Horus Music is one of The Pixel Project’s campaign partners. They sponsor online distribution and licensing services for songs and albums/EPs for The Pixel Project’s Music for Pixels campaign. Company founder Nick Dunn shares his thoughts with us about working with The Pixel Project and using music in the effort to end violence against women.
Since the age of 7, Nick has been involved in music, learning to play the electronic organ and then trumpet and piano. Nick successfully passed three grade eight examinations with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and participated in many orchestras, jazz bands, brass bands and wind bands. Having studied three degrees at the University of Huddersfield, (Music, Music Education and Master of Arts in Orchestral Conducting) Nick went on to teach and examine music. A successful period teaching music did not give Nick the fulfillment he searched for so he went on to become his own boss and started work within the music industry, beginning with learning the ropes and managing artistes. Being in the music industry has given Nick the opportunity to broaden his knowledge of music and the world, meet exciting and very dedicated people, help a lot of people around the world, and experience something different every day.
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1. Tell us about Horus Music and how you came to partner with The Pixel Project on music campaigns such as the YouTube Cover Carnival and how you are helping with the campaigns?
When I was growing up, my family was always involved with raising money for various charities so doing something for someone else has always been a part of my life. I was also in the scouting movement so you not only got involved with lots of things, but you promise to think of others and it’s been something I have kept even out of scouting as it’s a positive thing to live by. My wife is also active in charity work and for myself when I went through a bad patch there were people there to help me get back on my feet, so I really do understand the importance of the good work people do. Continue reading →
Tony O’Malley is a singer and piano player in the soul tradition who formed the legendary groove band Kokomo. Although he has worked with pop creators 10CC, Motown’s Martha Reeves & the Vandellas and played on a numerous albums including Bob Dylan’s ‘Desire’, these days Tony prefers to concentrate on recording and performing his own music at http:tonyomalley.bandcamp.com
1. How did you come to know about The Pixel Project? Tell us why you decided to take part in The Pixel Project’s “16 For 16” Digital EP.
I’d sent ‘Nicoletta’ to mutual friend Deeyah*, who forwarded the song to The Pixel Project. Once accepted, we were more than happy to participate with Regina Yau and her team.
Editor’s note: Deeyah is a prominent musician, women’s rights activist and founder of AVA Projects working to end the scourge of Honour Killing.
2. What inspired you and Marty Townsend to write “Nicoletta”?
We wrote the song after hearing that a good friend had been brutally beaten and abused by her baby’s father.
3. Violence Against Women is usually pigeonholed as a women’s issue and it can be an uphill task getting men and boys involved in stopping the violence. Why is ending Violence against Women important to you as a man?
The Other Peoplewere formed in July 2004 in Mumbai, India. They are known to audiences for their exciting performances and adding an original twist to every song they perform. T.O.P has opened for the international artistes including Saving Abel, Michael Learns to Rock, DJ Edward Maya, DJ Diamond, Lacuna Coil and Bedouin Soundclash; and have performed alongside Pop sensation Jay Sean. The band is currently expanding their repertoire of original songs and is in the process of recording their debut album. They are also the winners of The Pixel Project’sFall 2012 YouTube Cover Carnival contest.
1. Congratulations on winning the Grand Prize in the Fall 2012 YouTube Cover Carnival contest! How does it feel to win while helping the cause to end Violence Against Women?
Thank You! It’s the best feeling The Other People have had in 8 years of being together. Just being able to work with The Pixel Project to help raise awareness baout Violence against Women is a privilege in itself and having won the grand prize in the contest makes it even more worthwhile. Now in our own small way, we can hopefully contribute to bringing an end to violence against women the world over.
2. With 1 in 3 women worldwide facing gender-based violence in their lives, pretty much everybody would know a woman or girl who has faced some form of violence. In fact, India has been voted as the worst country for women among the G20 countries. Has any of the members of The Other People been affected by or witnessed Violence Against Women and how has that help shape your attitude towards women and girls?
