North Yorkshire’s innovative, family-friendly, Deer Shed Festival, has announced the return of their ‘Apply to Play’ artist development programme with partners, EMI North.
EMI North, launched three years ago in Leeds, is the UK’s first major label office to be based outside of London.
The label is dedicated to improving the music industry infrastructure in the north of the UK, supporting and investing in northern artists and creatives and creating employment opportunities.
Open now, ‘Apply to Play’ is an opportunity for emerging talent to share their music with the Deer Shed community and beyond.
Deer Shed and EMI North are accepting applications from artists based in the North of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
They are also encouraging applications from artists coming from under-represented backgrounds and the Global majority.
Megan Evans – Festival Director, Deer Shed said:“I’m delighted to be continuing our collaboration with EMI North! This Apply To Play Programme is an amazing opportunity to discover and platform the next wave of musical talent in the North.
“Together with EMI North, we’re committed to providing both the creative and practical support necessary to propel these artists into the future of music.”
The winners will receive a series of invaluable mentorship and advice sessions from the EMI North Team, guestlist allocation for friends and family to attend the festival, an EMI North goodie bag and a fully paid performance slot at Deer Shed 2026.
They’ll be joining a lineup that includes Sleaford Mods, Everything Everything, The Twilight Sad, and Fat Dog.
Applications close at 5pm on Thursday 2nd April before the winner is picked by a panel of industry professionals.
The process is now open and the application form can be found here.
For more information please visit: https://deershedfestival.com.
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