Sea Spot@Connaught
Sea Fest, Sea Spot & Grassroots Music
Grassroots music venues are vital to the music industry, they play a pivotal role they play in nurturing and showcasing emerging talent.
Typically they embrace diversity, enable artists of all kinds to showcase their talents and find their audience and are routed in the community.
Watch our Sea Spot @Connaught video via the button below to hear from the bands, DJs, festival goers and some of our Sea Spot Network partners to find out the impact Sea Spot is having.
Contact seafest@sidmouthcoastalcommunityhub.org to join the network
Sea Spot is proud to be supported by Arts Council England, Sidmouth Town Council, South West Water, Fords, Potbury’s, Sidmouth Hotels, Molyneux Financials, Easterbrook Eaton, The Clocktower Cafe, Visit Sidmouth and Burts Snacks.
Sea Spot Networking Event
An audience of all ages joined us for our free warm up event and very first Sound Check Sea Fest pre-party DJ night.
This free Sea Spot Network Event ahead of the main community event provided a space to support grassroots music.
Showing up to listen, dance, network, eat and drink at our beautiful spot by the Sea..
DJ SUV mentored our DJs who took over the Main Stage Friday night, where experienced acts supported our up and coming dj talent.
Pre party DJ Night Gallery
Supporting Grassroots Music
Sidmouth Sea Spot @Connaught shone a spotlight on grassroots musicians, bands and djs to have a spot and be spotted.
Showcasing multigenerational, culturally diverse and mixed genre musical talent and brining together a wonderful mixed age audience to support and sustain the music industry.
Through creating an industry pathway plus a new festival venue, in a beautiful spot by the sea.
Bringing together a supportive network to inspire, learn and collaborate to develop local music talent and enrich our grassroots base.
A learning and empowerment creative project focusing our local festival platform by the sea to become the nursery ground where talent spawns.
An opportunity to diversify the cultural offer in Sidmouth and East Devon, share knowledge, connect up and network together more effectively.
Check out our Sea Fest Highlight film that captures the full flavour…
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Sea Spots @ Sea Fest
Promoting multi genre talent, bringing a diverse programme of grassroots music – Sea Spot is helping us to inspire and build a new audience – sharing the love of live music performance, helping musicians and DJs to ‘learn their craft’.
Learning music workshops to inspire: Daniel Crosby, An engaging workshop with Jazz drummer Daniel Crosby, exploring the rich world of Jazz, African, and Caribbean rhythms.
Presenting acts – sharing stages and festival collaborations: James Morton @ Love Local Sidmouth International Jazz and Blues Festival
Talent scouting via the network
Sharing guidance to bands at the beginning of their music careers … are a few of the things we did to make an impact through Sea Spot.
Sea Spot Impact
We are proud to be making a difference through delivering our Sea Spot Aims
Involve and empower local new, emerging and developing musicians and djs from Sidmouth and the surrounding Devon area to take part and “get spotted”
Curate a programme putting emerging talent, young and older local people in the “spot” light
Network with other local live or electronic music promoters/venues/schools/educators to provide new music talent, learning and an annual calendar of performance spots
Provide access to work with production staff e.g. sound engineers and lighting specialists to improve quality of public performances
Offer opportunity to perform at a local music festival event May 2025 Sea Fest@Connaught
Establish a local “grassroots ecosystem” network i.e. festival/venue organisers/industry professionals and access to learning
Give access to and platform to young performers to practice through performance “sea spots” during our’s and other festivals
Connect with other venues to maximise opportunities for emerging talented musicians to gain more performance experience
Vibrations in the Valley
Amplifying Grassroots Music
The power of collaboration through our Sea Spot network is through sharing, learning and supporting all of us in East Devon who are connected through shared purpose to support grassroots music.
Vibrations in the Valley by Tara Greifenberg is a colourful connected example of what happens when we work together. Read about the artwork which was exhibited @Sidmouth Wallspace to kickstart our local music festival season.
Through Sea Spot, we invited and welcomed other festivals, venues, producers and music sector organisations to come together to establish a network to enrich what we each do collectively.
We surveyed our network partners and facilitated a learning workshop to explore the challenges and opportunities to work better together.
Read on to find out what we shared and learnt and how we will continue to create space to continue the network
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The Sea Spot Network with a Purpose
To strengthen and enhance collaboration and opportunities to work together, share knowledge and resources where possible to amplify and enhance the cultural offer locally and connect more meaningfully within and beyond Sidmouth
Amplifying Grassroots Music: Key Take Aways
Small Steps – Small Actions Build
Variety of offer
Target different audiences
Spread the word/Share the love
Mutual Support
Target Ticket pricing – get people through the door
Start Young – (role of music in schools & community)
Share knowledge
Share contacts
Sea Spot Network Hot Topics
Audience development
Funding
Running a festival
How to link opportunities with those seeking them
Opportunities to cross promote music events
Performance spots at festivals
To collaborate with funding bids
Finding a consistent audience
That there’s not enough events through the whole year
Creating enough opportunity for the musicians out there
Stagnating funding for music education and challenging events fundraising environment
Ever-rising production & accomm costs, cost-of-living crisis
Covid Impact still with us – music industry pathways still years behind, reduced learning your craft ‘practice’ and job opportunities
Young people never having had opportunity to attend a festival
Less pathways through schools due to education pressures
Brexit Impact – cost of production, licences and travel/touring reduced, increased red tape
Devolution in Devon – uncertainties re’ new structures and funding opportunities
Band/artist fees – increases
Check out some of our key network partners below…
