YouTube has announced its Foundry Class of 2022, welcoming 30 new artists to its global artist development programme. The Class of 2022 is Foundry’s biggest class to date, featuring indie talent spanning genres and continents.
Created in 2015, Foundry is YouTube’s incubator for independent music, supporting indie artists at all stages of their careers through annual artist development classes and ongoing release support campaigns.
Foundry is designed for independent artists who have a vision for their own success and to help them navigate the demands of today’s music industry. YouTube provides partner strategy support, marketing promotion, and seed funding for content development that can be used for experimenting with new music to diversifying video creation formats; it's up to the artist and their team.
Foundry artists are next generation entertainers, recognised for their innovative approach to music and storytelling. To date, Foundry programs have supported 250 independent artists, with alumni including Arlo Parks, beabadoobee, Dave, Dua Lipa, ENNY, Rema and Tems.
YouTube Artist Partnerships Lead, Naomi Zeichner shared: ‘It’s no small task to be an artist in 2022, working to find stability, fulfillment, and fans who get it. Foundry celebrates the courage of independent artists and the communities that surround them. Our global team is lucky to be their champion and reduce barriers on their journey, every step of the way.’
Foundry Class of 2022 artists represent 15 countries, from the U.S. to Denmark and Brazil to Sub-Saharan Africa. This year’s UK artists are: French The Kid, TSHA and Obongjayar.
2019 Foundry alumni beabadoobee shared: ‘Being part of foundry was so special to me - from seeing my face on a billboard in Times Square for the first time to all of the support from the team from basically day 1 !! So much love to YouTube :) xx’
Jake Whitener, Matador Records, director of A+R remarked: ‘Partnering with YouTube and the Foundry program not only helped us to launch one of our most anticipated releases in an impactful way but also offered us the opportunity to collaborate closely with the YouTube team on developing and implementing effective campaign initiatives using all the creative and social tools that YouTube has to offer.’
The combination of access to resources and great teams at YouTube enables artists to create and launch their music with greater global impact, sharing their music and connecting with their fans no matter where they are from. Independent doesn’t mean being alone which is why Foundry is dedicated to helping artists build a foundation for growth, engagement and global success from day one.
