Create Music

What Create Music does

Create Music is the Hub Lead Organisation for the Sussex Music Hub, delivering music and arts education across Brighton & Hove and East Sussex (Brighton & Hove, Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes, Rother, Wealden and surrounding areas). The organisation is operated and managed by Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival Limited, a registered UK charity (No. 249648), and is headquartered at Sound Rooms, a purpose-built facility at 3 Pelham Terrace, Brighton. Its core products are weekly instrumental and vocal lessons (group and individual) delivered in school and online settings; Music Centre memberships spanning choirs, junior/senior ensembles and auditioned groups (Big Band, Brighton & East Sussex Youth Orchestra, String Ensemble); the Create Music Academy summer short-course programme; instrument hire; and inclusive learning programmes including the o360 ensembles for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Customers are children and young people (Reception to Year 13), adult learners, and 272+ partner schools across the Sussex region. Underlying technology consists of Zoom-based online tuition with encrypted safeguarding, and the SpeedAdmin platform for registrations, timetabling, invoicing, and progress reporting.

The business model is a hybrid of termly subscription recurring revenue (lessons, Music Centre memberships, instrument hire), unit-pricing for one-time summer courses (£39-£117 per course), and significant grant and donation income from Arts Council England, Youth Music, the National Lottery Community Fund, local authorities (Brighton & Hove City Council, East Sussex County Council), trusts and individual donors. Pricing is structured per academic year (September 2026 - August 2027), with group lessons at £12.10, individual 20-minute lessons at £18.20, individual 30-minute lessons at £27.40, and Music Centre memberships ranging £48-£107.50 per term. Go-to-market is community-led: school partnerships deliver top-of-funnel reach, local authority coordination governs hub delivery, and a self-serve SpeedAdmin portal handles registration and billing. Bursary programmes provide up to 100% discounts for Looked After Children and tiered means-tested support up to 85% for low-income families, which both fulfils the DfE-funded National Plan mandate and broadens participation.

Name

Create Music

Legal name

Brighton Dome and Festival Limited

Website

https://createmusic.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Create Music is the Hub Lead Organisation for Sussex Music Hub, delivering instrumental and vocal lessons, ensembles, instrument hire, and inclusive music education across 272+ schools in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex for children, young people, and adults.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Education Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Musical Groups and Artists (711130)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

Keywords

• Music education services
• Instrumental lessons
• Youth ensemble programs
• Music hub services
• School music partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Lesson and tuition fees: Revenue from instrumental and vocal lessons for children and adults, invoiced termly at the start of each term (Autumn, Spring, Summer). Group lessons from £12.10 per lesson, individual 20-min lessons at £18.20, individual 30-min lessons at £27.40.
2. Music Centre membership: Membership contributions for music centres providing ensemble activities. Choir membership £48/term, Virtual Music Centre £90/term, Junior Membership £94/term, Senior Membership £107.50/term.
3. Instrument hire: Termly instrument hire fees ranging from £26-34 per term depending on instrument type. Free hire available for new woodwind/brass students starting before July 2027.
4. Summer Academy courses: Create Music Academy short courses during summer, with 1-day courses from £39, 2-day courses from £78, and 3-day courses from £117.
5. Charitable grants and donations: Support from Arts Council England, trusts and foundations, and individual donors for bursary schemes and inclusive music programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Create Music delivers music and arts education with performance opportunities as the Hub Lead Organisation for Sussex Music Hub. The core offer consists of weekly group and individual instrumental and vocal lessons (group 30-min lessons from £12.10, individual 20-min from £18.20, individual 30-min from £27.40), termly Music Centre memberships (Choir from £48/term to Senior from £107.50/term) for ensemble activities, auditioned advanced ensembles, and the Create Music Academy summer programme. Supporting services include instrument hire (£26-34/term) and bursary-funded access for low-income families, Looked After Children and EHCP learners.

Product overview

Create Music is a music education service operating as the Hub Lead Organisation for Sussex Music Hub. The organization offers a unified portfolio of music education products and services including weekly instrumental and vocal lessons (group and individual), Music Centre membership with various ensemble levels, auditioned ensembles (Big Band, BESYO, String Ensemble), and the Create Music Academy summer program with short courses spanning instruments, vocals, and music technology. Additional services include instrument hire, the Young Musician's Bursary Fund for financial support, inclusive learning programs, and adult tuition. The Sussex Music Hub coordinates music education across Brighton & Hove, Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes, Rother, Wealden, and surrounding areas, serving children, young people, and adults through lessons, ensembles, workshops, orchestras, and summer schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sussex Music Hub: The regional music education hub covering Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, and West Sussex, bringing together partners to ensure every child and young person experiences the life-changing benefits of music.

