About the scheme
northern line is an open application scheme to support northern jazz musicians to tour across the North. The scheme aims to strengthen artists’ offer, enabling them to engage new and existing promoters and develop jazz audiences across the sector.
We’re now recruiting our 6th round of northern line artists. Since 2013 Jazz North’s northern line has supported 58 ambassador artists, developed a network of 150 promoters, festivals and arts organisations and partnered on over 500 subsidised performances across the north and beyond.
How it works
Performances by northern line artists are subsidised by a set amount per musician, which reduces the financial risk to promoters and encourages them to book high-quality northern artists.
The Round 6 touring period will be: 1 September 2018 to 31 December 2019
Diversity see FAQ #19 & #20
For northern line round 6 we would especially welcome applications from female band leaders, female instrumentalists, artists from diverse ethnic backgrounds and artists from outlying and rural areas.
Making an application
Once you’ve read the Guidance Notes and FAQs and checked all band members are available for the showcase day Monday 23rd July 2018 you’re almost ready to start making an application.
Before starting you will need to have filled out the Band Members sheet and have a high resolution image of the band ready to upload.
The Band Members sheet is an Excel document. If you need software to open the document you can use either the free Open Office software or Google Docs.
If you have any questions that are not covered in our FAQs or need advice about making an application please contact lucy@jazznorth.org.
Checklist:
see if you meet the criteria to be a northern line artist
You need to be able to agree with all the following statements to be eligible to apply.
● At least 50% of band members live and work in the north of England See FAQ #1
● All musicians have a minimum of 18 months’ professional experience. See FAQ #2
● None of the musicians are in full time education. See FAQ #2
● The band is no larger than 10 musicians
● The band has not been on a previous round of northern line
● The band will be gig ready by July 2018 e.g. fully rehearsed with a full set of material
● The band has a website or a dedicated page on a web site. See FAQ #8
● You have a professional profile on social media
e.g. band / artist FB page, Twitter, YouTube Channel etc. See FAQ #9
● You have a high quality colour photograph to upload. See FAQ #16
● The band leader is available to attend the induction day between 10:30 am 5:00 pm on Tuesday 13 March 2018. See Essential Dates Page 2
● The full band is available all day on Monday 23 July 2018 for the showcase in Manchester. See Essential Dates Page 2
Important Dates
Online application portal closes
10pm Wednesday 10th January 2018
Notification by email with the result of your application by
Friday 23rd February 2018
How we will access your application
The key assessment priority will be Musical Excellence, for example:
● standard of instrumental ability
● expressive power of the performers
● improvisatory skills
The selection panel will also take into account:
● how committed artists are to developing their careers and the northern jazz scene.
● a performance track record
● the extent to which the band is ‘gig ready’
● evidence of social media activity to promote professional musical activity
Essential Dates
Successful applicants will be required to be available for the following dates. If you are not able to attend, you will forfeit your place on the scheme and will need to reapply for the next round.
Tuesday 13 March 2017
Jazz North Induction Day
All band members are encouraged to attend, but a minimum of the band leader must attend the northern line induction day (10:30am 5:00pm). This event introduces you to key members of the Jazz North team and takes you through how the scheme works, offers valuable advice on securing gigs and will help you make the most of being on northern line.
Monday 23 July 2017
northern line Showcase Day Manchester Jazz Festival
If selected, your entire band needs to be available for the full day (9am 11pm) on the northern line Showcase day at Manchester Jazz Festival. All musicians will be paid the standard Manchester Jazz Festival performance fee for this event.
The showcase day will feature performances of all Round 6 artists to festival audiences, invited promoters and partners. If your band needs material for your digital EPK this is where we will record audio, video and photo shoot. There will also be a networking session with promoters.
Feedback from previous rounds
We recommend that you take note of the selection panel feedback from previous rounds. These are the points that crop up most frequently during the selection process.
Audio:
● make sure the three tracks you choose to share with us show a variety of tempo and mood.
● Avoid tracks with long introductions.
● Make sure the improvisation starts early on in your selected tracks.
Video:
● only include a video link if it enhances your application think twice before directing us to wobbly, hand-held, poor audio and unedited video clips.
● If a video doesn’t show you and the band performing in the best light then don’t use it in your application
Make a video introduction?
You have the option to upload a 2 minute video rather than write about the band and your future aspirations. We’ve included the video option as we understand that some people might prefer to do something creative rather than just write
The most important part of your application will be your music so don’t worry about which option you choose.
Uploading a band photograph
We require a band photograph saved in JPEG format with the resolution of 300 dots per square inch. See FAQ # 16
If you need to take a photograph here are some tips.
● Pictures taken outside under natural light not sunlight, generally look better than an indoor photograph.
● Think about the location and composition of the photograph. To get some ideas look at examples of other bands and on jazz festival websites.
● Will the picture help give a viewer an indication about the type of music you play?
● Try to avoid the cliché of standing in front of a brick wall.
Frequently asked questions about the northern line application process
#1 Can my band include musicians from outside of the north of England?
Yes, if you believe this is necessary in order for your music to be realised at the highest level. However we do require that at least 50% of band members in any band to be living and working in the north of England.
#2 Can northern line musicians be in full time education?
No, bands where any musicians are in full time education will not be eligible. All musicians must have the minimum of 18 months professional experience.
For the purposes of this scheme, ‘the north’ refers to the following counties Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, County Durham, Northumberland, Tees Valley and Tyne and Wear, Yorkshire, Humber (North and North East Lincolnshire).
#3 Can northern line bands who were featured on previous rounds apply?
northern line bands from previous rounds are not eligible. However individual musicians from bands in previous rounds may feature in other ensembles wishing to apply to this round.
#4 Is there a band size limit?
