Key Changes
Key Changes is a UK registered charity delivering trauma-informed music mentoring programmes, recording studio sessions, and hospital-based creative health services for young people and adults with mental health lived experience across Manchester, London, Birmingham, Brighton, and Liverpool.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Key Changes does
Key Changes Positive Mental Health Through Music Ltd is a UK registered charity (No. 1103774) founded in 1997, originally emerging from a patient-led music workshop at Highgate Mental Health Centre in 2003 and formally adopting the Key Changes name in 2008. The organisation delivers trauma-informed music mentoring programmes for young people and adults with mental health lived experience across five UK cities: Manchester (headquarters), London, Birmingham, Brighton, and Liverpool. Core programmes include Studio Sessions (free under-18s programme), Studio Discovery (18-30s), Mood Booster (£65 one-off sessions), Studio Discovery Plus (progression programme from £30/week), and Music Industry Recovery (£780, 12-week intensive programme). Complementary offerings include pop-up hospital recording studios on inpatient psychiatric wards (acute, intensive care, secure, and rehab), live performance events, and an Artist Volunteer Programme.
The underlying technology and methodology centres on professionally delivered studio-based songwriting, production, and recording sessions by specially trained producers and peer assistants with lived experience. Key Changes Records operates as an in-house record label for artist releases. The charity's distribution architecture combines direct service delivery in professional studios, NHS hospital ward partnerships spanning 17+ sites across London, Manchester, and Birmingham, online artist development sessions, and community venue events.
The business model is fundamentally grant-funded charity operations. Key Changes generates the majority of revenue through charitable grants from foundations including Arts Council England, National Lottery Community Fund, City Bridge Foundation, and Globals Make Some Noise, supplemented by NHS partnership commissioning across multiple trusts and individual donations. Fee-for-service revenue from paid programmes is minor. The charity operates without disclosed equity funding, governed by a board of trustees with CEO Peter Leigh leading executive operations. Impact metrics for 2024-25 include 5,000+ beneficiaries served, 3,000+ community sessions, 2,500+ hospital sessions, and 1,500+ hours of service user volunteering.
Key Changes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Key Changes
- Legal name
- Key Changes Positive Mental Health Through Music Ltd
- Website
- https://keychanges.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Key Changes is a UK registered charity delivering trauma-informed music mentoring programmes, recording studio sessions, and hospital-based creative health services for young people and adults with mental health lived experience across Manchester, London, Birmingham, Brighton, and Liverpool.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Key Changes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mental Health Charity Services
- NAICS
- Sound Recording Studios (51224), Record Production and Distribution (51225)
- SIC
- Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs) (EDAMANAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Session Musicians & Vocalists (MPAIAHAC)
Keywords
Where Key Changes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Key Changes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Charitable Grants and Funding: Key Changes is a registered charity (No. 1103774) funded by grants and donations from charitable foundations, NHS partnerships, corporate sponsors, and individual donors. The organisation delivers free-of-charge programmes funded through charitable funds for eligible participants.
- Fee-for-Service Programmes: Some programmes (Mood Booster at £65, Music Industry Recovery at £780) charge fees, particularly for those not covered by mental health service referrals or charitable funding.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Studio Sessions - Free programme for under-18s |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Studio Discovery - Free programme for ages 18-30 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mood Booster - One-off creative session |
| Subscription | Monthly | Studio Discovery Plus - Progression programme |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Music Industry Recovery |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Key Changes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Key Changes provides free and subsidised music mentoring programmes that combine songwriting, production, and recording sessions with mental health and wellbeing support for young people and adults with lived experience of mental ill health. Programmes are delivered in professional recording studios across five UK cities, as pop-up recording studios on inpatient psychiatric hospital wards, and online via artist development and wellbeing network sessions. The charity also operates Key Changes Records, an in-house label for artist releases, and progression pathways through volunteering and work experience.
Product overview
Key Changes is a mental health charity providing music-based mentoring and recovery programmes across a multi-channel model. The core offering consists of studio-based programmes (Studio Sessions, Studio Discovery, Mood Booster, Studio Discovery Plus, Music Industry Recovery) delivering songwriting, production, and recording sessions in professional studio environments. These are complemented by Hospital Services featuring pop-up recording studios on psychiatric wards, and Concerts and Events providing live performance opportunities. The Artist Volunteer Programme offers progression pathways for completers. Key Changes Records serves as the in-house label for artist releases, while the Music and Mental Health Podcast (launched 2025) extends the programme's reach. The company does not offer AI, API, or technology product integrations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Key Changes Records: Our label celebrating artists with lived experience of mental ill health. Artists can release on the in-house label including mastering, licensing and distribution.
Products and services
- Studio Sessions Free 3-week music mentoring programme for young people under 18, offering weekly 1-hour one-to-one studio sessions in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, London, and Brighton, focused on songwriting, production, and recording.
