True Music Fund to help local music communities thrive

Boiler Room x Ballantine’s Scotch whisky have launched the global True Music Fund which will offer financial investment and one-to-one mentoring for independent programmers, artists and creatives, with the goal to help local music communities thrive.

The project is part of Ballantine’s longstanding commitment to push True Music scenes forward and to support artists, fans, crews and communities around the world. The True Music Fund will call on those spearheading music scenes to submit proposals for local music events that have potential for real community benefit, but that need support to get off the ground. The Fund will back projects run by the local music community, for the local community.

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Successful applicants of the Boiler Room x Ballantine’s True Music Fund will receive financial backing as well as support from Boiler Room’s in-house programming team and industry network. From advice on producing new event formats, recommendations on promoting new club nights, how-to-programme educational workshops and the investment to make it happen, the True Music Fund will support a series of local events to bring True Music communities to the forefront and help them thrive thereafter.

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The first project backed by Boiler Room x Ballantine’s True Music Fund will come to life in Spain in early 2020, following an open call-out to local artists, promoters, creatives and other members of music communities across the country. The Fund will later visit South Africa, with more countries to be announced.

“This is a major step change in our partnership with Boiler Room. We’ve put on 28 amazing events and given a platform to more than 220 artists from emerging scenes, now is the time for True Music to really step up and give back to the communities we have been visiting over the years. Our aim is to help empower individuals within the community by taking away the financial stresses and allowing them to focus on making their music projects a reality, which we hope in turn will inspire others to pick up the baton, promoting a cycle of reinvestment for the long-term,” Ballantine’s head of music, Tom Elton, said.

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Boiler Room founder and CEO, Blaise Belville, said the fund aims to kick-start local event ideas as well as sustain existing ones.

“This Fund is the first of its kind for Boiler Room and Ballantine’s and we’re making it an open call on our channels, one country at a time. So, if you’re based in that country the door is open for you to apply. The True Music Fund isn’t here to takeover individual projects; whoever we end up backing will still be at the helm – we want you to do it your way with some support from us. This is an exciting initiative for us which we hope will further the music and culture that this series champions,” Belville said.

Boiler Room x Ballantine’s True Music will follow the journey of all the Fund recipients, sharing their stories and shining a global spotlight on the flourishing music scenes through a unique content series.