Through their ‘Ezra Collective Future Foundation’, the celebrated jazz group will offer five young black women the opportunity to “learn, grow and gain real industry experience with our behind the scenes team in May 2025.”

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Speaking on the foundations website, the band stated the importance of increasing representation within the music industry, saying: “Young black women are totally under-represented in the majority of behind the scenes music roles.

“A key issue is, in never seeing someone who looks or sounds like you, someone who has walked a similar path in life – a lot of young women instantly eliminate these career options as a possibility for themselves.

“Through the work of the Ezra Collective Foundation, we look to break that cycle, and help develop a new generation and community of empowered and experienced young black women.”

 

 

 

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Multiple reports and studies support the view that there is a severe lack of racial representation within the music industry, both in entry-level positions and executive roles.

The 2022 UK Music Diversity Report found that there had been a ‘decrease in diverse ethnicity employees in entry-level positions’, falling from 34.6% in 2020 to 23.6% in 2022. 

It has also been proven to be a problem across the pond, as The University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that among 4,060 executives across 119 companies, white male executives outnumbered black women by 17.7 to one.

Dr Stacy L Smith, author of the Annenberg report, said: “Under-represented and black artists are dominating the charts, but the C-suite (executive level) is a ‘diversity desert.”

She continued: “The profile of top artists may give some in the industry the illusion that music is an inclusive business, but the numbers at the top tell a different story.”

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Through this latest initiative, Ezra Collective aim to tackle this problem and “sidestep the assumption that in order to even get a first foot in the door, you need to have endless experience, contacts, training and/or a degree.”

They are offering opportunities in numerous roles including artist management, tour and production management, front of house/live sound, band leadership and backline technician.

The jazz quintet are one of the most exciting and fastest rising acts in British music today. They recently had the honour of closing the 2025 Brit Awards alongside Jorja Smith, after winning the award for ‘Group of The Year’ earlier in the night. Check out what mxdwn.co.uk had to say about the awards night here.

If you’re an 18+ year old black woman available to commit to 10 days of work between 15th-25th May then head to the Ezra Collective Foundation website to find more information. Applications are open from now until April 11th, you can apply here or email foundation@ezracollective.com if you have any questions.

Oasis, one of the most successful British bands of all time, performed at Moles early in their career, and the venue is often credited as being instrumental in their rise to fame. Similarly, Ed Sheeran, who has become a global superstar, also graced the stage at Moles in his early days.

 Oasis                                                                                                      Ed Sheeran

The impact of Moles extends beyond just launching successful acts. Manic Street Preachers, a Welsh rock band, secured a record deal after their performance at the venue. Supergrass, another popular British band, even used Moles’ dressing room for the cover shoot of their debut album, highlighting the venue’s significance in the music industry.

Manic Street Preachers                                                                 Supergrass

The closure of Moles is a devastating blow to the local music community. The owners’ decision to file for insolvency reflects the harsh reality of the financial challenges faced by grassroots venues. The rising cost of living and increasing bills have made it increasingly difficult for small venues like Moles to stay afloat.

Co-owner Tom Maddicot’s statement about the economic viability of grassroots live music is a sobering reminder of the challenges faced by these venues. Without adequate support and a sustainable financial model, more small venues may face a similar fate. Tom said “Making the decision to close Moles was horrendous, but the reality is that live music at grassroots level is no longer economically viable.”

Moles’ rich history and contribution to the music scene in Bath cannot be understated. From hosting early performances by iconic bands like Blur, The Cure, and The Smiths, to providing a platform for up-and-coming artists, the venue has left an indelible mark on the industry.

As the doors of Moles close for the final time, the music community mourns the loss of a beloved institution. The memories and impact of this iconic venue will live on, but its closure serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by grassroots music venues in an increasingly challenging economic climate.

Recently, Moles hosted Slowthai, and the fast-rising indie band The Last Dinner Party. Unfortunately, the closure of Moles adds to the growing number of losses in the UK’s live music circuit.

