Change the Record Retreat
- Brighter Sound
- Hebden Bridge, UK
- Jan 27, 2026
Job Description
We’re inviting people of marginalised genders working across the music industry to join us for a four-day retreat in March 2026.
The Change the Record Retreat offers a supportive, open space to step back from day-to-day pressures and explore a core question: What tools can I use and develop to drive change in the music sector?
Building on the success and learnings of the first year of Change the Record, we’ve reflected on how the word 'leader' can sometimes feel exclusive – reinforcing dominant power structures, and limiting who feels 'allowed' to step into leadership roles.
In response, this year’s programme has been curated around six key themes: Agency, Autonomy, Social Justice, Care, Vision, and Belief.
Together, you’ll explore what these values look like in practice, and how leadership can be reimagined in ways that centre care, community, and collective growth.
Supported by Sony Music's Global Social Justice Fund.
Who it's for
We’re looking for people who:
- Have worked in the music sector for 2-5 years, with some experience of managing people, projects or initiatives
- Are already exploring ways to challenge, disrupt, and reimagine the music sector, particularly through collaborative and/or community-led approaches
- Are available to attend all dates set out in this call-out
You could work for a local grassroots organisation, a commercial institution or as a freelancer. You might be a promoter, agent, project manager, community events organiser or event producer. Or maybe you work in marketing and PR, music education, facilitation, talent development, or for a recording studio or record label.
Eligibility
In the context of a cis male dominated industry, this opportunity is open to people of marginalised genders.
This includes non-binary and agender people, intersex people, all women (including trans women), trans men and trans-masculine people, gender-fluid and genderqueer people.
You should also be:
- Aged 18+
- Based in the North of England (North East, North West and Yorkshire regions)
If you’re interested in applying and have questions, please reach out to Rachel at rachel@brightersound.com.
What’s involved
Online welcome session (4 March)
- Kickstarting the project, this is an opportunity to meet the group and prepare for the retreat
Four-day retreat (11-14 March)
- Stay at Hebden Bridge Hostel and take part in workshops, panels, conversations and social activities
- A space to reflect, foster connections, inspire new approaches and answer the guiding question: What tools can I use and develop to drive change in the music sector?
- Explore and dissect themes of safe spaces, embracing conflict, breaking gatekeeping, allyship, DIY infrastructures and more
- Confirmed guest speakers include AFRODEUTSCHE, Alice Kanako (Not Bad for A Girl), Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani (YWMP), Emma Thompson (From the Other), Hannah Beasley-Garrigan (Saffron Records), Flematu Sessay (Public Tactics) and Moni Serneabat Ungar (Decolonise Fest) – with more to come!
Post-project support
- After the retreat, we'll support you to form an ‘Action Learning Set’ (a self-facilitated peer-to-peer coaching group) to compassionately sound out professional challenges and identify opportunities and ways forward together
- Join an online community of music industry professionals, creatives and doers in the North of England committed to making change in the music sector
Costs
The project is free to attend. To help you take part we’ll cover:
- Travel and accommodation costs
- Access costs for things like disability support, translation or childcare
Bursaries of £250 are also available to people who:
- Need to take unpaid leave from work to take part
- Work in a freelance capacity and will have to turn down work to take part
- Are in low income employment
- Receive Universal Credit, or another job allowance, as their main income
As Brighter Sound isn’t an educational establishment, or an authorised provider of non-taxable bursaries, all bursary income is taxable, and should be recorded and reported to HMRC in the normal way. If you’re already registered as self-employed, income should be included with your records. If you’re not currently self-employed, details on how to register (and any other queries about reporting this income) can be found on the HMRC website.
How to apply
In our application form we'll ask you some basic details, along with the following questions.
- Please tell us about your experience in the music sector. What feels meaningful about your work at the moment?
- In the music sector, what are the changes you would like to see and how are you working towards building them?
- What challenges do you currently face in your practice?
- Why do you want to attend Change the Record and what do you expect to get from it?
- Which areas of music are you interested in?
You can either answer these questions in writing, or you can record yourself. If you do this, you'll just need to include links to your video or audio recordings. Have a read of our Top Tips for Applicants for more information on how to answer these questions.
The application deadline is Friday 6 February, 11pm.
We encourage you to submit your application before the deadline but if you need a bit more time we can stretch an extra day or two. You’ll need to let us know by Wednesday 4 February if you’d like an extension.
You're welcome to apply with support from a personal assistant or carer. If there is anything we can do to help you to apply, please let us know.
Nominate someone
Send the person’s name and email address/social media profile to rachel@brightersound.com and we’ll send them the application details.
Venue access information
Hebden Bridge Hostel has a disabled toilet, a disabled room and is accessible by wheelchair/level access on the first floor.
More information about how to get to the venue can be found on the Hebden Bridge Hostel website.
Safer Spaces and Safeguarding
We aim to create spaces that are welcoming, engaging and supportive. Spaces where everyone is able to be themselves, and where abuse and discrimination are not tolerated.
Read our Safer Spaces Policy for more information.
Our approach to Safeguarding is the foundation of our Safer Spaces approach. By Safeguarding we mean the wellbeing, and protection from harm, abuse and mistreatment of anyone who benefits from our work, team members and others we come into contact with. Anyone who is part of our team has appropriate safeguarding knowledge and an understanding of how to deal with safeguarding issues should they arise.
Read our Safeguarding Policy for more information.
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Salary Range
Brighter Sound is a creative music charity based in the North of England and working across the UK. Our activity changes the lives of individuals through music, supports and promotes diverse talent and acts as a catalyst for change in the music industry.