Community Projects
2025
Total fund in 2025: £9,680 split across 6 projects.
Doors Open: Everything on the Team Behind the Artist with ADE Lab, October 2025
Participants: 50
Brief: To present an example of the artist-agent relationship and define the many roles involved in working with artists, painting a picture of the ecosystem and exploring how these roles intersect.
We went back to Amsterdam for ADE Lab to present a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes roles that make the artist ecosystem thrive. Starting with the artist-agent relationship, Octopus Agents' Chiara Silvestrin and touring artist Kléo shared what this partnership looks like day-to-day, how bookings come together, and what it takes to support an artist's career from behind the scenes before exploring the wider "working with artists" ecosystem.
Cost to deliver programme: fully funded by ADE partnership
Iona Thomas, Chiara Silvestrin & Kléo at Westergas, Amsterdam
Doors Open UNLOCKED: Careers - NYC, October 2025
- Participants: 50
- Brief: After four UK editions and one in Berlin, we brought Doors Open UNLOCKED to NYC for the first time.
UNLOCKED: Careers is Doors Open’s one-day event that dives into behind-the-scenes roles from across the music industry through a series of on stage discussions and Q&As.
UNLOCKED's primary goal is to address the lack of diversity in the music industry by demystifying roles for those facing barriers to entry. For this reason, we prioritise applications from FLINTA, POC, and LGBTQI+ communities, as well as people with visible and non-visible disabilities and/or from lower income households. We also give priority to those with minimal or no prior experience working in the music industry.
Cost to deliver programme: $10,900 / £8,280
Click image above for project overview and image gallery
Doors Open UNLOCKED: Pathways into the Music Industry with Dekmantel, July 2025
- Participants: 50
- Brief: To demystify some of the behind-the-scenes roles within music and provide the audience with knowledge and top tips and to support their own career journeys through the music industry.
This panel discussion brought a bite-sized version of Doors Open's careers development event, UNLOCKED, to Dekmantel’s conference. Held at Tolhuistuin, this session featured insights from Katty Lange, Agent & Artist Manager to Jeff Mills, FJAAK & Volvox (Triangle Agency) and David Cornelissen, Head of Creative at Dekmantel, and was hosted by Doors Open’s Iona Thomas.
Cost to deliver programme: fully funded by Dekmantel partnership
Iona Thomas, Katty Lange and David Cornelissen at Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam
Doors Open UNLOCKED: Becoming a Booking Agent with quietLoud, April 2025
- Participants: 96
- Brief: Demystify the role of a booking agent and their place within the music industry ecosystem
- Concept: Run an online discussion and Q&A with LittleBig Music Agency’s founder, Ned Beckett, and senior booking agent, Alma Ernst to provide attendees with valuable insights into the role of an agent, industry expectations, and career pathways, offering practical guidance for those looking to enter the field.
Three scholarships to quietLoud’s full “Become an Agent” course were also awarded to individuals passionate about becoming booking agents but without the financial resources to take part.
Cost to deliver programme: fully funded by quietLoud partnership
Doors Open UNLOCKED: Empowering the future of music tech with Ableton, April 2025
- Participants: 30
- Brief: Increase awareness of key music tech roles and foster a supportive community for those considering a career in the sector.
- Concept: Develop a four-part online workshop series in partnership with Ableton to knowledge-share, break down different roles in the industry, and offer insights into the various career possibilities available within music tech. The workshop series featured insights (and accompanying Glossary pieces on Doors Open) from mastering engineer, Conor Dalton, composer Mentrix and live show designer, Remi Lauw, with an additional session focusing on next steps and navigating the music industry with creative producer and artist, Katarina Holmberg aka Tigerlight alongside representatives from Ableton and Doors Open/Resident Advisor.
The primary aim of UNLOCKED is to address the lack of diversity within the music industry by demystifying the roles within for those who face barriers to entry. For this reason, applications from FLINTA, POC, and LGTBQIA+ communities, people with visible and non-visible disabilities and/or from lower-income households were prioritised.
Cost to deliver programme: £1,200 + funded by Ableton partnership
Doors Open UNLOCKED: Pathways into the Music Industry with AVA, March 2025
- Participants: 50
- Brief: To demystify some of the behind-the-scenes roles within music and provide the audience with knowledge and top tips and to support their own career journeys through the music industry.
This panel discussion brought a taste of Doors Open's careers development event, UNLOCKED to AVA’s London conference. Held at The British Library, this session featured insights from Kwame Safe, Relationship Manager for Arts at British Council and Amy Van-Baaren, Chief Impact & Culture Officer at Resident Advisor. The talk was hosted by Doors Open’s Iona Thomas.
Cost to deliver programme: £200 + funded by AVA partnership
Iona Thomas, Kwame Safo and Any Van-Baaren at The British Library, London
2024
Total fund in 2024: £23,525 split across 4 projects.
Doors Open UNLOCKED: Careers (London), November 2024
- Participants: 60
- Brief: Create a fairer and more diverse electronic music industry by demystifying the industry and the roles within it. In August 2022, research found that just 16% of people working in creative jobs are from working-class backgrounds.
- Concept: The fourth edition of our free to attend music careers development day took place at Canvas and featured speakers from GALA, KLS Bookings, Rinse, Don't Sleep, 285 Management and Resident Advisor.
Cost to deliver programme: £7,200
Doors Open UNLOCKED: Careers at Canvas, East London
Doors Open UNLOCKED: Content Creation with Mutual Friends, July 2024
- Participants: 40
- Brief: Provide a deep dive into key employment areas of the music industry
- Concept: Develop a free 4-part online workshop series in partnership with creative content agency Mutual Friends for those who would like to learn more about becoming a freelance photographer, videographer or content creator. The sessions were aimed at those with a passion to curate and create who were unsure how to get started or go full time, and covered everything from the very basics, through finding jobs and networking, to delivery and negotiating pay.
