What is Hit The Road?

A touring project for 14-19 year old aspiring performers at an early stage in their music making. Hit the Road will present five tours of Scotland, themed by music genre. Participants are also invited to training workshops with industry professionals covering all aspects of the reality of touring, while there will also be training opportunities for young people wishing to try out support roles such as sound engineering and stage technicians.

When & Where?

Each tour will take three acts on the road, with each act taking the headline slot to their home town crowd.

Who Can Apply?

Online registration is now open for those who are:

• aged 14-19
• living in Scotland
• involved in any kind of music making
• interested in learning about and developing their own musical career

Who Can’t Apply?

• Acts who have previous touring experience.
• Acts who are signed or associated with professional record, publishing or management.

Hit The Road is run by the Scottish Music Centre, and is supported by Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative (YMI) programme, and the Young Start Big Fund.

Scottish Music Centre

The Scottish Music Centre is a one-stop shop for information for anyone interested in music. Visitors to the Centre can use computers with a range of the latest music software, including Sibelius 4 and Garageband, and read a variety of specialist music publications, directories and magazines relevant to all musical styles and interests.

It is also home to an enormous archive of nearly 30,000 items, ranging from copies of 18th Century song-sheets and Scottish contemporary classical scores to the latest CD releases from traditional, rock, jazz and indie bands.

Add to this a seemingly endless electronic database resource and a team of experts whose enthusiasm and personal knowledge is second to none, and the result is a hub of information, offering unparalleled access to knowledge and advice about music created, performed or recorded in Scotland.

Creative Scotland

Creative Scotland administers the Scottish Government’s Youth Music Initiative (YMI) programme which creates access to high quality music making opportunities for young people, particularly for those that would not normally have the chance to participate. For further details about the YMI programme please visit: Creative Scotland.

Help Musicians UK

Help Musicians UK is the leading UK charity for professional musicians of all genres, from starting out through to retirement. We help at times of crisis, but also at times of opportunity, giving people the extra support they need at a crucial stage that could make or break their career. To find out more about Help Musicians UK and the work we do please browse the sections at: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/about-us

PRS FOR MUSIC FOUNDATION

PRS for Music Foundation’s mission is to stimulate and support the creation and performance of new music throughout the UK and to ensure that this music is enjoyed by a wide audience. Over the past 15 years we have proved ourselves as a significant force in supporting pioneering musical activity. Since March 2000 we have supported over 5,200 new music initiatives to the tune of over £22 million. PRS for Music Foundation receives £1.5m per year from PRS for Music. www.prsformusicfoundation.com

Since June 2004, BIG has awarded over £4.4bn to projects supporting health, education, environment and charitable purposes. Most of our funding is awarded to voluntary and community sector organisations.
We deliver funding throughout the UK, mostly through programmes tailored specifically to the needs of communities in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland as well as some programmes that cover the whole UK.

BIG is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Cabinet Office.