experiences and expertise, discussing a wide range of topics such as: how to get gigs, how to organise a tour, how to release an album, how to get merch, how to secure funding, and much more in between! Expect sage advice, best practice and terrible disaster stories. Join me with Steve from @armsandhearts Mike from @thelatchkeykidsmusic @mikehayesmastering , Hells from @irked_69 @checkindex and Andy from @knifeclubpunk @tnsrecords 1.30pm on Friday 3rd April at The Salutation @thesalmcr . Get into The Union @theunionmmu early to get your wristbands then come next door for a chat! See you on the couch!

Eeee HIYA👋 Some lovely pics taken last month at @tees.musicalliance opening up their On Point conference with a big old chat about what success looks like in the music industry (spoiler DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE) It’s always a pleasure going out and delivering in person sessions - workshops, panels or mentoring we’re your gals!🫡 you’ll next be able to catch us up in lovely Berwick, details coming very soon! PS don’t worry we’ve not sacked Pippa, she’ll be back in the motherland in less than no time 📸 @katydoesmedia

Wake up! 😴 It's the end of January, and @tees.musicalliance have asked US to kick off their On Point Music Conference morning session! We are asking "What does success look like in the music industry?" 10am - this Friday 30th January @thegeorgiantheatre_stockton Coffee optional, a cup of ambition essential. We'll be sharing some tips and giving our hot takes, then sticking around all day so you can tell us how successful you are! #indexmusic #teesside #teesmusicalliance #goodmorning☀️ #success

Berwick music people… let’s chat!😁 We’ve been speaking to loads of lush music folks in and around Berwick, but there are still some voices we want to hear from! We’re holding more one to one chats in January open to all, but we’re especially keen to hear from: • young people (people aged between 16-25) • music educators & people who support young people in music • women, trans and non-binary people • people of the global majority • people connected to the Berwick music community, but no longer live there If you’re up for a chat, drop us an email or dm and we’ll share more about how it works: [email protected]!🫡 Looking forward to yapping! ———— This is a collaborative project by Index Music and Create Berwick and is made possible by funding from The North East Combined Authority and Northumberland County Council.

Thank you to everyone that joined us at @repas7_by_night earlier this week for our special music community drop-in session. A big shout out to Leo Roberts for hosting us too. More than 45 musicians, promoters and music supporters joined us and our colleagues @checkindex to share their thoughts on how, working together, we can strengthen Berwick’s music ecosystem. We had some fantastic feedback on the night, which will help shape our research paper mapping the future of Berwick’s music scene. For anyone that was unable to join us on the night, we’ll be hosting more in-person events soon, so look out for future announcements on social media. You can also have your say on the future of Berwick’s music scene by completing a short survey (link in bio). Whether you work in a venue, play in a band, or just enjoy watching live music, your feedback is essential in shaping future support for the sector. Pictures courtesy of @pictorial.photography (Create Berwick and the Music Community Research project are funded by the @northeast_ca and @nlandcc )

We’re back in Berwick 🎉 After our visit earlier this year, we’re back for another drop-in session with Create Berwick at Repas7 . If you joined us before, we’ll be building on those conversations. If you haven’t yet, we’d love to meet you! Please come along to listen, share and help us learn about your music community. 📍 Repas7 🗓️ Tuesday 11th November ⏰ 5 to 7.30pm Just drop in, no booking needed. To find out more: indexmusic.co.uk/berwick This project is made possible by funding from The North East Combined Authority and Northumberland County Council. @createberwick @repas7_by_night @repas7berwick

We want your help in mapping a future for Berwick’s music community. Help us understand what the strengths and challenges are for the sector in Berwick and the surrounding area, so we can secure the support it needs to flourish and grow. Whether you work in a music venue, play an instrument, or enjoy a gig once in a while, we want to hear your thoughts and opinions on how we can strengthen Berwick’s music ecosystem. 🎹 What do we do well, and what could we do better if we had the resources and funding? 🎻 How can we support people to have better access to all forms of music and enjoy fulfilling careers in the sector? 🎤 What’s missing from Berwick’s music community and what would improve it? Click the link in our bio to find out more and take part.

🚨 THE DURHAM REPORT IS HERE! 🚨 When we first launched Index, we kept talking about County Durham… well this is why: @intothelightdurham trusted us to lead a major piece of research about music in their county. From conversations, surveys and independent research, our comprehensive report is now ready. Read it, share it, use it! Inside you’ll find: - Insights from the local music community - Suggestions for support and investment - A Durham music map - A funding resource (something you lot told us you needed!) It’s yours now, maybe use it for funding, lobbying or sparking new ideas? Share it around, give us your feedback. Want to be featured on Index? You can still join our growing directory via our website!

Meet @pippa_m , our Marketing Lead. Welsh heart, adopted Geordie soul, and the powerhouse brain behind Index ❤️ She came to Newcastle to study music and quickly built a reputation across the industry: relentless, no-nonsense, and deeply committed to the artists behind the scenes. You might’ve seen her on a panel, at a gig, playing sax, or working hard behind her laptop in a coffee shop. Pippa brings clarity, honesty and a real drive for making things more open and fair. No gatekeeping, no spin, just thoughtful, practical communication. From marketing and strategy to partnerships and fundraising, if you know what Index is about, it’s probably thanks to her🫡 Alongside Index, she works across artist services, distribution and publishing with the lovely lot at @wipeoutmusic / @singinglightmusic & as an IDEA and funding assessor for @youthmusicuk We’ve just hit 1,000 entries in the Index directory, and a lot of that is down to Pippa. But there are still gaps. If you work in music, put on gigs, or run a music space or organisation, please join the directory (it’s free). It’s nearly ready…promise🙏