Hearing of such incidents and actually witnessing them is not the same. We have been fortunate not to have witnessed these violent acts against women first hand; however, it is something we read and hear about daily – the daily news is all about rape, acid attacks and women being beaten up. We hope never to witness such atrocities and try our best to educate people through the cause we are supporting. Continue reading →
Pete Ahonen, an East Bay native / singer-songwriter — pairs his blend of ‘alt-country / folk-rock’ with an incredible knack for storytelling, a unique voice and raw, honest delivery that draws the listener in and makes them feel like they’re witnessing something real… something special. When you see Pete perform, you definitely get the impression that he’s not just playing the music — he is the music. Pete’s first full-length release recently launched in November – 2012 through Lost Monkey Records.
1. Tell us why you decided to take part in The Pixel Project’s “16 For 16” Digital EP.
Your heart and your music together have a way of becoming stagnant if you’re just thinking about yourself all the time. You see all these musicians who make a lot of money, who have big record contracts, and who are just too self focused. I believe that we weren’t created this way – we were made to give pieces of ourselves back to others and I hope this song can do that in some way.
2. What inspired you to write “A Day Will Come”?
I was watching a documentary about human trafficking and one of the stories in particular really got to me. Basically a woman was kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery. When the authorities had presumed her dead, her husband didn’t give up and continued searching for her. He finally rescued her after 7 years, and all the obstacles and personal hell she had to face in the aftermath were both humbling and inspiring. “A Day Will Come” was inspired by her story, but it’s not necessarily just about that. It’s really a metaphor that’s meant to reach people on many different levels. Continue reading →
1. AHMIR has been The Pixel Project’s YouTube Music Ambassador since you started as their “Artiste of the Month” back in April 2012. Since then AHMIR has been actively involved with The Pixel Project on the Fall 2012 YouTube Cover Carnival and now, the “16 For 16” digital EP. What makes you so supportive of The Pixel Project and their “Music For Pixels” campaign?
Sing-Sing: We are supportive of The Pixel Project and their “Music for Pixels” campaign because their stance on violence against women aligns directly with ours. For a number of years we have discussed ways of using our platform, as artistes, to bring awareness to this issue. Once we got word of The Pixel Project, we jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with them in support of their campaign. Continue reading →
21 September 2012: The Pixel Project, the award-nominated global volunteer-led virtual non-profit social enterprise working to end Violence Against Women (VAW) worldwide, is proud to announce and warmly congratulate the three top winners of their Fall 2012 YouTube Cover Carnival competition:
The Grand Prize Winner is The Other People from India with their harmony-rich R&B style arrangement of “Dark Side”. They will receive a comprehensive package worth at least US$1400 including: Free production, mixing and mastering of one of their original songs courtesy of Lost Monkey Studio; Placement of that original song on Lost Monkey’s catalogue for TV/Film licensing; Free distribution of that original song by Horus Music; Having their winning cover of ‘Dark Side’ included in The Pixel Project’s year-end “16 For 16” charity digital EP. Their YouTube Cover of “Dark Side” will also be featured on the YouTube homepage of The Pixel Project’s YouTube Music Ambassador – YouTube’s Number One R&B band, AHMIR – for 3 days together with a video foreword from AHMIR.
The Second Prize Winner is Jess Greenberg from England who submitted a lovely, laidback acoustic cover of “Dark Side”. She will receive a package worth US$500++ including: 1 of her original songs mixed and mastered by Lost Monkey Studio and placed in their licensing catalogue for potential TV/Film placement; 1 autographed AHMIR CD and one AHMIR t-shirt; and free-of-charge digital distribution by Horus Music for the winner’s song of choice mixed and mastered by Lost Monkey for 3 years (worthUS$200).
The Third Prize Winner is ToRi-LyNN from the U.S.A. with her powerful rendition of “Dark Side”. She will receive a package worth US$300++ including: 1 original song from the winner’s repertoire placed in Lost Monkey Studio’s licensing catalogue for potential TV/Film placement; 1 autographed AHMIR CD OR one AHMIR t-shirt; Free-of-charge digital distribution by Horus Music for the winner’s song of choice for 3 years.
Regina Yau, Founder and President of The Pixel Project said: “TheYouTube Cover Carnival competition is one of our Music For Pixels campaign’s programmes designed to get YouTube artistes on board the cause to stop VAW. This is our first ever YouTube Cover Carnival and we are very pleased to see the level of support there is out there for the cause. 12 up-and-coming YouTube artistes from 5 countries took part in the competition to help us spread our message about stopping VAW worldwide and 4,498 people voted in our 5 finalists from which we selected the final winners. Our next YouTube Cover Carnival will be in February 2013 and we hope that the competition will continue to grow and develop into a major global online platform for up-and-coming artistes from YouTube and beyond to say NO to VAW.”
