Youth Music’s partnership with Glastonbury’s Left Field Stage celebrates the diversity of music and enters another exciting year – this time with added support from the legendary Rough Trade brand.

Build A Band is a unique opportunity for young musicians aged 14-18 to be chosen to play in a brand new band created specifically to perform at Glastonbury 2008 in a primetime Sunday slot on the festival’s biggest undercover stage, The Left Field. The competition is for individual musicians in any genre.

Auditions for Build a Band 2008 will take place in London, Liverpool, Bristol and Manchester in May. Teenage artists will be judged by a panel of leading industry experts to gain their spot at the festival. Though the winners will have demonstrated their individual and group performance abilities in audition, the five lucky band members will meet for the first time on the first day of Glastonbury – giving them just four days to write a track to perform in front of 4000 discerning Left Field punters at 8pm on Sunday 29 June! Geoff Martin, Left Field Director commented, "I am looking forward to this years Build A Band reaching out to our diverse communities and throwing all those ingredients into the cultural melting pot which is the Left Field at Glastonbury."

This year to support the campaign during March, April, May and June Youth Music in association with MusicTank is running "Buzz Building for the Digital Teenage Generation" - free seminars on digital technology and DiY label culture in London, Bristol, Manchester and Liverpool. MusicTank Programme Jonathan Robinson, Director says, “Advancing technology and the growing number of formats, distribution channels and platforms can confuse the picture for artists, producers, labels and managers looking to develop and exploit the digital space. With the future increasingly pointing to all things DIY, these seminars seek to empower the next generation of artists to maximise their online presence, grow and nurture a fan base and distribute music digitally. At the events young musicians aged 14-18 will get to talk to an expert music industry panel about how to maximise their online presence, grow and nurture a fanbase, source the best in freebie software and distribute and sell their music digitally.

Youth Music is also ran a series of supporting Indie and Urban workshops during April and May based at Rough Trade’s infamous flagship Brick Lane store in east London in partnership with London delivery organisations Rolling Sound and CM. Stephen Godfroy, Director of Rough Trade Retail said, "Rough Trade's ethos is very much rooted in the DIY culture of music, having championed new talent and musical innovation ever since we first opened at the birth of punk. Working with Youth Music gives us the opportunity to convert our knowledge into an educational experience, helping empower talent and inspire creative expression at an age when it can make a real difference."

To enter the competition musicians aged 14-18 should upload a short audio or video demo to www.roughtrade.com/buildaband08 . Demos are accepted from vocalists, MCs and musicians in any genre, and will be judged on their musicality and originality.

Musicians who have difficulty recording their demos can use the amazing facilities on the BBC Blast tour truck which is also supporting Build A Band 08.

Check out the experience of REVOLT to 2007 Build A Band winners
Meet the band
BUILD A BAND MEET THE WINNERS
Live at Glastonbury 2007
YOUTH MUSIC GLASTONBURY WINNERS SIGNED

For more information contact Liam Fay-Fright
E: Liam.fay-fright@youthmusic.org.uk
T: 0207 902 1086

Notes for Editors

The Left Field
Following its successful inception at Glastonbury 2002, The Left Field has gone on to become the largest undercover stage at the festival. The Left Field aims to reaffirm the spirit of political debate among festival goers, promoting the value of trade union membership and collective campaigning. It’s mantra is ‘Music Can Make a Difference’.

Rough Trade Retail
Rough Trade is the UK’s leading independent music retailer. The first Rough Trade record shop opened its doors in 1976 with the arrival of punk. Ever since, Rough Trade has become renowned for authoritative recommendations of the most exciting new music, maintaining a peerless reputation amongst artists, labels, media and of course, music lovers across the world.
Artists such as The White Stripes, Ray Lamontagne, Jose Gonzalez, Gossip, Beirut and Lily Allen were all known and championed by Rough Trade way before they became stars. With two London shops, Rough Trade West (off Portobello Road) and Rough Trade East (off Brick Lane), the latter of which is the largest music specialist store outside of the US, Rough Trade are widely regarded as the definitive music specialist retailer, as innovative, influential and popular as the music they're respected for championing.
Rough Trade East only opened its doors last summer but has already established itself as the definitive music-lover experience the UK has to offer, attracting everyone from teenage punk students to 50something businessmen, flying in the face of the people who said the record store was dead.
For press images and logos, please visit www.roughtrade.com/press
 
BBC Blast
BBC Blast gives 13–19 year olds a platform for their creative ideas and work. It provides access to, and guidance from industry professionals, and through creative projects helps develop new skills in music, fashion, film, creative writing, dance, art and design and gaming. Blast also gives young people a showcase platform, on TV, online and On Tour. For more info bbc.co.uk/blast

MusicTank
MusicTank is the UK's music business network, an initiative of the University of Westminster, set up with the support of 14 UK music industry organisations.
A neutral body set up to encourage increased innovation across the UK music business, it aims to circulate innovative ideas, best practice and cutting-edge strategies to increase innovation and productivity across the business.  Regular think tank debates bring hot topics into sharp focus and help pinpoint the opportunities created by disruptive technologies.
MusicTank conferences deal with everything from record production to copyright review while occasional social evenings blend the entertaining recollections of music business virtuosos with the opportunity to develop valuable industry contacts.
MusicTank aims to override traditional partitions by providing improved access to expert knowledge via musictank.co.uk, the leading music business web-site, offering free industry discussion on new business techniques alongside useful reports and comments from leading lights. MusicTank also produces a free monthly newsletter to keep subscribers up to date with all the latest music developments.