Open Artist Series: Releasing your music into the world

IORA's music is melody driven alternative electro-pop, this summer enthralling audiences with electrifying live shows at events like Glastonbury, The Great Escape and radio plays of her latest single 'Feel it' on BBC 6 music. IORA's recent EP and lead track 'Devil in Me' in collaboration with David O'Dowda, released through Extreme Music (Sony/ATV Music Publishing), placed 16th on Romania's Shazam charts. 

Artist Lebo is a UK based Afrotech, Amapiano and Afrohouse DJ/vocalist/Songwriter. From the small, quiet region of Vaal in South Africa to the cold streets of Manchester, Artist Lebo’s name is beginning to light up the Afro-house and Afro-tech scene like a new ray of sunshine. In an often difficult socio-political environment in her home country, music has always been a way for her to express herself and feel like herself, whether she’s behind a mic or the turntables. She is currently in the process of finishing her debut EP “Growing Pains” which is set to add some excitement to the Afro House and Afro Tech music scene.

Samuel Nicholls, or whiskas as he is mainly known in the music industry, is the founder and director of Music Local and Senior Lecturer in Music at Leeds Beckett University. He is responsible for delivering the Yorkshire-wide talent development program Launchpad, establishing Music:Leeds as a vehicle to support the local music sector, advocating for regional music support across Yorkshire, and founding the BA (Hons) Music Industries Management course at Leeds Beckett.

Claire Hamilton started out in the events and programming aspect of the industry, working closely with organisations such as NYMAZ and Come Play With Me, as well as receiving funding from Youth Music and Leeds Inspired. She co-founded Bloom Sessions, a youth-led not for profit which aims to encourage and celebrate underrepresented creatives in Yorkshire. Currently, Claire works as a project coordinator within Launchpad+, a service within the wider Launchpad universe, which supports artists, managers and labels to release their music effectively and maximise their royalty collection. Even so far this year, from January - November 2023, Launchpad+ has worked with 51 artists on over 115 releases.

Ruby Tingle is an award winning audiovisual artist working with expanded collage, performance, installation and music, creating unique, swamp inspired progressive electronica. Originally from Sheffield, she lives and works in Manchester where she co-founded independent record label No Such Thing with collaborator Dirty Freud; her roles at No Such Thing include devising contemporary visual arts collaborations across the North, with an aim to bridge the gap between creative industries, co-managing the roster and running the label's social media.

Still proudly independent, Mark Lippmann has built Manchester based Scruff of the Neck from its humble DIY beginnings, into the wide-reaching organisation it is today. With emphasis on the development of new artists, Mark has enabled Scruff of the Neck to go from strength to strength, evolving from local concert promoters into an award winning independent label (‘Best Small Label’ AIM Awards 2019), publishing, creative, management and live company with a dynamic in-house set-up to self serve their artists whilst remaining collaborative with third parties.