Music For Pixels, a campaign by The Pixel Project, is the first music-based social media campaign to exclusively collaborate with YouTube artistes speaking up to prevent and stop VAW through music video PSAs while raising funds for the cause via digital music downloads. All funds raised from the portion of the song’s proceeds donated by artistes in 2012 will go towards the Celebrity Male Role Model Pixel Reveal campaign in benefit of the USA’s National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and other anti-Violence Against Women nonprofits.
The Pixel Project is a complete virtual, volunteer-led global 501(c)3 nonprofit organisation whose mission is to raise awareness, funds and volunteer power for the cause to end violence against women through innovative, powerful viral campaigns across various online and virtual channels including social media. Their first project is the Celebrity Male Role Model Pixel Reveal campaign which aims to turbo-charge global awareness about VAW using social media while raising US$1 million by getting a global audience to collectively unveil a million-pixel mystery collage of Celebrity Male Role Models at US$1 per pixel.
AHMIR is the #1 MOST POPULAR R&B GROUP on YouTube with over 60 million video views and comments by celebrities such as Ryan Seacrest, Ashton Kutcher, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Perez Hilton, Pink, and more. The group has used their success to bring awareness to several charity organizations including Lucy’s Love Bus, Haiti Relief Fund, American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, Words Matter, YMCA, Kevin Youkilis Hits for Kids, and The Pixel Project. Their cover video of Pink’s “Perfect” was named one of the top Anti-Bullying PSA’s by The Huffington Post. AHMIR is now signed to Robbins Entertainment (distributed by RED / Sony Music).
Horus Music is a 360 degree music company based in Leicester, UK, specialising in music distribution, publishing and management. They are a one stop shop for getting your music on sale in online stores and subscription services worldwide, including: iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify, Deezer, Nokia, Napster, eMusic, Google Music, YouTube, Vevo, Myspace Music, HMV Digital, Zvooq, Simfy, 7Digital, Rhapsody and many more. They can also provide physical distribution throughout the UK.
Lost Monkey is a 16-track Pro Tools studio in Hayward serving artists and bands seeking a comfortable environment in which to produce broadcast-quality sounds. The studio is owned and operated by Bay Area drummer Mike Stevens, who drew upon his experiences working in the area’s most venerable studios to open Lost Monkey in 2010. Lost Monkey is currently also building a solid roster of immensely talented West Coast artists who are working hard towards becoming some of the most seminal musicians in the world.
As part of The Pixel Project‘s “Music For Pixels” campaign, we encourage artistes taking part in any “Music For Pixels” programme, be it as an Artiste of the Month or as a YouTube Cover Carnival contestant, to speak up about why they are using music to say NO to violence against women.
Today, we interview UK-based YouTube artiste Jess Greenbergwho submitted her acoustic cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “Dark Side” for our Fall 2012 YouTube Cover Carnival.
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Jess Greenberg has been playing the guitar for around seven years, but has sung and loved music for as long as she can remember. She has always really enjoyed performing, which led her to share some videos on YouTube. Now having been invited to take part in the Cover Carnival, she is grateful for the opportunity to use something she loves to be part of such a great cause.
1. Tell us about yourself – Why did you start sharing your music on YouTube and why you decided to take part in the YouTube Cover Carnival.
I’ve always loved playing the guitar and singing, and I’ve always enjoyed performing. I think I started sharing videos on YouTube because I liked the idea of being heard by people I didn’t know. I wanted to see what people thought of me and try to improve as a musician.
I wanted to take part in the Cover Carnival because it was an opportunity to be part of something new for me, and to be part of such an important cause.
2. Why is ending Violence Against Women important to you?
Going to a girls’ school, the importance of the rights and empowerment of women has been a major subject for me. Violence against women is a terrible abuse of human rights and it shocks me that it is still such a prevalent issue and is affecting so many women even in our current day and age. I’m honored to have the opportunity to be part of such a brilliant cause.
3. In your opinion, how does music help in efforts to end violence against women?
For me, music is way of expressing yourself. Music can help to convey the message to end violence against women, bring together peoples’ emotions and raise awareness.
