Today, Music Patron becomes an independent organisation. It’s a milestone I’ve been working towards since my appointment as CEO last year, building on the foundations of all those involved before me. And in the best possible way, it feels like a new beginning.
Music Patron started with a simple but powerful idea. Anthony Bolton – philanthropist, composer, and our founder – had been watching what collective online giving had done for creators in other fields and asking why something similar didn’t exist specifically for composers. He recognised the technology and the appetite was there. So in 2021, working in partnership with Sound and Music, we set out to build a new charitable platform, specifically for the world of new music.
Our achievements today are a testament to that vision. Since our first cohort joined three years ago, we’ve grown to support 25 composers through a community of over 100 patrons. In the last year alone, music by Music Patron-supported composers has been performed at 165 events across 81 cities in nine countries, reaching an estimated audience of 70,000 people. But however impressive this may sound, it’s the human connections behind the numbers that are genuinely transforming how we support new music.
Composer Jo Quail puts it better than I can:
“Having these beautiful people with me is beyond something I ever thought was possible. Everything I put out is as much to do with my patrons as it is to do with my creativity. It’s a massive team effort.”
And that’s what Music Patron is, at its heart. More than just a donation platform or a subscription service, it’s a community built around the conviction that composers do their best work when people who believe in them get closer to their creative process. And in turn, by sharing in the struggles and the successes, those people are deeply enriched by their sense of participation.
One of Jo’s patrons, Jock Downie, explained to us:
“It connects me in a unique way – like a secret peek behind the curtain of creativity. To be able to support one of my favourite artists, even in a small way, and to think my contribution might mean more music is made – that’s just the coolest thing in the world.”
We are enormously grateful to Sound and Music for incubating this bold idea and proving the model works. Now, as a standalone organisation, our ambition is to scale – more composers supported, more patrons involved, more new music reaching the world.
If you love music and want to play an active part in its future, why not find out how it feels to support a composer whose work excites you? And if you’re already a patron, thank you for being such a special part of our beginning. We’re just getting started.
Yours sincerely,
Augusta Quiney, CEO
Music Patron