Yes, the maximum size band is 10 musicians.
#5 Is there an age limit? No
#6 Does the band need to be playing original music? No
#7 What do you mean by ‘gig ready’ by July 2018?
We expect that your band will have a full set of rehearsed material ready for July 2018.
#8 Do I need to have a band website?
Yes, all bands must have either a website or a dedicated band page on a website e.g. a page on your professional profile website. We can not accept bands who only have a Facebook, Bandcamp or Soundcloud page. If you need an EPK page use a free service like gigmit. com.
#9 Why do I need to have a professional profile on social media?
As a professional musician we would expect that you have a professional profile on at least one social media platform such as facebook or twitter. Social media is an essential tool for today’s musician. It helps you build and raise your professional profile among promoters and audiences. Don’t worry if you are not using all these platforms. If you are offered a place we will help you to develop a social media plan that suits you and your music.
#10 How many gigs can I do under the northern line scheme?
There is a fixed budget for each round of northern line, so unfortunately this is not an open-ended offer. Each band will benefit from subsidy towards 12 eligible gigs between September 2018 – December 2019.
#11 Would all the gigs have to be in the north?
Primarily the northern line scheme is about touring in the north. This year we are revising the scheme and offering more flexibility. We will have a consultation with every band to see what their needs are and how we can help you get the best benefit from being part of northern line. For example, If your band is playing a niche genre of improvised music you might struggle to get 12 bookings in the north. In that case we might draw up an action plan that looked at potential booking opportunities outside of the north and with promoters from outside of the jazz network.
#12 What other touring opportunities might be available?
One or two bands might be chosen by a rural touring partner for rural touring in addition to their allocation of northern line gigs. We occasionally get asked to suggest bands for other showcase opportunities in UK and Europe.
#13 Can I upload digital audio tracks or send Jazz North a CD?
We can only consider bands with online audio and cannot accept CDs or digital files. If you need to host audio online then we would recommend a service such as soundcloud.com or bandcamp.com.
#14 How long can my audio or video tracks be?
The selection panel will only listen to or watch the first 5 minutes of the tracks you provide regardless of the total track length. Spare a thought for our selection panel who have to listen to a large amount of music. You might wish to edit the audio tracks to remove any long introductions and start directly on the main tune or improvisation.
If your recordings are in a longer form e.g. 15 minute band improvisation then the panel will use their own judgement how they listen to your music. They might listen to the first 5 minutes of each track, listen to only 15 minutes of one track or freely skip within the tracks for 15 minutes. If this is the case then it helps if longer tracks are uploaded to Soundcloud so the panel members can use the waveform as a guide to where they might dip in.
#15 Can I keep my audio tracks private?
Yes. There’s a space on the form for you to provide the password if you are providing private audio tracks.
#16 Why do I need to upload a photograph?
After selecting the final roster we will immediately need band images for our showcase partner Manchester Jazz Festival to use in their printed programme and on their website. If you need advice about what makes a good photograph see the guidance notes.
#17 What if this is a new band with no recordings or photographs?
We will only be considering bands with online audio and a photograph. If you can’t supply these then you won’t be eligible. If this is a new band then you will need to provide links to some good quality rehearsal recordings and get a good photograph taken see guidance notes for advice.
#18 Why do I need to provide the contact details for all the band members?
It is a condition of our funding that we monitor where our support goes. We also want to be able to share artistic opportunities with as wide a network of artists as possible. We will hold all data securely in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 under which we are
fully registered and musicians will be given the opportunity to opt out of communications if they so choose.
#19 How can our band help Jazz North present a diverse roster?
We want to present a varied roster of artists that fully represents the diversity of the northern jazz scene because we believe that Jazz needs a broad range of musical voices and talent in order to thrive. In doing so, we believe that we will help to sustain an interesting, vibrant and relevant musical landscape which will also encourage a more diverse and larger audience for jazz.
#20 What do we mean by diversity?
Diversity can mean different things to different people, and also covers some characteristics that might not immediately come to mind and that may form a visible or invisible barrier to participating in our programmes like northern line. Such barriers could include, for example, marital status, being a parent with young children, sexual orientation, or socio-economic class.
For this round of northern line we would especially welcome applications from female band leaders, female instrumentalists, artists from diverse ethnic backgrounds and artists from outlying and rural areas.
#21 How will I know that my online application has been submitted?
On the final page there is the option to receive a copy of your submitted application via email. We would recommend choosing this option. This will also confirm that your application has been successfully submitted.
#22 When do I hear back about my application?
We will notify all applicants via email by Friday 23rd February 2018 to notify you of the panel’s decision.
#23 What happens if I’m offered a place on northern?
Before confirming an offer of a place on the roster we will contact you
by telephone to check that:
a) you still want a place
b) all band members are available 9:00 AM 10:00 PM Monday 23 July 2018 for the showcase at Manchester Jazz Festival
c) the band leader is available 10:30 AM 5:00 PM for the Induction Day on Tuesday 13 March 2018 (location tbc). Travel expenses will be provided.
#23 Will I be able to get feedback about my application?
Due to staff capacity and the volume of applications we cannot offer individual feedback. We will make available a general summary of feedback about the round 6 applications.
#24 Will I be eligible to apply to Arts Council England funding to support northern line touring?
No. successful northern line bands will not be eligible to apply for additional funding from Arts Council England (ACE) to support their northern line gigs, since the scheme is already funded by ACE.
Find out about other opportunities
Jazz North also offers group and one-to-one advisory sessions in person at locations across the north or via Skype. These events will help you make a stronger case for your music to promoters, funders and other industry contacts.
Make sure you are on our mailing list or follow our social media to receive notification of these events. For more information and enquiries please
We look forward to listening to your music. Good luck!
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