Leeds Conservatoire is committed to increasing the long-term employability and career sustainability of its student community, both during study and beyond.
Leeds Conservatoire understands that some of the most valuable services and memberships within music and the performing arts can also be expensive and inaccessible. To help with this access, the conservatoire’s Employability & Enterprise team has launched a new PRS for Music and Spotlight Fund.
This unique fund enables individuals from underrepresented groups to have lifetime membership with PRS for Music, as a writer/composer, or membership for their first graduate year of Spotlight.
PRS for Music is a UK based royalty collection agency which represents writers and composers across all genres. Its members are able to earn writing royalties from any music they have registered or are credited on. These royalties are generated whenever music is used, for example live performances, radio and adverts.
Spotlight connects performers with roles in theatre, television and film productions around the world. It is the go-to platform for acting jobs, auditions and casting calls for film, TV and theatre in the UK and further afield. As the industry standard route to accessing these types of jobs, it is essential for performers to have membership.
Funding is available to undergraduate third year students studying at Leeds Conservatoire who are from minoritised ethnic backgrounds, from low-income backgrounds (e.g. in receipt of the Leeds Conservatoire bursary), and/or from minoritised genders: women, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming.
These groups have been selected as part of the conservatoire’s Access and Participation priorities, and their definition supplied by the Office for Students.
Eligible students who may have already paid for membership to PRS for Music or Spotlight this academic year (2021/22) can still apply.
James Warrender, Employability & Enterprise Manager at Leeds Conservatoire, says:
“Membership to organisations such as PRS for Music and Spotlight are invaluable, and in some cases necessary for creatives to access income streams and career focussed opportunities. In removing the financial barriers, we hope to support a diverse and innovative range of artists to take another step towards achieving their ambitions.”
The application window will close at 9:00AM on Friday 20 May 2022.
*Update: This scheme is now open to 2023/2024 applications.