Products and services

• Weekly Instrumental/Vocal Lessons Weekly group and individual instrumental and vocal lessons delivered in schools and online for children, young people, and adults across Sussex. Group lessons are 30 minutes for a minimum of three children, with individual 20-minute (£18.20) and 30-minute (£27.40) lessons available subject to availability.
• Music Centre Membership Termly membership providing access to ensemble and music centre activities including Junior Membership, Senior Membership (Big Band, Youth Percussion Ensemble, Wind Orchestra, BESYO, HAYSO, Concert Band), Virtual Music Centre, and Choir Membership for musicians up to 18 years. Priced from £48 (Choir Only) to £107.50 (Senior) per term.
• Auditioned Ensembles Advanced ensembles requiring formal auditions, including Big Band, Brighton & East Sussex Youth Orchestra (BESYO), String Ensemble, and seating auditions for progression within orchestras.
• Create Music Academy Summer music short courses for children and young people offering instruments, vocals, music technology (GarageBand, Music Production, Composing for Film and Games), and ensemble playing at venues across Brighton & Hove and East Sussex. Priced from £39 (1-day) to £117 (3-day), with 10% discount for existing Create Music students and 25% bursary for bursary recipients.
• Adult Tuition Individual online music lessons for adults, 30 minutes each, with 10-week blocks paid in advance at £29.60 per lesson, plus Adult Concert Band membership.
• Instrument Hire Rental service for musical instruments including brass, strings and woodwind on termly contracts ranging from £26-34 per term depending on instrument type. Free introductory-term hire is available for new woodwind and brass students starting before July 2027.
• Classroom and Extra-Curricular Music for Schools School-facing services delivered to over 272 schools across Sussex, including classroom instrumental lessons, extra-curricular music groups, Charanga curriculum support, and Create:Rocks programmes for Primary and Secondary schools.
• Inclusive Learning Programs Music education programs making music accessible to all young people, with specific o360 inclusive ensembles for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Supported by National Lottery Community Fund.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Arts Council EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor funder and strategic partner for music education initiatives. Arts Council England provides core funding for hub operations.
• Brighton & Hove City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner for music education service delivery in Brighton & Hove area.
• East Sussex County Council (ESCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal authority partner for music education service delivery in East Sussex area.
• Brighton DomecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreate Music is operated and managed by Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival. Provides professional venue access and administrative infrastructure.
• Brighton FestivalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual arts festival where Create Music students perform. Joint programming for Children's Parade and youth events including Sounds Like Us.
• Brighton Philharmonic OrchestraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional orchestra partnership providing masterclass opportunities for youth orchestra members. Trumpeter Aaron Azunda Akugbo visited Brighton & East Sussex Youth Orchestra rehearsals.
• Mayo Wynne BaxterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSolicitors firm providing sponsorship support and legacy will services partnership.
• Music MarkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization for music education supporting the music hub network.
• Black Lives in MusicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supporting diversity in music. Partner for EDI Strategy implementation.
• Same SkyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal arts organization co-producing the Children's Parade at Brighton Festival.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Berkshire Maestros: Berkshire's designated Music Education Hub lead organisation, delivering instrumental lessons, ensembles and progression opportunities across Berkshire schools and families under the same National Plan for Music Education framework as Create Music.
• Hertfordshire Music Service: A county-level Music Education Hub service offering instrumental tuition, ensembles, music centres and progression routes for children and young people — directly comparable in funding model and product mix to Create Music's Sussex operation.
• Essex Music Education Hub: Essex's Music Education Hub delivering school-based instrumental lessons, ensembles, and SEND-inclusive programs across the county — same hub-leadership funding model and similar Suffolk/Essex/Hertfordshire-style regional footprint to Create Music.
• Tri-Borough Music Hub (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea / Westminster / Hammersmith & Fulham): A London music education hub delivering instrumental tuition, ensembles, and progression pathways inside schools. Operates under the same National Plan for Music Education regime, providing a high-density urban counterpart to Create Music's regional Sussex hub.
• Greater Manchester Music Hub: A regional Music Education Hub coordinating instrumental tuition, ensembles and progression across Greater Manchester schools — comparable to Create Music in its school-distribution-led, hub-coordination operating model.
• Wandsworth Music: A London borough-level music education service delivering instrumental tuition, ensembles and outreach — comparable to Create Music in its termly subscription lesson model and ensemble-membership structure.

Broad incumbents

• Music Mark: The national subject association for music education in the UK that represents and supports Music Education Hubs (including Create Music as a partner). It is an enabling/umbrella body rather than a direct service competitor, providing ecosystem-level context.
• Royal Academy of Music (Junior Academy): A London-based conservatoire operating a Junior Academy and outreach programs serving advanced young musicians nationwide. Overlaps with Create Music at the higher end of progression pathways (auditioned ensembles) but operates at a fundamentally different scale and audience.

Others

• ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music): The UK's leading music examination board, offering graded instrumental and music-theory exams. Not a direct service competitor but an enabling ecosystem participant for Create Music's progression pathways and exam-prep offerings.
• Youth Music: A national charity funding music-making opportunities for children and young people, including inclusive programs. A core funder and strategic partner to Create Music rather than a competitor, but its funding priorities shape the broader operating environment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/createmusicUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/CreateMusic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Create Music