PRS for Music and BIMM Brighton to launch Springboard Scholarships

PRS for Music and BIMM Brighton, the UK’s leading contemporary music college, are to launch a new scholarship scheme to develop songwriters and budding music business entrepreneurs.

The 'Springboard Scholarships’ are designed to improve employment opportunities within the music industry and to equip students with the skills to progress their career aspirations.

We are delighted to collaborate on this unique scholarship arrangement with BIMM. Challenging economic times often give rise to exciting ideas, entrepreneurs and creators. At PRS for Music we are licensing forward thinking start-ups like Mixcloud and supporting hard working songwriters like Adele but we recognise the need to do more work with grass roots and emerging songwriters and composers. I am genuinely excited by this scheme, these students are going to be the one’s to watch, they are going to be the future faces of the industry.

Former BIMM alumni include:

• Steve Carter who works with the songwriting team, Xenomania who, for over two decades have dominated the charts with songs written for Kylie Minogue, Girls Aloud and the Sugababes
• Other students have gone on to sign publishing deals with majors including EMI Music (Steve Sparrow, Morning Parade) BMG (Mike Hall / Rubylux) and independents; Paul Steel (Normal / Bucks). Dani Wilde (Ruf Records) amongst others
• Recent Britain’s Got Talent finalist Ryan O'Shaughnessy studied songwriting at BIMM Dublin
• BIMM Brighton student Kate Walsh was the first unsigned artist to have an album reach No.1 in the iTunes chart

My time at BIMM was priceless, learning from professional songwriters who know what they're talking about and bouncing ideas off other students was an invaluable experience that I'll never be able to recreate. BIMM tells you how the industry really is and prepares you for a real future doing something you love! 

We are very proud to be launching these five scholarships. Our aim is to ensure equality of opportunity for young people, to raise aspirations and educational attainment, improve employment prospects and offer young musicians and entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop under the guidance of BIMM’s highly experienced tutors and use this unique opportunity as a springboard into employment. 

The PRS for Music Springboard scholarship is for entry in October 2012. Deadlines for applications are 30th July 2012. Each scholarship will be for £1000 towards course fees. Minimum entry requirements are 4 GCSEs at C or above. This qualification is equivalent to 2 A’ Levels. To apply please ring 08442 646666 or email info@bimm.co.uk for more information.

For further course info:

• Songwriting Diploma: Students learn how to write and arrange great songs, study singing technique, prepare for live performance and self-promotion as well as gaining a fundamental understanding of key aspects of the music industry. 
  http://www.bimm.co.uk/study/courses/brighton/songwriting/artist-development-diploma-in-modern-music-songwriting-2/
• Entrepreneur's Diploma in Music Business: Includes the modules, Music Industry Studies, Marketing and Promotion, Event Management and Personal Career Development. Graduates from this course are now working in production for Later...with Jools Holland, writing for Rocksound Magazine and working with music management companies, promotions companies and live agents.
  http://www.bimm.co.uk/study/courses/brighton/music-business/entrepreneurs-diploma-in-music-business/ 

Note to Editors:

Since BIMM Brighton opened its doors in 2001, the award winning college group has expanded rapidly and now enrols approx 2000 students, studying a range of specialist vocational music course from Apprenticeships up to BA (Hons) Degree and Post Graduate level. BIMM has centres in Brighton, Bristol, Dublin and a London campus called Tech Music http://www.bimm.co.uk. BIMM students have scored an unprecedented thirty UK Top 40 singles and have been involved in successful UK Top 20 albums including The Kooks (who have sold over 2 million albums), Beth Rowley and Kate Walsh. Student successes also include Ben Thompson, currently on a world tour with 2 Door Cinema Club and BIMM Bristol musician Steve Sparrow who has just signed to Parlophone Records/EMI with his band Morning Parade. The band is recording their debut album with producer Jason Cox (Gorillaz, Jamie T, Blur) at Damon Albarn’s Studio 13. 

All courses at BIMM, including the Springboard Scholarships are delivered by professional tutors, all of who have a background in the professional music industry – many of them still actively working in the business when not teaching at BIMM.  These include Chris Difford, a double Ivor-Novello winning singer-songwriter and founding member of multi-platinum UK band Squeeze and BIMM’s Head of Songwriting, Ian Sillett, has had a distinguished career as a songwriter and has performed with Sir Paul McCartney, Mark Knopfler and Sugababes.

About PRS for Music

PRS for Music is a world-leading music collective management organisation representing the rights of more than 165,000 talented songwriters, composers and music publishers around the globe. Headquartered in the UK, it works diligently on behalf of its members to grow and protect the value of their rights. With a focus on innovation and integrity, PRS for Music is redefining the global standard for music royalties to ensure creators are paid whenever their musical compositions and songs are streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed and played in public. In 2022, PRS for Music collected £964m and paid out £836.2m in royalties. prsformusic.com