Northern Line Round 12
Northern Line is an 18-month programme that enables jazz and jazz-inspired artists living in the North to upscale their live touring development,with a cash bursary to subsidise gigs and reach new audiences.
Open for all artists and bands to apply, successful applicants also receive a showcase at mjf, a bespoke artist development plan, 1-1 career advice, and priority access to specialist workshops and events.
Northern Line has supported 90 bands and hundreds of musicians since its inception in 2013. Northern Line ensures gigs can happen, despite the ever changing landscape.
Northern Line:The Offer
A cash bursary, scaled according to the size of your ensemble and proposed touring ambitions.
An artist development plan for targeting promoters, festivals and venues, helping you perform in new places and build audiences.
A showcase at Manchester Jazz Festival on Sunday 17 May 2026, with promoter networking.
1-1 support from the Jazz North team to help you achieve your goals.
Priority access to Jazz North workshops and events focussed on specialist areas (eg marketing, businesses advice)
“Being on Northern Line has helped me reach new audiences nationally and opened me up to a wider jazz network, which includes mainland Europe. The support of the Jazz North team has been crucial.”
In More Detail
Cash bursary
This bursary can be used to subsidise fees offered by promoters, and support your travel, accommodation, rehearsals and other relevant touring costs. Jazz North will determine the amount offered, based upon the information you supply in your application in relation to the size of your ensemble and the extent of your touring plans. Payments will be released in instalments throughout the scheme.
Artist Development Plan
Jazz North staff will work with you to set out a tangible, realistic but ambitious strategy for helping you target the gigs that will enable the next steps up in your live career - be that bigger venues, new festivals or audiences in areas new to you. We’ll help you set your budgets, manage your time and plan your communications with programmers, setting milestones and putting markers in place to help you measure your success. We’ll check in with you approximately once a month throughout the programme.
Showcase at Manchester Jazz Festival
You’ll perform a 45-60 minute set on Sunday 17 May 2026, 12 noon - 8pm at Manchester Jazz Festival, in front of audiences on the outdoor covered Main Stage at First Street, as part of the free-to-access showcase. You will be paid an MU-minimum rate per performer for this performance. As part of this event, you’ll attend a networking reception with promoters to help in your relationship-building with bookers.
1-1 support
You’ll have access to the Jazz North team and their range of expertise in areas such as budgeting, tour management, marketing, digital and business planning.
Workshops and Events
You’ll get priority access to Jazz North’s many and varied in-person and online workshops, webinars, development days on topics such as social media strategies, funding, touring in the EU, wellbeing. You can also inform the topic areas that we cover.
You get out what you put in
The most successful artists are those who devote time and energy to pro-actively engage with the full range of opportunities offered through the scheme. We will regularly encourage and support you with this..
You don’t need to come to Northern Line with a project plan ready-to-go and you don’t need to play your Northern Line dates in a typical tour run.
The Timeline
1 October 2025: Applications Open (midday)
7 November 2025: Applications Close (midday)
10-12 December 2025: Offer interviews (on Zoom)*
15 December 2025: Roster finalised
17 December 2025: All applicants notified
13 February 2026: Roster announced
1 March 2026: Programme starts (online induction day in March)
1 May 2026: Touring period begins
17 May 2025: Northern Line Showcase at Manchester Jazz Festival**
1 October 2027: Programme ends: all touring activity to be completed
*Please be aware of keeping some time available in this window. If you are selected by the decision panel, we will contact you to arrange an offer meeting and confirm the terms of your place on Northern Line.
**Please make sure you can attend the showcase and block out the date in your diary. Let us know in the application form if you already have commitments at this time.
Northern Line Eligibility Criteria
To apply, you must:
Be over 18 (no upper age limit)
Be based in the North of England (North West, North East, Yorkshire & Humber)
Have a high standard of performance that is ready to tour
Be playing original music
Be an ensemble (or solo performer) with an evidenced track record of performance
Be able to evidence experience of booking and performing live shows to an audience
Be able to rehearse and perform with the ensemble applying to the scheme
Be able to commit time to Jazz North meetings, administration, practice and touring
Be primarily focused on live touring (this is the focus of the scheme)
We want to see bands/artists with a highly engaging live performance.
We’re all about celebrating jazz in its many forms - if you connect to jazz and jazz-influenced genres then we’d encourage you to apply to Northern Line.
How we Assess your Application
An advisory panel will discuss applications and help Jazz North staff to choose the next roster of Northern Line artists. For this 12th round, the panel includes Rianne Thompson (The Glasshouse ICM), Aisling Doherty (Serious), Josh Aitman (marketing manager at We Out Here), Thomas Rees (Radio Producer for Soweto Kinch’s Round Midnight), David Porter (Hull Jazz), Bob Walker (Scarborough Jazz) and Ni Maxine (previous Northern Line artist, programmer at The Wombat).
The panel will consider the extent to which you address the following priorities for the scheme:
How does this band/artist demonstrate diversity in northern jazz?
How does this music demonstrate originality and artistic progression?
How ready is this band/artist to prioritise their focus and engagement to being on Northern Line in order to achieve their goals?
Is the activity proposed relevant to the fanbase and career status of the artist?
Applications should be led by the artist/ band-leader directly, or if you already have a team in place, the person who represents you.
Artists applying to Northern Line must not contact panel members regarding their application.
Please carefully read our priorities for Northern Line, and the content of the scheme, and ask yourself if it is right for you. If you’re not sure, get in touch with us at Jazz North. We might be able to point you in the direction of something more targeted at your stage and needs.
Access
Jazz North is committed to fair access for d/Deaf and disabled artists. If you wish to apply to Northern Line but are concerned about accessibility issues you can contact us to discuss this at any time. We will work with you to meet all reasonable adjustments in advance of applying and throughout your time on the programme.
How to Apply
To apply, please complete the online form or submit your video application by 12 noon on 7 November 2025. Applications are open from 1 October.
We will ask you:
Eligibility questions (to establish whether you meet the criteria)
Basic information
Video upload (to assess your live performance) or media link
Project details
Application questions
Equality and Diversity monitoring form (optional, anonymous)
Please do not submit a Word document as your application. You can download the application questions to prepare your answers.
If selected, your place will be conditional on you supplying your promotional bio, tech spec and hi-res images. This will be used by mjf and Jazz North in promoting your showcase performance and your place on the scheme.
For video submissions
download the application form DOC format, PDF format.
answer all questions marked with an asterisk in the application form
send video file(s) by WeTransfer or file sharing link to opportunities@jazznorth.org by 12 noon on 7 November 2025
we will check the inbox regularly to ensure files do not expire
Please inform us if you need this information in a different format.
Download an example of the form questions
To help you prepare your application before completing the online form you can download a copy of the form questions.
Feedback
We understand offering feedback on unsuccessful applications is important to you. Upon request, and within four months of decisions, we can inform you of criteria in which your application scored lower than other applicants. Unfortunately, Jazz North staff do not have the capacity to offer personalised feedback.
We strongly advise you to attend an ‘Applying to Northern Line’ advice session before submitting, where you will learn how to avoid common pitfalls and present the best case for your music. If you are unable to attend a session, please contact us, as it may be possible to record the session for you.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Want to know more about applying to Northern Line?
We’re running an online advice session for anyone interested in applying to Northern Line. We’ll walk you through the application process and answer any questions you may have.
Wednesday 15 October 2025 16:30-17:30
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jazz-north-workshop-applying-to-northern-line-tickets-1688257426409
We are a Fair Access Principles partner committed to accessibility across all our schemes. Read more about the Fair Access Principles