Mark Davyd, the CEO of the Music Venue Trust, believes that the closure of Moles reflects a larger failure by the music industry and the government to invest in venues that support emerging artists.  The Music Venue Trust is looking to France as an example, where the government has implemented a ticket levy on arena shows to provide financial support to smaller venues and up-and-coming artists. Davyd has reached out to the UK government and opposition parties, urging them to take action and support the grassroots live sector. He said “Unless it gets serious about its responsibilities to encourage, nurture and develop the grassroots live sector, the music industry as a whole will face a catastrophic failure of artist development,”

The auction house provides a detailed description of the equipment on the lot’s page. “Recording industry giant E.M.I. Corporation did so many things extremely well back in their heyday, including manufacturing their own professional recording equipment, namely the BTR (British Tape Recorder), a ¼” tape, twin-track valve (vacuum based) machine. In 1953 they started building the ‘BTR2′ tape recording console and at the time, these were considered state-of-the-art mono recorders – the best that money could buy.”

The lot’s orientation continues, “They were extremely well built, using high-quality components and expert craftsmanship, and they weighed almost 600 pounds apiece. Originally made for ‘in-house’ use only – they were very highly regarded due to the fact that they were fabulous recording machines with great sound quality, were extremely dependable and relatively easy to operate – and as such there was a high demand for them outside of E.M.I. Orders were placed by The British Broadcasting Corporation (B.B.C.), who ultimately purchased and used many BTR2s throughout Great Britain..”

The recording consoles’ heydays were from 1957 until the 1980s, they were installed and used prior to and during the studio’s rename and rebranding. In 1970 the then named E.M.I Studios was renamed as Abbey Road Studios and acts continued to flock to the then state-of-the-art workplace. The BTR2s used by Abbey Road have always stood out, the studio mainly used machines which were painted grey.

Recording equipment from Abbey Road Studios is very rare to find and is rarely found for sale let alone on auction. Only a couple of items from the studios have been sold, the pieces were quickly snapped up by collectors and private buyers. This particular BTR2 console has changed hands prior, it originally was sold by Abbey Road Studios in 1980 within their Sale Of The Century. In 1988 the console was again sold to the Hard Rock Café which in turn sold it again to its current owner, the same owner who is now selling it.

These consoles are responsible for a long list of legendary albums, one particular group which regarded the console as family were The Beatles. The equipment has become a major part of the band’s history, a vast amount of the band’s discography was produced and recording using the BTR2 including such albums as A Hard Day’s Night, Beatles For Sale, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album and of course Abbey Road. The group’s eleventh studio home sired many of the band’s most loved hits including “Come Together” and “Here Comes The Sun“.

The Beatles and BTR2s are heavily integrated with each other, included within the auction are two photographs of the “Get Back” band with the equipment, one of John Lennon with the BTR2 and another of Ringo Starr and George Harrison with cake and champagne with the auction item. Also included within the auction is a letter penned by The Abbey Road Chief Engineer, the original instruction booklet that was used by the studios and a certificate  of authenticity from Gotta Have Rock & Roll.

The lot’s description further explains its importance to the fab four’s career, “These BTR2 recording consoles are of great importance related to the recording history of The Beatles. Very little exists in any collection, public or private, with regard to Abbey Road / Beatles used recording equipment in any form and the rarity and significance of these BTR2s cannot be overstated.”

These important artifacts of modern music are also responsible for six of Pink Floyd’s albums, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, A Sauceful Of Secrets, More, Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother, Meddle and their seminal 1973 release The Dark Side Of The Moon. Other acts who utilised the renowned consoles include some of popular music’s most sought after artists, Cliff Richard And The Shadows, Jeff Beck, Connie Francis, Deep Purple and The Pretty Things.

Click here to view the auction.

