Tag: charity

Spotify and Youth Music Open Doors for Future Artists

July 10, 2025

The music industry depends on fresh ideas, bold voices, and emerging talent. Yet across the U.K., too many young musicians lack the space to develop their craft, leaving a critical gap in the evolution of new sounds and future careers.

The need for creative spaces has never been more urgent. Between 2010 and 2023, more than 1,200 youth centers closed across the U.K.—an average of one every week. These losses hit underserved communities the hardest, stripping young artists of the safe, supportive environments they need to grow.

To help change this trajectory, Spotify is strengthening our commitment to youth well-being and creativity through the Open Doors Fund, part of our ongoing partnership with Youth Music. Backed by Spotify’s Creator Equity Fund, the initiative provides essential funding and opportunities to empower the next generation of creators—and ensure the spaces that shape them not only survive, but thrive.

Championing youth spaces across the U.K.

To amplify this effort and spark national conversation, Spotify and Youth Music have launched a multichannel campaign that brings the realities facing youth spaces into sharp focus through powerful storytelling and public engagement.

Our hero video captures a week inside a youth center, showcasing the creativity and community these spaces make possible. Acclaimed artist and advocate Kojey Radical dropped in to spend time with Girl Grind UK, a youth music space where young women are building confidence, community, and creative careers, to witness the impact of these spaces firsthand.

Across London, out-of-home placements amplify youth voices in public spaces, while a coordinated social media campaign encourages audiences to engage, share, and take action.

The campaign also lives on-platform through Open Doors, a bespoke playlist curated with Kojey. Featuring both established and emerging U.K. artists who began their journeys in grassroots spaces, the playlist celebrates the vital role these centers play in nurturing talent and calls for their continued protection.

Spotify London welcomes the next generation of creators

As part of our commitment to the Open Doors campaign, Spotify brought the mission to life within our own walls, hosting an inspiring Open Doors Day at our London office. The event welcomed young people from 15 youth centers supported by the Open Doors Fund, offering a space for connection and creativity.

The urgency behind this work is clear. Youth Music warns that within the next decade, young people across eight U.K. regions could lose access to vital music projects. Chronic underfunding—made worse by the cost-of-living crisis—has pushed many community spaces to the brink. Today, two in five (41%) grassroots youth music projects are at risk of closure, a sharp 17% rise since 2024.

“These spaces are the heart of local communities, giving young people a place to feel connected, inspired, and empowered,” said Matt Griffiths, CEO, Youth Music. “With Spotify’s support, we can give these vital spaces a lifeline, ensuring they continue to serve young people for years to come.”

Open Doors Day was designed to equip the next generation with real tools for success. Through hands-on workshops, behind-the-scenes industry insights, and conversations with the Spotify and Youth Music teams, attendees gained invaluable guidance on building creative careers. The day also featured special appearances by award-winning artist Guvna B and Grammy-nominated songwriter Carla Marie Williams MBE, who shared their journeys and inspired young creators to keep pushing forward.

Empowering generations to come

The Open Doors Fund is about more than just keeping the lights on. It’s about lifting up young people, fostering creativity, and providing pathways into the music industry. A staggering 54% of Youth Music’s funded partners have a waiting list of young people eager to participate, but a lack of funds prevents them from doing so. 

Spotify and Youth Music are committed to extending the Open Doors Fund into 2026, ensuring that even more youth spaces receive the funding they need to continue supporting young people. 

“The Open Doors Fund isn’t just about preserving spaces—it’s about powering what’s possible,” said Kristin Jarett, Social Impact Lead, Spotify. “When young people have the tools, the space, and the support, they create the future of music. We’re committed to making sure those doors stay open.”

The Spotify and Youth Music partnership is a testament to the power of collaboration and the importance of investing in the next generation of artists. By providing essential resources and opportunities, the Open Doors Fund is helping to keep the beat alive by ensuring that young people from all backgrounds have the chance to pursue their musical dreams. Because the artists of tomorrow need a space to begin.

To learn more about the Open Doors Fund, or to get involved with Youth Music, visit here.

Spotify Teams Up With UK Charity Youth Music To Support Grassroots Youth Spaces

November 27, 2024

Over the past decade in the U.K., financial constraints and shifting community resources have put many grassroots music spaces under increasing pressure. There is an urgent need to protect spaces that offer young creatives a platform to explore their talents, collaborate with peers, and pursue their artistic ambitions. That’s why Spotify is excited to partner with Youth Music, a leading U.K. charity committed to helping marginalized young people make and monetize music. 

Together, we’re creating a dedicated fund to support 15 grassroots youth spaces across the U.K. that are currently facing imminent closure or struggling to survive. This initiative will provide essential resources to sustain spaces where young people gather, create, and engage in music and other forms of artistic expression, especially in underserved communities. 

“We recognize the incredible role that grassroots spaces play in shaping the future of music and creativity, especially for young people who rely on these spaces to express themselves and develop their craft,” said Dina Gabriel, Spotify’s Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Impact. “By working with Youth Music, we can make a meaningful impact in safeguarding these spaces and the opportunities they create.”

The funding will support a wide range of initiatives across those community hubs, such as a band project for disabled young people, a youth-led studio in a remote coastal town, and a music project to promote inclusion for minoritized women and people of marginalized genders. 

“These spaces are the heart of local communities, giving young people a place to feel connected, inspired, and empowered,” said Matt Griffiths, CEO of Youth Music. “With Spotify’s support, we can give these vital spaces a lifeline, ensuring that they continue to serve young people for years to come.”

Earlier this year, Youth Music’s Sound of the Next Generation Report revealed that engaging with music is young people’s favorite thing to do and a vital part of their lives. This was in stark contrast, however, with the report’s findings that young people are getting less access to music education. Many grassroots youth spaces that provide out-of-school music and creativity are at high risk of closure.

The report revealed that two-thirds of youth music spaces are focused on short-term survival, with a quarter considering closure. The situation for young people is equally dire: 98% have reported increases in mental health issues, 69% are experiencing poverty, and 47% are going hungry. Demand for services is going up while costs, rent, and bills are rising. At the same time, donations and funding are decreasing.

“The grassroots music sector is the beating heart of our world-famous music industry,” said Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, U.K. “It is vital for emerging artists to hone their talents, as well as providing thousands of jobs and spaces for young people to explore their love of music. But for too long, the sector has been under increasing pressure, with many spaces at risk of closure.

“This partnership between Youth Music and Spotify is a welcome contribution. Along with our Supporting Grassroots Music Fund, we can collectively continue to do more to secure the future of these vital community assets and protect the talent pipeline.”

The partnership is part of Spotify’s larger Creator Equity Fund Program and is a continuation of Spotify’s commitment to supporting youth well-being and protecting youth spaces, following an earlier partnership with Mentivity, a youth mentoring organization based out of South London. 

That partnership saw Spotify provide funding to support the opening of Mentivity House, a new youth hub on the Aylesbury Estate in Peckham, in addition to the creation of The Centre, an award-winning short film that showcased the vital role youth spaces played in the early years of some of the U.K.’s leading music artists, including Youth Music alumni and Mercury Prize winners Ezra Collective.