Given the prompts ‘music’ and ‘Wales’, what springs to mind? Perhaps strong singers, Welsh sweetheart Tom Jones, or maybe traditional folk music from the ‘land of song’, as it has come to be known. What probably doesn’t bubble to the surface is the group of young people in the underbelly of its live music scene, up-and-coming record companies, or rap and R’n’B troupes.
These are all elements of a new scheme from Beacons Cymru offering support for those aged 18-25 (living in Wales) who have innovative music industry ideas and plans to start new businesses. Over the space of six months, the Future Disrupter scheme supports three varied projects, offering a series of meetings, workshops, mentoring sessions and financial support. At the end of the six months, the scheme will have created three new powerful organisations or groups that will put time, energy and inspiration back into the pool for the next generation of Welsh musicians, thus starting an exciting new cycle.
Beacons
The organisation offering this scheme is Beacons Cyrmru: a pan-Wales organisation aiming to inspire the next generation wanting to work in the Welsh music industry. Formed in 2021, with the financial support of Creative Wales (following the success of a number of regional projects over the past 10 years), the organisation seeks to provide young people across Wales with the access to industry knowledge, opportunities, networks and skills to create sustainable careers and new business models.
Led by young people for young people, Beacons has a number of projects on offer alongside Future Disrupters, including a Welsh music magazine titled Crwth, a new hiphop, rap, grime and R’n’B project called Honey Sessions, a wellbeing and mental heath discussion platform called Flourish/Fynnu, and a ground-breaking talent-development model, called the Forté Project, to support young creatives. In addition, each year Beacons hosts ‘Summit’: a well-loved two-day music industry conference held at several venues; according to their quirky website, attendees can ‘expect live music, workshops, panels and discussions to enthral!’
Creating new businesses
Bolstered by a partnership with Big Ideas Wales, the Future Disrupters project has been able to develop robust business plans with those chosen and create sustainable cash-flows for projects. From 2022 to ‘23 the scheme has supported three unique applicants, one of which is a DIY punk record-label based in Cardiff, called Detonation Records, run by punk duo Joe Meredith and Meg Forecast. The duo were held back by their limited experience in the world of finance when setting up the record label – something those involved with the project have been able to help with.
‘The support we’ve had from Beacons Cymru and the links with Big Ideas Wales have got us flying,’ says Meredith when discussing their experience. ‘I don’t think we would have approached it in the same way. A lot of the workshops and opportunities we’ve had have really helped us to develop our ideas. We should be launching in a pretty strong position.’ Forecast adds that they are now able to ‘navigate the world of finance, which neither of us are very comfortable with’ thanks to Jason from Big Ideas Wales as part of the Future Disrupters offer.
Putting Wales at the heart of the project
Another opportunity the scheme has been supporting for the past five months is ‘Klust’ – a new bilingual music website that champions new Welsh music. Owain Williams, the creative mind behind the project, says that it has been a big help with creating relationships with ‘influential people within the Welsh music scene’, stating: ‘When Beacons jumped in to support the project, it was amazing.’
Multi-disciplinary musician Mirari More was also one of those chosen as part of the Future Disrupters, while working towards creating a new arts and music agency called Living Art. ‘Beacons has helped push my career in the music industry,’ More says. In taking his idea from a concept to practical plan, and finding a niche and market, More was able to forecast for the future, and speak to like-minded young people to gain feedback. ‘I’ve learned from this journey that I am capable’, he says, flourishing after six months of support.
Courtesy Future Disrupters
Mirari More, a 2022/23 Future Disrupter
Feeding a positive cycle
Applications for next year’s Future Disrupters will no doubt be open this summer, and the approachable and exciting work of Beacons Cymru is not to be sniffed at: if you are a music educator in Wales, then several of the schemes on offer are worth looking into for students wanting careers in the music industry. The brilliant thing about the project is the scope of amazing opportunities for young people in the sector throughout Wales – for newcomers and early career musicians and for the coming years.
