Dreams and Challenges

Zenny is a 22-year-old woman who has been registered Severely Sight Impaired since birth. Fiercely intelligent, she chose not to take up an offer from university as she was determined to follow a pathway into the creative industries (music and acting), but encountered both material and attitudinal obstacles to doing so. These ranged from the accessibility of studios, venues and equipment to assumptions made by producers and directors). She had continued to write songs and record music for her own pleasure but had begun to feel that this was something of a dead end. At the same time, the increasing precarity of employment in the arts had deterred her from even attempting to audition for parts.

RSBC's Learn to Earn Programme

Her engagement with Learn to Earn began by meeting her where she was. Through coaching and motivational interviewing, we helped her create a space where she began to consider the transactional value of the music she was producing. We discussed how she might monetise what was, after all, her labour and she undertook research to map how income streams could be established via different platforms (Bandcamp, Mix Cloud, Tidal, Spotify etc.). working through the Entrepreneurship strand of the project, Zenny was able to evaluate the viability and sustainability of her idea.

A study by the UK Intellectual Property Office estimated that only 0.4% of artists with music on streaming services achieve around 1 million monthly streams, which is considered the minimum threshold to potentially earn a living from streaming royalties alone. Given the relatively small yields from these platforms she was unsure of its feasibility, so we worked with her to develop it horizontally.

Expanding Zenny's Business Model

To this end, she factored vocal coaching into her business model (she is an experienced singer and has undertaken some paid voiceover work) which immediately expanded the scope and sustainability of the project. Drawing on the expertise of our support team, Zenny received coaching in planning for her business, and strategies for marketing across social media.

Future-Proofing and Networking

A key theme we have embedded in Learn to Earn is future proofing: ensuring, as far as is possible, that young people taking a relatively high-risk pathway into self-employment also consider, in the short to medium term, additional employment and income streams. Through our network of employers, we introduced her to Sound Without Sight, a community hub for blind and partially sighted musicians and technicians – initially to foster the solidarity of community, but Zenny also became aware of a paid opportunity to work as a advocate, raising the profile of young BPS musicians. We supported her in developing a portfolio for application, comprising not just a CV and supporting statement, but a showreel of her music and voice work. In addition, we worked closely with SWS to plan accessibility adjustments for her role and created a remote workspace for her with in RSBC’s own Life Without Limits Centre.

Success and Growth

She’s now a valuable member of the team Sound Without Sight. Her experience as a singer and performer has brought a richness to the organisation, and she’s getting to do some incredible stuff – attending gigs and awards events, interviewing musicians with sight loss, and helping to raise their profile in the community. It’s also given her the confidence to really go for it with her own business in the future and share her vocal talents with a wider audience (mind you, she also gets to learn how to fill out her tax return, but there have to be some drawbacks, right?)

When asked how she felt about her new job Zenny said:

“This is incredibly amazing! It’s kind of my dream job, bringing together so many of the things that motivate me. It feeds into my business ideas, as well as giving me a chance to support my community.”

More:

RSBC Futures – Helping young people make choices about their future plans

Musician’s Union – Streaming Market Study