Shetland-Music.com

"Shetland Young Promoters Group", a joint initiative between Shetland Youth Services and Shetland Arts, is to hold its first meeting at 2.30pm on Saturday 6th of December at the Shetland Arts office in the Toll Clock Centre, Lerwick.

The group will give young people the chance to learn about music event management and promotion through practical experience, and provide young up-and-coming musicians, bands and DJs with performance opportunities. All young people between 14 and 18 with an interest in organising gigs and events are invited to come along.

The young promoters will meet on Saturday afternoons to plan concerts and learn aspects of event management including promotion, health and safety, sound engineering and lighting.

Bryan Peterson, Shetland Arts' Music Development Officer - "It's increasingly challenging for young people to put on their own music events, often due to ever more rigorous legislation. The Young Promoters Group is a way for them to organise gigs with the help of experienced promoters and technical crews and learn the skills which will enable them to stage events independently in future. The main aim is to empower the young folk through developing their music industry skills"

The formation of the group follows on from consultation with the Shetland Youth Music Forum, a consortium of youth organisations, local agencies, music professionals and young people, intended to support and sustain youth music provision in Shetland. The Youth Music Forum is an initiative sponsored by the Scottish Arts Council and administered by Shetland Arts.

The groundwork for the group was laid earlier this year at the alcohol free "Attitude Promotions" concert held in the TA Hall where around 250 over 14s enjoyed five young local bands. The event was organised by secondary school students with the help of Shetland Youth Services and music professionals including Fraser Mouat, Stevie Hook and Davie Gardner.

Gwilym Gibbons, Shetland Arts' Director - "Having started my career in the arts as a 'young promoter' I believe this new initiative is highly valuable in so many ways. Nothing beats learning through doing, and the range of skills required to deliver a successful gig is transferable into other areas of work. It is fantastic that Shetland Arts and Shetland Youth Services can support an important initiative of this kind and help develop our promoters of the future".

For more information contact:
Bryan Peterson, Music Development Officer, Shetland Arts
T - 01595 743 843
E -

• Call to young music promoters from the Shetland News website