The Music Works
The Music Works is a Gloucestershire-based charity operating community music studios and programmes for 3,000+ young people aged 8-30 facing disability, mental health, youth-justice or disadvantage barriers, delivering inclusive music-making, wellbeing support, and creative-career pathways across Gloucester and the Forest of Dean.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersCheltenham, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Music Works does
The Music Works is a registered charity (charity number 1106979) and company limited by guarantee, headquartered at Kings House, 27 St Aldate Street, Gloucester, with a second hub at Cinderford in the Forest of Dean. It transforms young lives through music, working with over 3,000 young people aged 8-30 annually across Gloucestershire who face barriers including disability, mental health challenges, neurodivergence, youth justice involvement, school exclusion, or economic disadvantage. Its core service is a portfolio of programmes delivered through four community studios — the Gloucester Hub, Forest Hub, Forest Recording Studios and the mobile Music Bus — using professional recording equipment, Logic Pro, MIDI controllers, assistive music technology, vibroacoustic systems, and adaptive instruments in custom-fitted sensory rooms. Named programmes include drop-in sessions (The Drop, Music Social, INCDrop), mental health support (Key Changes), inclusive Short Breaks (Mix & Mash and its Weekend/Home Educated/Newcomers variants, DJ Collective), creative career development (Upsurge, Young Promoters, Pass the Mic, Get Started with Music), school-based Alternative Provision, hospital education at Gloucester Royal Hospital, and the Making It youth-justice mentoring programme.
The organisation is youth-led, with a Youth Advisory Group shaping strategy, and pursues a community-led, event-driven go-to-market built on referrals from schools, NHS, youth justice and self-referral. Revenue is diversified across donations (with named impact tiers such as £10 for The Drop and £100 for a holiday programme place), restricted grants from funders including the Youth Investment Fund, BBC Children in Need, Barnwood Trust, NHS Gloucestershire, OPCC and Gloucestershire County Council's HAF programme, ancillary studio hire (Studio 1 at £40/hr through Digital Suite iMac stations at £5/hr), and heavily subsidised programme fees (£3-£10 per session). Sponsorship and equipment support comes from Genelec, Warner Chappell, Focusrite, inMusic Brands and Smart Home Sounds. Documented impact includes 73% of Making It participants progressing into work, further education or training and 85% avoiding reoffending, with national recognition including the 2025 Youth Music Awards Inspirational Music Leader Award and the 2022 OPCC Crime Prevention and Innovation Award.
The Music Works firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Music Works
- Legal name
- The Music Works
- Website
- https://themusicworks.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Music Works is a Gloucestershire-based charity operating community music studios and programmes for 3,000+ young people aged 8-30 facing disability, mental health, youth-justice or disadvantage barriers, delivering inclusive music-making, wellbeing support, and creative-career pathways across Gloucester and the Forest of Dean.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Music Works industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Music Education
- NAICS
- Sound Recording Studios (512240)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs) (EDAMANAK)
Keywords
Where The Music Works is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cheltenham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Music Works business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Giving: Individual donations, corporate donations, and charitable contributions. The organization actively campaigns for donations with specific impact amounts (£10 for The Drop, £50 for mentoring session, £100 for holiday programme place, etc.)
- Government and Trust Funding: Grants from government bodies and charitable trusts including Gloucestershire County Council HAF programme, Youth Investment Fund, Barnwood Trust, BBC Children in Need
- Studio Hire and Facility Rental: Commercial studio hire at Gloucester Hub with various spaces (Studio 1 at £40/hr, Studio 2 at £25/hr, Mix Room at £20/hr, Live Rooms at £12-17/hr, Digital Suite at £5/hr/iMac station, Broadcast Suite at £30/hr)
- Programme Fees: Fees for various programmes including Mix & Mash (£100 for 5-day week, £20/day, £15 taster), Music Social (£3), The Drop (£3), IncDrop (£4/session), Mix & Mash Home Educated (£5/session), Mix & Mash Weekends (£10/session)
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Studio 1 (Recording) - £40 per hour |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Studio 2 (Recording) - £25 per hour |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Mix Room - £20 per hour |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Live Room 1 - £17 per hour, Live Room 2 - £12 per hour |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Broadcast Suite - £30 per hour |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Digital Suite - £5 per hour per iMac |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | IncDrop - £4 per session |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Music Social - £3 (first session free) |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | The Drop - £3 (bursary available) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Pass the Mic - FREE |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Mix & Mash Week - £100 for 5 days |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Mix & Mash Weekends - £10 per session |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Mix & Mash Home Educated - £5 per session |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels9 records
The Music Works product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Music Works is a Gloucestershire-based registered charity delivering community music programmes for young people, particularly those facing challenging circumstances. It operates four community studios and a mobile music bus, offering structured engagement programmes (including The Drop, Music Social, INCDrop, Mix & Mash, Key Changes, Making It, Upsurge, Young Promoters, Pass the Mic, DJ Collective, and DMLab), alongside paid studio hire to the public.
