Pathways is our new artist development programme that aims to invest in, nurture and promote artists from the CDR community.

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Supported by the PRS Foundation, over the course of twelve months we’ll work closely with three artists to help develop their music and careers, culminating in their own release on the CDR label.

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All three Pathways artists will receive continuous one-on-one mentorship from Tom Lea, founder of the award-winning independent record label Local Action, bringing over a decade of experience in A&R, artist development, and campaign management.

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They’ll also receive additional support and guidance from leading industry professionals across legal, PR, sales & distribution, live bookings, business management, as well as additional engineering and music production advice and support.

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All artists will be paid an advance on their royalties. They will also be provided with a production and marketing budget as well as a bespoke promotional campaign to support their release.

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Our aim is to give artists that are part of the CDR community the investment they deserve in order to take their career to the next level. We’ll also be arming them with the skills, knowledge and experience needed for them to act in their own best interests as independent artists working in an increasingly unfair, exploitative and unsustainable music industry.  

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There is no application process for Pathways. Artists will be hand picked each year from the CDR community based on their ambition, contribution and dedication. To be in with a chance – get involved! Come to our Sessions and submit your music for OpenCDR.

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Meet our Year One Pathways artists:

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MJSB Hailing from High Wycombe, making music originally began as a therapeutic endeavour for MJSB before she started independently releasing in 2017.  Since then she’s gone on to release on labels like Neighbourhood and Eton Messy and have her music played on stations like Radio 1, Rinse FM and NTS. Her track ‘Lilac’ was also featured on CDR’s 20th anniversary compilation.

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Zar Over the past few years Zar has stood out as one of the most prolific, ambitious and dedicated artists in the CDR community. As a producer, his music has been steadily garnering support and praise from the likes of Mixmag, Bandcamp Daily and DJ Mag, naming him as “An emerging artist you need to hear”. Zar has racked up plays from DJs such as Nabihah Iqbal & Raji Rags, across BBC Radio 1 Dance, 6Music, NTS, Rinse FM and more. In addition to his skills as a DJ and producer, he’s also a drummer, most notably for the Hindustani classical/psychedelic rock band Karma Sheen.

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‍NIIX Singer, producer and DJ NIIX fuses her soulful vocals with bassy, percussive production. A regular at our Manchester sessions before moving to London, her prod. techniques have been featured on Mixcloud alongside releases on All Colours and Morsel. Her debut EP 'I' received radioplay on NTS and BBC Introducing, as well as making Spotify's 'New Music Friday' playlist.

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