Applications open for YouTube Music’s Foundry artist development progam

YouTube Music is now taking applications for its Foundry indepencent artist development program.

Artists selected for Foundry receive dedicated support from a YouTube partner manager, seed funding invested into the development of their YouTube channels, marketing and promotion opportunities, and access to new product features.

Who is eligible to participate in YouTube Music’s Foundry program?

Emerging artists programs come in all shapes and sizes. but are often populated with new artists that already have maor label deals as well as strong mamagment and agency ties. Only to major programs – Bandsintown’s data driven Big Break program and YouTube’s Foundry – strive to serve trully independent artists.

All developing independent artists distributing music to YouTube during July 2022 – December 2022 are eligible.

Artists are considered independent when they drive their careers forward alone or with the help of indie labels and distribution partners. Those signed to major labels are not eligible.

The deadline to submit to Foundry is April 27th.

Who gets chosen and why?

YouTube offers few clues, but here is the YouTube Music Foundry class of 2021

Learn more and apply here.

Bruce Houghton is Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank and serves as a Senior Advisor to Bandsintown which acquired both publications in 2019. He is the Founder and President of the Skyline Artists Agency and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.