4. In your opinion, how can musicians help encourage people to take an interest in and step up to help stop violence against women?
There are so many musician that I look up to, as do millions of people around the world. Musicians can help by using their platform to reach the people that listen to their music and convey important messages such as ending violence against women.
From We Are The World to Man In The Mirror, musicians, singers and songwriters have proven again and again that music is one of the most powerful ways of conveying messages about causes and issues. Some music artistes like Bono and Bob Geldof have even become as famous for their activism as they are for their music. Others, like the late, great Whitney Houston, sang inspirational songs that motivate all of us to be better people and to give back to our communities and those who need us.
Here are 10 celebrity musicians/singers/songwriters who have either previously or are currently raised awareness and funds for the cause to end violence against women.
It’s time to stop violence against women. Together.
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Music Celebrity Anti-VAW Campaigner 1 – Annie Lennox
International superstar and passionate, life-long women’s rights campaigner, Annie Lennox is renowned for her charity work, campaigning and advocacy on women’s rights. In April 2010 Annie signed a letter to UK government officials urging them to make a pledge an end global violence against women and make it a foreign policy priority.
In 2008, she presented a series of investigative reports of widespread violence against women in Africa, she commented:“Violence against women threatens the lives of more young women than cancer, malaria or war. It affects one in three women worldwide. It leaves women mentally scarred for life, and it is usually inflicted by a family member.”
In addition, Annie has also campaigned tirelessly for HIV/AIDS awareness and the links between sexual violence against women and the prevalence of the disease in Africa.
Music Celebrity Anti-VAW Campaigner 2 – Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera – vocal prodigy, international superstar and the only female judge on The Voice, – and her mother experienced domestic violence at the hands of her father and frequently sought refuge in women’s shelters while she was growing up.
Aguilera has spoken publicly about the abuse she and her mother suffered at the hands of her father, Fausto Aguilera, and in one song she wrote that’s on the album, Stripped, “I’m Okay,” she describes a little girl “living in a war that she called home.”
Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Debi Nova is a major star in her native Costa Rica. When she is not making music, Nova is a passionate advocate for ending violence against women and girls, including as the Youth Champion for the UN Secretary-General’s global UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign.
Nova said: “I was in a relationship that was violent. It took me about two years to speak about it. I got out, because thankfully I have a great support system in my family. The reason I decided to join [Say NO – UNiTE] is that a lot of people don’t have this kind of support. I wanted to let them know that they are not alone… The first step is to speak out, and speak up. The minute you let it outside yourself, things start changing. I would encourage all women and girls going through violence to tell a friend, a parent, a teacher or someone they trust. ”
Deeyah, a critically acclaimed music producer and prize winning human rights activist, was born in Norway to immigrant parents of Pashtun and Punjabi descent. Deeyah is known for her outspoken support of women’s rights, freedom of expression and peace.
She started her career in music as a singer but eventually stopped performing due to dangerous pressures on her, she now produces projects that give a voice to others, combing her passions for art and activism. No longer in front of the camera, she aims to speak more powerfully from behind it; she is currently producing ‘Killing In The Name Of’ a documentary addressing the challenges Europe faces as ‘honour based crimes’ continue to grow within ethnic immigrant communities.
In 2011, Deeyah founded AVA, an NGO born from her deep passion and dedication to support, engage, strengthen and amplify the voices of women and young people and to shed light on human rights violations against women.
McBride explained that educating girls and women on domestic violence is something she works on at home with her own daughters, stating: “A lot of teenage girls will be first dating and they’ll think, ‘Oh he doesn’t want me to see my friends. He just wants me all to himself. Isn’t that sweet?’ Or ‘Oh, he’s just being protective. Isn’t that sweet?’ And then it turns into something else and it’s controlling. They don’t recognize that until it’s too late. So it’s an ongoing education that you have to give young girls, I think.”
Music Celebrity Anti-VAW Campaigner 6 – Michael Bolton
In 1993, Grammy Award winning singer Michael Bolton established the Michael Bolton Foundation (now Michael Bolton Charities) to assist women and children at risk from the effects of poverty as well as emotional,physical, and sexual abuse.The foundation has provided over US$3.7 million in funding to local and national charities.
Senegalese Hip Hop artiste, Sister Fa, is a strong and vocal advocate for the end to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), having experienced it herself.
