Factory International’s annual Factory Sounds musician development programme is returning, with 15 x £1k grants now available thanks to support from adidas Originals.
The programme is designed to support and raise the profile of musicians and the music industry in Greater Manchester. Applications are now open for the 2025 programme, which will provide fifteen successful applicants with £1,000 each of financial support towards the creation of a new project, recording studio access, peer-to-peer support, networking opportunities and a series of regular masterclasses in artist management, promotion, fundraising and more.
Initially launched to support musicians through the Covid-19 pandemic, Factory Sounds is a programme for music producers, artists, collectives, labels, bands, DJs and beyond. Each year the programme selects a cohort of brilliant local talent, from musicians and technicians to label representatives and creatives, with a focus on championing under-represented voices and the grassroots community in the sector.
This year Factory International is partnering with adidas Originals to expand the Factory Sounds offering from ten to fifteen spots in the programme. The fifteen talented individuals selected will also benefit from a supercharged offer including mentor sessions, masterclasses, workshop opportunities, and bespoke space to develop their music.
To date, Factory Sounds has supported a range of musicians, bands, producers, rappers, singers, collectives, record labels, recording studios and artists to create music management companies, finance the release of singles, EPs and albums, fit out recording studios, run production workshops, and support in their tours.
The 2024 cohort included the artist and producer RenzNiro, community station STEAM Radio MCR, the soulful R&B performer Rumbi Tauro, Reggae rap artist and spoken word poet J.Chambers, electronic producer and vocalist Caitlin LM, DIY rapper and producer Algernon Cornelius, the drone band Thraa, DJ and Radio host CHARMS, singer-songwriter Saint Harmony, artist, producer, composer Danny H, and queer electronic night FLUFF.
Othe previous alumni include: All Hands on Deck, Balraj Singh Samrai, Bitez, Chris Massey, Dirty Freud, Edane Ng, Fixed Abode, Gibbon, Hurguf, is33n, Jacob Connor, Ku’umba, Lone Taxidermist, Loose Articles, Magpahi, Mali Hayes, Maryanne Royle, Obeka, OneDa, SAF-S2E, Sam Malik, Sophie Cooper, Sprechen, Test Card Girl and Vzion.
Rivca Burns, head of music at Factory International said: “Supporting the development of musicians based locally – as well as those from across the globe – to grow within our spaces is at the heart of what we do at Factory International. Greater Manchester is buzzing with creative, collaborative, exciting and hugely talented musicians, and through programmes such as Factory Sounds, we are really excited to continue to support and nurture this scene. We recognise there’s a huge demand for schemes like this to exist and we are really excited to say that this year we have both increased the number of places as well as added industry mentors to give expert guidance and the opportunity for creatives to thrive.”
Factory International is the organisation behind both Manchester International Festival (MIF), and the landmark new cultural space, Aviva Studios, designed by Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), which opened last year in the heart of Manchester, creating a global destination for arts music and culture.
Factory Sounds is just one way in which Factory International supports local artists, building on the organisation’s track record of commissioning artists to make new work. Factory International provides a training ground for the next generation of creators with a focus on creating opportunities for artists from the North of England, particularly those most underrepresented in the sector.
Also open for applications is the Factory International Fellowship, which offers six artists from the North the opportunity to shadow the creation of major new work at Aviva Studios. As part of the Fellowship programme, successful artists will shadow the making of a Factory International commission, receive a financial bursary, and be offered a mentor tailored to their specialism and needs, developing artistic ambition and critical thinking.
The Spring 2025 Artist Takeover applications are also currently open for groups and collectives of South Asian artists from any discipline, based in the North of England, who have a minimum of five years of professional practice. In May 2025, Factory International will hand over the keys to the vast Warehouse space at Aviva Studios for use by a South Asian artist group or collective who want to experiment, play and create work at an epic scale that is not possible elsewhere. Artists will be offered financial support of up to £10,000 to explore and realise their idea as well as dedicated guidance from industry experts within the Factory International team.
