Josh Pyke Partnership to kick-start another music career in 2020

Singer-songwriter Josh Pyke is teaming up again with APRA AMCOS to offer one up-and-coming musician the chance at a career-changing grant.

Back for the sixth time, the winner will again receive a $7,500 grant as well as mentorship from Pyke, Wonderlick’s Gregg Donovan and Select Music’s Stephen Wade.

“The strength of the Josh Pyke Partnership comes from Josh and his team sharing invaluable knowledge and expertise with emerging songwriters, and of course, from the recipients themselves who have built upon that mentoring to take their career to the next level,” said APRA AMCOS head of member services Jana Gibson.

To be eligible, applicants cannot be signed to a recording or publishing company.

They must then establish and execute a business plan outlining the progression of their music career, and how they will use the grant if successful.

“It’s going to be a busy year, starting to tour again, releasing new music and also another kids book, but one project that I’m always hugely excited to make time for is the JP Partnership,” said Pyke.

“I can’t wait to hear what amazingness everyone has been cooking up!”

The grant was won by Eilish Gilligan in 2019, with other previous winners including Gordi, Alex Lahey and Angie McMahon.

Eilsh Gilligan

“The JP Partnership allowed me to continue to pursue my musical goals, both in the studio and on the road, and the vote of confidence had a significant effect on my career development,” said Gilligan.

“I’m so grateful to Josh Pyke and the teams at APRA, Wonderlick and Select for this opportunity.”

McMahon added; “This prize had a huge effect on my year because it meant I could pursue the professional goals I’d set for myself.

“The vote of confidence from Josh Pyke and APRA helped people believe in my music, which is very powerful, and I’ve been busy pursuing opportunities since receiving the prize,” she said.

“It felt like I’d been passed the relay baton, and then I was off and running.”

Entries open on February 12 and close at 5pm AEDT on March 31.

The winner is set to be announced on June 5, 2020.