Cost to deliver programme: £1,250
Doors Open UNLOCKED: Careers - Berlin with Refuge Worldwide, May 2024
- Participants: 30
- Brief: Create a fairer and more diverse electronic music industry by demystifying the industry and the roles within it. In August 2022, research found that just 16% of people working in creative jobs are from working-class backgrounds.
- Concept: The third edition of our free music careers development day (FKA Access All Areas) we ran in partnership with Berlin-based radio station and community platform Refuge Worldwide at their new events space and studio in Berlin.
Taking place at the Refuge Worldwide studio in Neukölln on May 16th, Unlocked was a free event that aimed to equip participants with knowledge around roles that exist within the scene. The day spanned a series of sessions with leading industry figures, such as !K7 label manager Sofia Jönsson, setten booking agent Yuko Asanuma, Fandango DJ and promoter Tania Just, Inverted Audio deputy editor Asmi Shetty, Radio 80000 programmer Sianza Zink, Refuge Worldwide senior project manager Nicky Böhm, CDR founder Tony Nwachukwu, RA chief creative & brand officer Kazim Rashid, RA chief impact & culture officer Amy Van-Baaren, RA senior producer Chloe Lula, and RA head of people and culture Mike Zinkiewich.
Cost to deliver programme: £7,200
Tania Just, Fandango Promoter at UNLOCKED: Careers at Refuge Worldwide, Berlin
Forward in Sound 2.0, March-August 2024
- Participants: 102
- Brief: Tackle the lack of diversity in sound tech. Women, non-binary and trans people occupy less than 5% of the music tech industry.
- Concept:
Part 1 consisted of a webinar and Q&A, for 96 online participants, demystifying the role of a live sound engineer, featuring insights from Rich Cufley, Technical Director for Sound Services, and Kyle Acab, freelance record producer, mix/mastering engineer and live sound technician.
Part 2, the IRL main body of the project, follows a similar format to 2023's edition, with six participants undertaking 6 days of training at The Shacklewell Arts and the Sound Services warehouse followed by live band mixing work experience at The Shacklewell Arms and club night engineering placements at 93 Feet East.
Through Forward in Sound, we aim to remove as many barriers to the profession as possible by providing a solid foundational base of knowledge and experience for the new engineers. We also provide participation bursaries of £650 for all participants and cover the cost of a year’s public liability insurance and steel cap boots so that programme graduates can move into employment without those costs causing issue.
Additional support for this project came from Full Fat Audio and Funktion One.
Cost to deliver programme: £7,875
2023
Total fund in 2023: £13,955 split across 4 projects.
Doors Open UNLOCKED: Careers (FKA Access All Areas), October 2023
- Participants: 60
- Brief: Create a fairer and more diverse electronic music industry by demystifying the industry and the roles within it. In August 2022, research found that just 16% of people working in creative jobs are from working-class backgrounds.
- Concept: The second edition of our free music careers development day which took place at the Rose Lipman Community Centre in East London. The day included sessions geared towards helping people better understand the music industry ecosystem and identify possible career paths as well as a panel on networking and a masterclass on best practices when applying for roles. The event also included travel bursaries for those from outside London.
Cost to deliver programme: £7,500
Amy Van-Baaren (Chief Impact & Culture Officer, RA) and Tabitha Thorlu-Bangura (Programming Director, NTS)
Direct donations to support free-to-attend third party projects:
Crosstalk, March 2023
Project: Crosstalk is a free to attend day of talks and workshops exploring the intersection of music and creative careers in Bristol.
Donation: £500
Ladies Music Pub, March 2023
Project: Ladies Music Pub is a community, collective and record label supporting women, trans and non-binary people within music that meet-up on a monthly basis.
Donation: £500
Forward in Sound, February 2023
- Participants: 6
- Brief: Tackle the lack of diversity in sound tech. Women, non-binary and trans people occupy less than 5% of the music tech industry.
- Concept: Forward in Sound is a free fully-funded audio careers development project for women and gender minorities in partnership with Bristol-based non-profit Saffron, and London-based PA/Sound System hire company Sound Services. Six participants undertook a week of live sound theory, system setup and mixing techniques before moving on to shadow Sound Services engineers and paid work experience placements at venues of their choosing. Through Forward in Sound, we aim to remove as many barriers to the profession as possible by providing a solid foundational base of knowledge and experience for the new engineers in a supportive environment. The programme also covered the cost of a year’s public liability insurance so that programme graduates can move into employment without that cost being an issue.
Cost to deliver programme: £4,694
Forward in Sound participants using the mixing desk at E1
2022
Total fund in 2022: £2,150 split across 2 projects.
Doors Open UNLOCKED: Careers (FKA Access All Areas), October 2022
- Participants: 30
- Brief: Create a fairer and more diverse electronic music industry by demystifying the industry and the roles within it. In August 2022, research found that just 16% of people working in creative jobs are from working-class backgrounds.
- Concept: The first edition of our free music careers development day which took place at the RA offices in East London. The day included sessions geared towards helping people better understand the music industry ecosystem and identify possible career paths as well as a panel on networking and a masterclass on best practices when applying for roles. The event also included travel bursaries for those from outside London.
Cost to deliver programme: £2,150
Take the Reins, September 2022
- Participants: 5
- Brief: Support the diversification of the roles behind the scenes at the Warehouse Project in Manchester.
- Concept: Working with Warehouse Project and Brighter Sound Charity in Liverpool, create pathways to careers in the industry with 5 apprenticeships in Sound, Artist Liaison and Lighting.
Cost to deliver programme: fully funded by The Warehouse Project
