Mahogany, the multi-channel music brand behind the Mahogany Sessions YouTube channel, has launched a music fund designed to support emerging artists in their creative journey.
The Mahogany Music Fund, launched on Thursday (August 15), w ill provide grants of up to GBP £2,500 (USD $3,200) to select artists to help them develop and promote their music.
The fund comes on the heels of the launch of Mahogany Songs, the company’s digital distribution service, in May. At the time, Mahogany said Mahogany Songs is set to offer digital distribution and tailored artist services “with an emphasis on human curation and communication.”
Artists chosen for Mahogany Songs will gain access to various tools, funding, and promotional support through the Mahogany network. This includes opportunities on Mahogany Sessions, the video channel with about 930,000 YouTube subscribers, which has played a role in launching the careers of artists like Billie Eilish, Hozier, Michael Kiwanuka, and Leon Bridges.
Since the distribution service’s launch in May, Mahogany Songs has received applications from independent artists globally, including in Canada, India, New Zealand, the US and across Europe. Mahogany started beta testing the distro service in 2021.
“We’ve been absolutely delighted with the high standard of music being submitted to Mahogany Songs from all around the world over the past few months. We’ve been taking meetings/calls with those artists in that time and it’s clear that financial support is a huge issue for the majority of independent artists – especially those from working class backgrounds and outside of London,” Dom Wallace, Mahogany’s Label & Marketing Manager, said.
Mahogany said the first round of funding for the Mahogany Music Fund is now open for applications, with the opportunity extended to artists who are currently releasing music through Mahogany Songs or plan to do so in the future. Up to 10 artists will be selected by a panel that includes external industry experts. Grant applications will close on September 27.
In addition to receiving financial support, the chosen recipients will also benefit from one-on-one mentorship from the Mahogany team. This includes guidance on campaign strategy, social media, and A&R.
Mahogany says the launch of the fund was motivated by the challenges faced by independent artists, as revealed by a recent survey conducted by the company. The survey, which polled 100 artists from the Mahogany community, found that 42% identified access to financial support as their biggest challenge. This was followed by the challenges of growing an audience (19%) and finding a reliable team (17%).
The survey also highlighted how artists would prioritize additional funding, with 38% indicating that they would allocate extra resources towards recording costs. Other areas of focus included digital marketing (20%) and social content creation (11%).
“It’s clear that the music industry needs to do more to help the next generation of storytellers get on their feet – whatever their social background. As someone who has dedicated a career to supporting the under-represented – I’m delighted to bring this opportunity to independent artists,” Wallace said.
James Gaster, Mahogany’s Managing Director, added: “Mahogany Songs was formed as a direct response to the expressed needs of the artists we work with every day. Over the past few months we’ve been humbled by the response to its launch, from both artists and industry, and have been proud to support our growing artist community through strategy, content, promotion and investment.”
“The past few years have posed significant challenges for the music and creative communities worldwide, with rising costs impacting nearly every aspect of our industry.”
Mark Murdoch, Mahogany
Mark Murdoch, Mahogany’s Founder & CEO, said: “The past few years have posed significant challenges for the music and creative communities worldwide, with rising costs impacting nearly every aspect of our industry. At Mahogany, we believe we have a duty to stand by our artists and offer as much support as possible during these trying times.”
Back in January, Mahogany signed a partnership with the UK office of France-headquartered digital music company Believe that saw the latter handling global distribution for Mahogany’s channels as well as its record label, Mahogany Records.
Music Business Worldwide