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The 70-year-old singer has provided the following statement concerning the lucrative deal, “I am delighted to have Jody and the team at UMPG curate and manage my song catalog. It is absolutely essential to me that my career’s body of work have a home where it is valued and respected – not only to connect with longtime fans in new ways but also to introduce my songs to new audiences, musicians and generations. Throughout my career, I have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with UMG as my label partner, under the watchful guidance of Lucian, so it felt natural to unite everything in one trusted home, as I return to the studio, ready for the next chapter.”

The iconic artist spans over four decades and holds a back catalogue full of hits, both solo and with The Police.  Sting first gained notarization through The Police, the group formed in the late seventies with Sting on vocals and bass, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland. The group became a global favourite and went on to rule the charts with such hits as “Roxanne” and “Message in a Bottle”. The group’s catalogue includes five studio albums and multiple singles including the smash it “Every Breath You Take” and “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”.

After some initial solo projects, Sting released his first solo album in 1985 entitled The Dream of the Blue Turtles. The album reached number three within the UK album charts and sired two Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Male Best Pop Vocal Performance. The album’s first single “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” was released on 31st May 1985 and cemented Sting as a solo artist. Born as Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, Sting released fourteen further solo albums, his most recent full release My Bridge was released on 19th November and reached the top 40 within the UK album charts.

Speaking on the impressive range of material acquired, Chairman and Chief executive of Universal Sir Lucian Grainge has provided the following statement, “We are honoured that by choosing Universal for his music publishing, Sting’s entire body of work as a songwriter and recording artist – from the Police to his solo work – will all be within the Universal family, It is a responsibility we don’t take lightly.”

The multi award-winning artist is set to resume his My Songs tour which began last year, the singer will perform on 5th March 2022 at Latvia’s Arena Riga and will finish the 23 date European leg on 13th April 2022 with a performance in Germany. The singer will then return to the UK for a six-date residency at The London Palladium starting on 15th April 2022.

Sting UK tour dates

15/04 – The London Palladium – London
16/04 – The London Palladium – London
17/04 – The London Palladium – London
19/04 – The London Palladium – London
20/04 – The London Palladium – London
21/04 – The London Palladium – London

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UK Music, which is the umbrella organisation that represents all aspects of the music industry from artists and record labels to the live music sector, has reported the hit to the industry. Last year it reported an estimated worth of £5.8 billion towards the UK economy, a growth of 11% from the year before. In its November annual check, it’s likely to plummet to £3 billion net worth. “UK Music measures the industry’s contribution as gross value added, or GVA, which also includes British music exported overseas, such as tours.”

.@UK_Music made the plea as it published its annual ‘Music By Numbers’ report today https://t.co/bEkFG043zF

— NME (@NME) November 18, 2020

The chief executive of UK Music Jamie Njoku-Goodwin has said the pandemic has delt a “catastrophic blow” to the music industry. It’s estimated that tens of thousands of musicians of the over 200,000 musicians employed in the industry will be at risk of losing their jobs as the pandemic continues to spread and damage us as second waves are hitting the world as we race to get a vaccine ready and disrupted to everyone.

Its key to understand that the music industry isn’t just a job, income, or work place for many people. the industry is responsible for a lot of income for the country. “Our music industry is a key national asset,” said Njoku-Goodwin. “As this report shows, it contributes £5.8bn a year to the economy, generates £2.9bn in exports and supports almost 200,000 jobs. The UK music industry was a vibrant, fast-growing and commercially successful sector before the pandemic hit.”

following on from the ghastly news from the industry UK Music has also found that musicians will likely lose up to 65% of their annual income. Even with the SEISS (Self-Employed Income Support Scheme) aiding a number of the music industry it doesn’t even come close to the amount that would be normally earned in a year for many musicians as it hits less than that of the furlough support scheme for normal workers in regular jobs.

It is sad to see that one of the hardest industries will be our music industry. What was a record high last year which saw the industry grow leaps and bounds with an increase of a record £1.3 billion has now seen such a terrible turnaround. It was predicted that this year was going to follow on and grow like last year however it’s now reported: “a slump of as much as 85%, with live music’s GVA expected to plummet to about £300m as touring halts and social distancing keeps most venues shut.”