The wish to sensitise the population of her home country was the driving force behind her Education sans Excision (Education without Cutting) tour. In 2010, she toured for the second time after 2008 very successful with her band through Senegal for three weeks. In cooperation with the NGO Tostan, she achieved that the inhabitants of her home village Thionck Essyl now officially abandoned this practice of cutting the young girls.
For her tireless work to better the situation of the woman and girls in her homeland Senegal, Freedom To Create recognised Sister Fa with an award.
Music Celebrity Anti-VAW Campaigner 8 – Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw is not only a country music superstar, he is also a man with great integrity and commitment to ending violence against women.
Working with his wife, Faith Hill, he has helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for battered women’s shelters in Tennessee. In August 2010, he received the True Ally Award at the 2010 Men Stopping Violence Annual Awards Ceremony.
Music Celebrity Anti-VAW Campaigner 9 – Tina Turner
Possibly one of the most famous celebrity survivors of domestic violence, Tina Turner suffered physical, mental and sexual abuse at the hands of Ike Turner until she left him with just 36 cents in her pocket after a particularly vicious assault in Dallas, Texas. When they divorced, all she fought for was her stage name and rebuilt her career as an international superstar on the back of that name and hard work.
Turner, while not actively involved with any anti-Violence Against Women charity or campaign, has done what most domestic violence find hardest to do – she wrote a brutally honest autobiography recounting the years of abuse she faced at the hands of her ex-husband. Her story was turned into a critically acclaimed movie which many now list as one of the movies to watch to raise awareness about domestic violence.
Multiple Grammy Award winner Tori Amos is also a rape survivor. In June 1994, Amos co-founded RAINN, The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, a toll-free help line in the US connecting callers with their local rape crisis center.
Amos was seen as unlocking the silence of her assault through her music; thus “Unlock the Silence” went on to become a year-long campaign for RAINN when Amos became a national spokesperson for the organisation. By the summer of 2006, RAINN had received its one millionth caller and the organization’s success has led to it ranking in “America’s 100 Best Charities” by Worth, and one of the “Top 10 Best Charities” by Marie Claire.
Amos said: ”Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if you have to dig a little.”
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If you are not a musician, why not download ‘The Rose’ to help spread awareness about Violence Against Women? Proceeds go to The Pixel Project’s Celebrity Male Role Model campaign in aid of the USA’s National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and other anti-VAW nonprofits.
1 August 2012:The Pixel Project, the award-nominated global volunteer-led virtual non-profit social enterprise working to end Violence Against Women (VAW) worldwide, is proud to launch their Fall 2012 YouTube Cover Carnival competition offering up-and-coming music artistes on YouTube and beyond an opportunity to boost their careers while using their talents to say NO to VAW.
Regina Yau, Founder and President of The Pixel Project said: “Music For Pixels is a music campaign focused on collaborating with YouTube artistes to raise awareness about VAW through music video PSAs while raising funds for the cause via digital downloads. TheYouTube Cover Carnival is one of the campaign’s programmes. With 1 in 3 women worldwide having VAW, we hope the double incentive of career-boosting prizes while raising awareness of the violence which may well affect (or have affected) the women in their lives will inspire artistes to take part in the competition.”
The song selected for participants to cover isKelly Clarkson’s ‘Dark Side’. Ms Yau said: “Kelly Clarkson is a positive role model whose songs are empowerment anthems for women and girls worldwide. We selected ‘Dark Side’ because of its poignant yet positive lyrics which many survivors of violence against women can relate to. It is about accepting and loving people for who they are.”
The competition kicks off on 1 August and the submission period runs from 1 August – 21 August 2012 and the selection process includes semi-finals and finals. 10 semi-finalists will be announced on 1 September 2012 and the public will be given 10 days to vote for 5 finalists. The top three winners will be announced on 14 September 2012. The semi-finalists and final winners will be selected by The Pixel Project as well as the Music For Pixels YouTube Music Ambassador, AHMIR, Lost Monkey Studio and Horus Music who are generously donating their services and swag as prizes.
