PPL PRS & HQ Community Project join forces to support local musicians

Leicester-based music licensing company, PPL PRS Ltd, and HQ CAN Community Interest Company have joined forces to provide more support for local young people by creating a collaborative agreement between the two organisations.

HQ CIC is an award-winning social enterprise based in Leicester city centre providing  mentoring, creative workshops, and access to professional recording environments for young people experiencing unemployment and mental health issues.

The support that PPL PRS are providing will ensure that young people who enjoy creating music can continue to access all the facilities that are provided by the team at HQ.

Additionally, PPL PRS and HQ will work together on events such as Brew Beat, a beer and music festival, organised by BID Leicester, planned for September in the city centre.

PPL PRS, the organisation that licenses businesses who play music for their employees and customers, are also planning to work with HQ to offer part-time roles to music creators and studio time and visits for PPL PRS employees.

The two businesses will also be working together on funding bids for HQ, events for musicians to learn how to make money from their music, and creating case studies to showcase Leicester’s exciting and diverse music scene.

Managing Director of HQ, Yasin El Ashrafi BEM, said: “I’m ecstatic to have formalised this partnership with HQ & PPL PRS. To be able to facilitate creatives into part-time work with flexible working hours is a game changer, this will help us to enable them to follow their dreams of a career in the music or creative industry whilst earning a wage in a great environment which is also only a few minutes from our creative hub.

We have a lot of exciting things planned and this is the start of something special for Leicester!”

Andrea Gray, Managing Director at PPL PRS commented: “We have been following the HQ journey for the last few years, and the work that Yasin and his team do with the young people of Leicester is fantastic.

Obviously being able to offer some part-time roles to local young people, which also allows them time to continue making music, is a real reflection of some of our core principles of collaboration and valuing music.

We have a number of music artists working here at PPL PRS, and creating this partnership with HQ will be a great opportunity for them to access studio time and production facilities.

We are excited to work with Yasin, and continue to showcase the amazing talent we have here in Leicester.”