Virgin Mobile and V Festival have teamed up with the City of Sydney and the Redfern Community Centre to launch On Track, a 20 week programme to help young people in Sydney find pathways into careers in music.
On Track's weekly sessions introduce young people to artists, promoters, record company executives and other performers to help them learn what it takes to ‘make it’ in the music industry. As a critical part of the programme the young people write, record, produce, promote and play their music.
The first group of 15 students has recently completed the programme, and have produced a CD “On Track” featuring the young people's music which is on sale at local music outlets in Sydney. The group has also played a series of live gigs to promote the CD including a prestigious support slot at the Virgin Mobile Metro, one of Sydney’s iconic music venues. The programme has been praised by the city of Sydney, the elders of the Redfern community, by the musicians involved and most importantly by the young people themselves.
The On Track team and programme has been visited and praised by Prince William; Lady Sovereign; Russell James and Clifton Bieundurry of Nomad Two Worlds; Taboo of The Black Eyed Peas; Diplo; Donna Koran and Australia’s own Rusty Crowe.
Virgin Mobile's Jon Bradshaw said, “On Track is a fantastic programme that Virgin Mobile, Virgin Unite and V Festival are delighted to be a part of. Music means so much to so many of the young people ‘doing it tough’. It’s a means of expression, of telling their story, of connecting with their friends, peers and community. Hopefully by getting “On Track” we can help them really understand what’s needed to also make a living in this business we call music.”