The Grand Prize Winner receives a comprehensive package worth at least US$1400 including: Free production, mixing and mastering of one of his or her original songs courtesy of Lost Monkey Studio; Placement of their song on Lost Monkey’s catalogue for TV/Film licensing; Free distribution of their song by Horus Music; Having their winning cover of ‘Dark Side’ produced, mixed, mastered and included in The Pixel Project’s year-end digital EP (and the promotional campaign for the EP). The winning music video will also be featured on AHMIR’s YouTube homepage for 3 days together with a video foreword from AHMIR. With almost 350,000 subscribers (and rising) viewing AHMIR’s channel daily, this would be a significant boost for the profile of the Grand Prize Winner.
For more information on how to submit your cover of “Dark Side”, visit our submission page.
For more information about the prizes available, check out our prize listings.
To learn more about the campaign and your eligibility, visit our FAQ page.
Music For Pixels, a campaign by The Pixel Project, is the first music-based social media campaign to exclusively collaborate with YouTube artistes speaking up to prevent and stop VAW through music video PSAs while raising funds for the cause via digital music downloads. All funds raised from the portion of the song’s proceeds donated by artistes in 2012 will go towards the Celebrity Male Role Model Pixel Reveal campaign in benefit of the USA’s National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and other anti-Violence Against Women nonprofits.
The Pixel Project is a complete virtual, volunteer-led global 501(c)3 nonprofit organisation whose mission is to raise awareness, funds and volunteer power for the cause to end violence against women through innovative, powerful viral campaigns across various online and virtual channels including social media. Their first project is the Celebrity Male Role Model Pixel Reveal campaign which aims to turbo-charge global awareness about VAW using social media while raising US$1 million by getting a global audience to collectively unveil a million-pixel mystery collage of Celebrity Male Role Models at US$1 per pixel.
AHMIR is the #1 MOST POPULAR R&B GROUP on YouTube with over 60 million video views and comments by celebrities such as Ryan Seacrest, Ashton Kutcher, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Perez Hilton, Pink, and more. The group has used their success to bring awareness to several charity organizations including Lucy’s Love Bus, Haiti Relief Fund, American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, Words Matter, YMCA, Kevin Youkilis Hits for Kids, and The Pixel Project. Their cover video of Pink’s “Perfect” was named one of the top Anti-Bullying PSA’s by The Huffington Post. AHMIR is now signed to Robbins Entertainment (distributed by RED / Sony Music).
Horus Music is a 360 degree music company based in Leicester, UK, specialising in music distribution, publishing and management. They are a one stop shop for getting your music on sale in online stores and subscription services worldwide, including: iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify, Deezer, Nokia, Napster, eMusic, Google Music, YouTube, Vevo, Myspace Music, HMV Digital, Zvooq, Simfy, 7Digital, Rhapsody and many more. They can also provide physical distribution throughout the UK.
Lost Monkey is a 16-track Pro Tools studio in Hayward serving artists and bands seeking a comfortable environment in which to produce broadcast-quality sounds. The studio is owned and operated by Bay Area drummer Mike Stevens, who drew upon his experiences working in the area’s most venerable studios to open Lost Monkey in 2010. Lost Monkey is currently also building a solid roster of immensely talented West Coast artists who are working hard towards becoming some of the most seminal musicians in the world.
With the Music For Pixelscampaign entering its 4th week with over 50,000 views of The Rose by our first featured artiste – AHMIR, YouTube’s number one R&B group, we would like to say A HUGE THANK YOU to the following Pixel Project partners, anti-Violence Against Women nonprofits and Facebook pages for their support for the campaign and for helping us get the word out on their Facebook pages (and in some cases, on their blogs and on Twitter) as we work towards our goal of 1 million views and downloads!
Be sure to click on their names to check out their Facebook pages – they are listed according to category and in alphabetical order below!
Since the age of 7, Nick has been involved in music, learning to play the electronic organ and then trumpet and piano. Nick successfully passed three grade eight examinations with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and participated in many orchestras, jazz bands, brass bands and wind bands. Having studied three degrees at the University of Huddersfield, (Music, Music Education and Master of Arts in Orchestral Conducting) Nick went on to teach and examine music. A successful period teaching music did not give Nick the fulfillment he searched for so he went on to become his own boss and started work within the music industry, beginning with learning the ropes and managing artistes. Being in the music industry has given Nick the opportunity to broaden his knowledge of music and the world, meet exciting and very dedicated people, help a lot of people around the world, and experience something different every day.