Product overview
The Music Works is a Gloucestershire-based charity operating a portfolio of music education and community programs rather than a single software product. Its core offerings center on four community studio facilities (Gloucester Hub, Forest Hub, Forest Recording Studios, and The Music Bus mobile studio) where young people ages 8-30 can access recording, production, and rehearsal facilities. These physical hubs support a range of named programs including drop-in sessions (The Drop, Music Social, INCDrop), mental health support (Key Changes), inclusive music activities (Mix & Mash variants, DJ Collective), creative career development (Upsurge, Young Promoters), youth voice and advocacy groups, and school-based alternative provision. The organization primarily serves young people in challenging circumstances, offering free or low-cost access funded through charitable donations and partnerships.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Upsurge: A talent development programme for young people aged 16-25 in Gloucestershire, part of the Creative Careers programme offering artist, creative, and engineering strands
- The Drop
- The Music Bus
- INCDrop
- Mix & Mash
- Key Changes
- Making It
- Young Promoters
- Music Social
- DJ Collective
- DMLab
- IncFest
- The Hub Gloucester
- Forest Hub
Products and services
- The Drop
Quantifiable outcome
- 73% of Making It programme participants progressed into work, further education, or training
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Music Works
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Music Works technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Music Works partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Barnwood TrustcorePartnership to offer Short Breaks music-making activities in libraries around Gloucestershire. Supports Mobile Mix & Mash and Mix & Mash programmes for young people with additional needs.
- GENELECflagshipIndustry sponsor providing speakers for studios and Music Bus. 'The Music Works commitment to empower, unite and inspire young people through music is astonishing.' - Andy Bensley, Regional Business Development Manager, GENELEC
- Warner ChappellcoreMusic publishing sponsor for The Hub Gloucester, supporting the creative ecosystem
- FocusritecoreAudio equipment sponsor providing recording and production technology for studios
- inMusic BrandscoreMusic equipment sponsor providing DJ gear and instruments for studios
- Smart Home SoundsminorAudio equipment retailer sponsor for The Hub Gloucester
- Run for CharitycoreFundraising partnership platform giving runners discounted race places in exchange for raising money for The Music Works. Partnership announced May 2026.
- Gloucestershire Creative Health ConsortiumcorePartnership with Art Shape, Mindsong, Artlift, and Artspace Cinderford providing creative health services for people experiencing psychological or physical challenges
- Gloucestershire County CouncilflagshipHAF (Holiday Activities and Food) programme partnership providing free holiday music activities for young people in receipt of free school meals
- NHS GloucestershirecoreFunding and commissioning partner for Key Changes in Schools programme using music for mental health support
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Music Works competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Britten Pears Arts: UK arts charity delivering music education, participation and talent-development programmes across Suffolk and beyond. Comparable in music-education and creative-careers delivery, but operates at greater scale and broader artistic remit.
- Youth Music: National UK charity and funder investing in music-making projects for children and young people, including via the Youth Music Awards. Comparable as a sector umbrella and potential indirect funder; broader in scope than TMW's direct delivery.
- Live Music Now: UK charity delivering music programmes in health, education and community settings, including with young people facing barriers. Comparable community-music-plus-health delivery model and beneficiary profile, though national in footprint.
Direct peers
- Drake Music: UK charity specialising in music, disability and assistive technology, with a national footprint. Directly comparable because of the shared focus on disabled young people, assistive music technology, and inclusive music-making, but operates at greater national scale than TMW.
- Sound Connections: UK charity working with children and young people through music-making projects, including in challenging circumstances and through youth-justice partnerships. Comparable target beneficiary profile and community-music delivery model.
- Open Up Music: UK charity that creates inclusive music ensembles for disabled young people. Closely comparable mission (inclusive youth music-making) and similar programme design (ensemble/collective formats for disabled musicians), though more focused on orchestral ensemble models.
- Soundabout: UK charity delivering music-making for people with severe and profound learning disabilities. Comparable in specialist inclusive-music delivery for disabled and neurodivergent beneficiaries, though Soundabout's focus is more clinical/early-years than TMW's youth focus.
- Awards for Young Musicians: UK charity supporting young musicians from disadvantaged backgrounds through funding, mentoring and progression pathways. Comparable youth-development-and-music-careers focus aligned with TMW's Upsurge talent development programme.
- Nordoff Robbins: UK music therapy charity delivering services in schools, hospitals and community settings. Comparable because TMW's Key Changes and hospital education programmes overlap with Nordoff Robbins' music-therapy and health-based delivery model.
Regional players
- Luton Music Service: Regional music education organisation delivering music education services to children and young people in a defined UK geography. Comparable in that both organisations deliver music-making plus progression pathways at sub-national scale, but Luton operates as a music-hub-type service.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Music Works social profiles
Digital presenceThe Music Works financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Music Works leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Music Works funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Music Works M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Music Works
What does The Music Works do?
The Music Works is a Gloucestershire-based registered charity delivering community music programmes for young people, particularly those facing challenging circumstances. It operates four community studios and a mobile music bus, offering structured engagement programmes (including The Drop, Music Social, INCDrop, Mix & Mash, Key Changes, Making It, Upsurge, Young Promoters, Pass the Mic, DJ Collective, and DMLab), alongside paid studio hire to the public.
Is The Music Works a public or private company?
The Music Works is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Music Works founded?
The Music Works was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Music Works based?
The Music Works is headquartered in Cheltenham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Music Works make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Giving is the primary driver. The others are government and Trust Funding, studio Hire and Facility Rental and programme Fees.
Who are The Music Works's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Britten Pears Arts, Youth Music and Live Music Now. Direct peers are Drake Music, Sound Connections, Open Up Music, Soundabout, Awards for Young Musicians and Nordoff Robbins. Luton Music Service is listed as a regional player.
Does The Music Works have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Music Works.
What industry is The Music Works in?
The Music Works's product category is Youth Music Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMANAC, Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir), with a secondary code of EDAMANAK, Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs). Its NAICS code is 512240 and its SIC code is 7900.