Lime Garden, SOFY, and Hana Lili among recipients of Featured Artists Coalition and Amazon Music Step Up fund

Azekel, BEKA, Blair Davie, Dirty Nice, Hana Lili, Lime Garden, Olive Jones, ShaSimone, SOFY and unpeople will all be benefiting from grants of up to £8,000 alongside a broader package of support. The Step Up Fund was established in 2022 in response to the accumulation of financial and structural challenges facing upcoming, independent artists.

The fund is open to UK-based artists aged 18+ who have released at least three songs within the last year - with a minimum of 15k streams per song, or one song with 45k streams on a chart-eligible UK streaming service. Awardees must not have an ongoing agreement with a major or large independent record label.

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“Since we launched Step Up in 2022, I've been consistently inspired by the quality and the sheer volume of artists who apply. This year was no exception. The range and diversity has been incredibly strong," says David Martin, CEO, Featured Artists Coalition.

"The UK clearly has no shortage of talent, and there is evidently a real need for more of this kind of targeted funding, that can help independent artists realise their potential and build sustainable careers. Thanks to the generosity of Amazon Music, the FAC's Step Up Fund is playing a real part to help address that challenge. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together in such a short amount of time, and look forward to seeing how 2024's awardees progress over the next 12 months."