GIGPIG PARTNER UP WITH REFORM RADIO

We are delighted to share the news of our new partnership with Manchester’s live music marketplace GigPig, in hopes of providing hundreds of paid gigs for young people carving out their careers as professional artists.

At Reform, engaging young people is at the forefront of what we do, using our platform to help them source new opportunities, and work creatively with them to develop new skills for employment. Meanwhile, GigPig provides venues with an online platform to search, book and manage entertainment in-house, whilst offering artists an accessible method to find, play and get paid for gigs. Together, we are forming a partnership to bridge the gap between our community of emerging artists and the incredible connections GigPig have on offer.

Kit Muir-Rogers, co-founder of GigPig, himself was formerly an artist utilising the Reform Radio network to re-enter the Manchester music scene when he moved to the city a decade ago.

“The music industry is complex and hard to enter – all too often it is about ‘who you know’ rather than ‘what you know’. We’re wanting to turn that on its head by challenging the norm and democratising the system.  This pivotal partnership is extremely important in terms of breaking down barriers for talented young artists who would otherwise struggle to earn money doing what they love and have trained to do.”

– Kit Muir-Rogers, co-founder of GigPig

Initially this collaboration will be rolled out across Manchester, where both ourselves and GigPig are based. Manchester’s appetite for live music is booming and we are lucky enough to hold a community of over 500 artists eager to perform and practice their artistry.

One of those artists isATALAYA, a queer DJ who has attended several of our free creative programmes including our DJ Sessions, Music Production and Creative Leadership courses. They now DJ at festivals, in venues and on radio, making a name for themselves on the Northern music scene.

“It’s brilliant that GigPig is partnering with Reform Radio, helping to plug new and upcoming talent straight into working opportunities in this city. It’s also pivotal that GigPig will be promoting a wider variety of DJs from a diverse range of backgrounds and music tastes. Building lasting relationships with venues helps artists to secure more consistent work and this partnership will allow so many of the next generation to flourish.”

– ATALAYA

Meanwhile, DJ and researcher Latoya Reisner of our DJ Sessions course shares their success of using GigPig: “I now DJ in venues via GigPig and I love doing these jobs because they help to build my confidence and give me a chance to adapt to different environments”, acknowledging how performing early in their career has aided them in their journey.

Working together, we hope to bring hundreds of new talent to the Manchester scene, and ease the process of upcoming artists sourcing their initial gigs performance opportunities to kickstart their careers. Our Station Manager, Robin Guérard, notes “Our partnership with GigPig is a fantastic opportunity to open doors and improve access to the industry. The ultimate goal is to enable the city’s venues to discover new artists, in turn giving young artists a platform to establish themselves as professional artists; from where they can build their profile and connections to secure repeat work”.

We are beyond excited to see where this new collaboration leads, and what lineups our incredible community will get to feature on across the city.

If you’re an emerging artist, or wanting to get started in the creative industries, don’t forget to check out what upcoming free creative projects we have coming up here to join the Reform Radio community.