News | 4.11.2022
UNIFIED Music Group has today unveiled the five incredible recipients that will share in $25,000 as part of 2022 UNIFIED Grant, an initiative first launched in 2016 to foster the next generation of driven creatives from across Australia.
The UNIFIED Grant awards $5,000 in funding to five creative projects led by five inspiring individuals or groups that influence positive, meaningful, and sustainable change. The program was open to everyone from photographers and designers to developers and journalists, to help them further break into the Australian music industry and propel their projects forward.
This year’s recipients include the YoWo, a music mentoring program for young women and GNC teens; Sustainable Touring Solutions, a technology startup focusing on sustainable touring; More Mindfulness, a wellbeing resource to assist artists with their mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing; dARTbase, a marketplace for musicians to find creatives; and Tin Camp Studios, a First Nations-led mobile music, healing, recording and storytelling space.
dARTbase Founder, Gemma Colbran, said: “Receiving The UNIFIED Grant has provided us with much-needed capital to launch a marketing campaign for our business. Even more so, it has reaffirmed that we are on the right path and to keep up with our journey. Having a relationship with UNIFIED Music Group more broadly means we have access to artists to trial our service and helps to legitimise our startup, which is in the very beginnings of its journey.”
More Mindfulness Founder, Hugh Cruickshank, said: “The UNIFIED Grant will make it possible for me to engage wellbeing professionals when developing More Mindfulness. I know a lot of UNIFIED directors and staff actively engage in some of the wellbeing pillars that the program will educate artists in, such as meditation, so it’s really nice to have the support of a team that shares similar values that I’m trying shed light on.”
The grant’s return follows the 10-year anniversary of UNIFIED Music Group in 2021, and as its founder and CEO, Jaddan Comerford, this year celebrates 20 years in the music business. The initiative is driven by the UNIFIED Impact Committee, led by Senior Partnerships Manager, Luke O’Connor, who joined the business in October from music industry charity Support Act.
“UNIFIED’s people are united by a commitment to help breathe life into creative ideas that will make our world a better place,” O’Connor said. “So, with over 100 applicants, and some incredible applications, we’re all excited to go on the journey with our 2022 recipients.”
The grant was inspired by UNIFIED Music Group’s bedroom beginnings as Boomtown Records, to its stake as one of Australia’s largest independent music companies now offering a full suite of artist and music services from its offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Los Angeles, and London.
Comerford first announced The UNIFIED Grant during his keynote speech at BIGSOUND 2016, where he hoped the initiative would “foster the next generation of driven creatives who want to work in music but don’t play an instrument”. In its first year, The UNIFIED Grant had close to 200 applicants putting together a wide array of impressive creative initiatives.