Interview: Paul Burns (Tees Music Alliance)

Tees Music Alliance is a Stockton-based charitable organisation dedicated to nurturing the region’s music scene and creative community. Operating on a not-for-profit basis, they support emerging artists, promoters, and music professionals through a mix of live events, recording facilities, and development opportunities.

Their work spans grassroots gigs at venues like The Georgian Theatre and The Green Room, artist support through Green Dragon Studios, and flagship events like Stockton Calling. With a strong social ethos, they also champion volunteering and community engagement, ensuring music remains a vibrant, accessible force across Teesside.

Recently, the organisation have announced various programmes with the likes of Youth Music, as well as becoming part of PRS Foundation’s Talent Development Network. We caught up with TMA’s chief executive Paul Burns to find out more…

Tell us a little about the Tees Music Alliance and the work you do in Teesside.
We call ourselves a music development organisation,  and that covers a whole set of things that we do.  We run a couple of venues (The Georgian Theatre and The Green Room in Stockton on Tees), a recording studio and rehearsal rooms. We put gigs on most weeks, and we’re part of the team behind Stockton Calling.  Behind all that though, we’re known for the work we do to support artists,  promoters,  and a range of other people that contribute to the local music ecosystem. 

What are some of your fondest memories working with the TMA?
Some of the gigs we’ve put on over the years are up there; Martin Grech, Kíla, B>E>A>K  at The Georgian Theatre, and Public Enemy, Mercury Rev, and Calvin Harris at Stockton Weekender.

Possibly my fondest though, are behind the scenes. The excitement of first getting the keys for The Georgian Theatre many years ago; and everyone pulling together, trying to get us ready to open up after lockdown. 

You run both The Georgian Theatre and The Green Room. How does running those venues benefit your music development programme?
Immensely, in a word. Being able to offer gigs in a well-run venue that doesn’t rip artists off is a point of pride for us all.  Good gigs are hard to get, so being able to offer artists the chance to play in our venues is essential to their ongoing careers.  

Very few artists enjoy any kind of success without playing live at some point.  Being able to support artists with performance opportunities is integral to their development. 

Our never-ending frustration is that we’ll never meet the demand for requests to play. We’d need 3 Fridays and 4 Saturdays every week, and an endless queue of music fans to make that happen. 

What are some of the major challenges Teesside artists face and how do you attempt to overcome them with the work that you do? 
As you’d expect,  they are numerous and varied – and tackling them takes a very bespoke approach – in our experience, everyone is unique and everyone needs a unique package of support.  

Geographically, the Tees Valley is a collection of not very well-connected towns. Transporting audiences between those towns is difficult,  so emerging artists being able to get people to turn up for shows is a major achievement. 

We’ll work with artists to help plan their development, looking at building audiences, increasing the size and number of gigs played, advising on releases, bringing in specialists to help on key issues and generally being a sounding board to listen to them.

Money is always a challenge.  And don’t ever believe anyone who says it’s not.  That’s usually a line trotted out by people who have plenty of it.  And it’s in short supply on Teesside for most artists – emerging or established.  

Being able to pay for recordings, videos, decent equipment and everything artists need to make even the tiniest amount of progress is probably one of the biggest barriers to success.  When it comes to going up a few gears and touring or even just a few one-off gigs out of the area, it’s way beyond the reach of most artists.  

Teesside is full of talented people whose journey towards deserved success was cut short because they didn’t get the financial backing to push on. We want to help break that cycle. 

Fortunately, there are organisations such as PRS Foundation,  Youth Music,  Arts Council England and Help Musicians UK, who can support artists with funds to achieve their ambitions.  We try to assist with helping to fill in application forms and advising on budgets and plans. 

In 2024 you announced that you were a part PRS Foundation’s Talent Development Network. How has that gone so far and what projects have you got coming up in the near future? 
It’s a real badge of honour to be part of the Talent Development Network,  and we’ve met some great organisations from around the UK  – some of which we’re planning to work with on projects to benefit each other’s homegrown talent. 

Through the TDN,  we’ve been able to support our On Point music conference; and our Green House artist residency. Both have been fantastically well supported by local musicians and we’ll be repeating both again – announcements coming soon.

With PRS Foundation operating at a UK level, being part of the TDN gives us the opportunity to interact with a range of partners, sharing ideas and exploring collaborations.

You recently announced your Youth Music funded Tees Catalyser programme aimed at 18-25 years old. What can you tell us about that? 
We’re really excited about that.  The 18 – 25 age range is a formative part of anyone’s life, none more so than musicians. But it’s not a time when people have access to piles of cash, and Youth Music have recognised this.

We’ve been given investment for two years to work with 3 artists a year – and we’ll also be employing a young Tech & Events Trainee, which is a fantastic opportunity for someone interested in helping us put on our events and learning the ropes. 

How important is the support from national organisations such as PRS Foundation and Youth Music in creating opportunities for local artists? 
Very little would happen without them.  Their financial support is crucial, but beyond that, we know that they have our backs as part of a wider group of like-minded organisations, which is equally important to us. 
Of course, the funds that they provide fuel the activities that we programme; but their teams are an integral part of what they offer.  Both organisations are packed with very knowledgeable people, passionate about enabling music to be part of everyday life, and dedicated to supporting organisations like Tees Music Alliance to support the music activists that we work with.

It’s also worth mentioning that we wouldn’t be able to engage with those national initiatives if we didn’t get assistance at a local level.  We’re immensely grateful to our local authority,  Stockton on Tees Borough Council for everything they do to support our work, underpinning what we do, and encouraging us along the way to help build a vibrant local music scene.  Councils always come in for a lot of criticism, but collectively, they are still the biggest funder of culture nationally.  We have 5 great councils across Teesside – all supporting music in one way or another. 

Are there any exciting upcoming developments or future projects you can share?
Yes indeed.  We’ve got plans to link up with other TDN partners to work on some exciting plans.  Our Youth Music project will be in full swing shortly.  And of course, we’re currently planning the next Green House residency and On Point conference. And we’ll be planning a few nice surprises along the way.