Change the Record Retreat

We’re inviting people of marginalised genders working across the music industry to join us for a four-day retreat in March 2026.

The Change the Record Retreat offers a supportive, open space to step back from day-to-day pressures and explore a core question: What tools can I use and develop to drive change in the music sector?

Building on the success and learnings of the first year of Change the Record, we’ve reflected on how the word 'leader' can sometimes feel exclusive – reinforcing dominant power structures, and limiting who feels 'allowed' to step into leadership roles.

In response, this year’s programme has been curated around six key themes: Agency, Autonomy, Social Justice, Care, Vision, and Belief.

Together, you’ll explore what these values look like in practice, and how leadership can be reimagined in ways that centre care, community, and collective growth.

Supported by Sony Music's Global Social Justice Fund.

Who it’s for

We’re looking for people who:

Have worked in the music sector for 2-5 years, with some experience of managing people, projects or initiatives
Are already exploring ways to challenge, disrupt, and reimagine the music sector, particularly through collaborative and/or community-led approaches
Are available to attend all dates set out in this call-out

You could work for a local grassroots organisation, a commercial institution or as a freelancer. You might be a promoter, agent, project manager, community events organiser or event producer. Or maybe you work in marketing and PR, music education, facilitation, talent development, or for a recording studio or record label.

Eligibility

In the context of a cis male dominated industry, this opportunity is open to people of marginalised genders.

This includes non-binary and agender people, intersex people, all women (including trans women), trans men and trans-masculine people, gender-fluid and genderqueer people.

You should also be:

Aged 18+
Based in the North of England (North East, North West and Yorkshire regions)

If you’re interested in applying and have questions, please reach out to Rachel at [email protected].

Online welcome session (4 March)
Kickstarting the project, this is an opportunity to meet the group and prepare for the retreat
Four-day retreat (11-14 March)
Stay at Hebden Bridge Hostel and take part in workshops, panels, conversations and social activities
A space to reflect, foster connections, inspire new approaches and answer the guiding question: What tools can I use and develop to drive change in the music sector?
Explore and dissect themes of safe spaces, embracing conflict, breaking gatekeeping, allyship, DIY infrastructures and more
Confirmed guest speakers include AFRODEUTSCHE, Alice Kanako (Not Bad for A Girl), Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani (YWMP), Emma Thompson (From the Other), Hannah Beasley-Garrigan (Saffron Records), Flematu Sessay (Public Tactics) and Moni Serneabat Ungar (Decolonise Fest) – with more to come!
Post-project support
After the retreat, we'll support you to form an ‘Action Learning Set’ (a self-facilitated peer-to-peer coaching group) to compassionately sound out professional challenges and identify opportunities and ways forward together
Join an online community of music industry professionals, creatives and doers in the North of England committed to making change in the music sector
The project is free to attend. To help you take part we’ll cover:
Travel and accommodation costs
Access costs for things like disability support, translation or childcare
Bursaries of £250 are also available to people who:
Need to take unpaid leave from work to take part
Work in a freelance capacity and will have to turn down work to take part
Are in low income employment
Receive Universal Credit, or another job allowance, as their main income
As Brighter Sound isn’t an educational establishment, or an authorised provider of non-taxable bursaries, all bursary income is taxable, and should be recorded and reported to HMRC in the normal way. If you’re already registered as self-employed, income should be included with your records. If you’re not currently self-employed, details on how to register (and any other queries about reporting this income) can be found on the HMRC website.
In our application form we'll ask you some basic details, along with the following questions.
Please tell us about your experience in the music sector. What feels meaningful about your work at the moment?
In the music sector, what are the changes you would like to see and how are you working towards building them?
What challenges do you currently face in your practice?
Why do you want to attend Change the Record and what do you expect to get from it?
Which areas of music are you interested in?
You can either answer these questions in writing, or you can record yourself. If you do this, you'll just need to include links to your video or audio recordings. Have a read of our Top Tips for Applicants for more information on how to answer these questions.
The application deadline is Friday 6 February, 11pm.
We encourage you to submit your application before the deadline but if you need a bit more time we can stretch an extra day or two. You’ll need to let us know by Wednesday 4 February if you’d like an extension.
You're welcome to apply with support from a personal assistant or carer. If there is anything we can do to help you to apply, please let us know.
Ready to apply? Head over to our Google Form.
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Read our Safer Spaces Policy for more information.
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Read our Safeguarding Policy for more information.