- Studio Discovery Free 3-week programme with 3 hours per week of studio time for adults aged 18-30, combining online artist development sessions, musicians' wellbeing network sessions, and mentoring. Available to those who have attended hospital services or residents in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, London, and Brighton.
- Mood Booster One-off £65 taster studio session with a professional producer offering a creative, feel-good music industry experience where participants record a track or song for digital release, available in Manchester, Birmingham, London, and Brighton.
- Studio Discovery Plus Extended programme from £30 per week for individuals aged 18 and over who have completed a programme and are resident in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, London, or Brighton, providing continued artist development and studio access.
- Music Industry Recovery 12-week intensive programme priced at £780 for adults aged 18+ referred by mental health services under S117 or eligible for social care/personal health budget, offering weekly 3-hour sessions focused on recovery through music industry skills including professionally produced mixes, artist biography, sleeve artwork, digital release, and completion certificate.
- Hospital Services Pop-up recording studio sessions delivered in inpatient psychiatric wards including acute, intensive care, secure, and rehabilitation settings, offering songwriting, lyricism, beat making, production, and recording activities in partnership with NHS trusts across London, Manchester, and Birmingham.
- Key Changes Records In-house record label celebrating artists with lived experience of mental ill health, offering mastering, licensing, and distribution services for artist releases.
- Concerts and Events Open-mic nights, concerts, and music video projects performed at healthcare and community settings, providing performance opportunities to build confidence and challenge stigma around mental health.
- Artist Volunteer Programme Progression pathway for programme completers offering vocational skills development and work experience through volunteering opportunities in Manchester, Birmingham, London, and Brighton, delivered both online and in-person.
Quantifiable outcome
- 75-100% of participants report improved wellbeing through music mentoring
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Key Changes
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Key Changes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Key Changes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.
- North London NHS Foundation TrustcoreNHS mental health trust providing hospital ward access for pop-up recording studio sessions. Partnership for delivering music therapy in psychiatric inpatient settings.
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM)coreMajor NHS mental health trust. Maudsley Hospital is a key delivery site. Maudsley Charity provides funding support.
- Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL)coreNHS trust providing hospital ward access for music therapy sessions across multiple London locations.
- Pennine Care NHS Foundation TrustcoreNHS trust covering Greater Manchester. Partnership for delivering hospital music services at multiple Manchester locations including Trafford General, Salford Royal, Prestwich, and North Manchester General Hospital.
- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH)coreNHS trust providing hospital ward access for music therapy sessions in Greater Manchester.
- East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT)coreNHS trust providing hospital ward access for music therapy sessions.
- South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS TrustcoreNHS trust providing hospital ward access for music therapy sessions.
- Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation TrustcoreNHS trust providing hospital ward access for music therapy sessions.
- Compass WellbeingminorWellbeing organisation providing funding and partnership support.
- Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT)minorNHS trust providing hospital ward access for music therapy sessions at Mill View Hospital, Hove.
- Amy Winehouse FoundationmajorCharitable foundation that gifted a new studio in London in 2013. Long-term strategic partner supporting music and mental health work.
- BTS One In An ArmyminorMusic industry initiative providing industry expertise and support.
- NaominorMusic artist providing industry support and mentorship.
- Zara MacfarlaneminorMusic artist providing industry support and mentorship.
- Warp RecordsmajorMajor independent record label that donated studio space in 2024. Significant industry partner providing facilities and industry credibility.
- Band on the WallminorManchester music venue providing industry support and event space.
- Last Night a DJ Saved My Life FoundationminorMusic industry foundation providing support for mental health through music initiatives.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves13 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Key Changes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Music for All: UK-wide music access charity with broader scope spanning instrument provision, education and community programmes. Comparable charity structure and music-access mission, though more focused on instrument-based learning than mental health delivery.
- Mind: UK national mental health charity providing information, support and campaigning. Indirect comparator — represents the broader mental health charity ecosystem that funds and partners with specialist providers like Key Changes, and the dominant mental health brand in the UK.
Direct peers
- Create: UK arts charity delivering creative workshops for children and adults facing disadvantage including mental health challenges. Comparable free-of-charge, referral-led delivery model and funder base across arts and health foundations.
- Drake Music: UK disability and music charity combining music-making with disabled musicians and those facing barriers. Comparable niche of using music as a tool for marginalised populations, with similar grant-funded UK delivery model.
- Live Music Now: UK charity that brings live music to people facing life challenges including mental health conditions, dementia, and social isolation. Operates a musician-development pathway feeding into health and community settings, similar to Key Changes' artist volunteer programme.
- Brighter Sound: Manchester-based music charity running creative music-making programmes for young people and adults facing barriers including mental health challenges. Directly comparable community-studio delivery model and similar geographic overlap in the North of England.
- Nordoff Robbins: UK music therapy charity that trains therapists and delivers music therapy to people with life-limiting illnesses, disabilities, and mental health conditions. Most direct analogue to Key Changes' trauma-informed music mentoring model, operating from multiple UK centres with NHS-facing delivery.
Emerging players
- Soundcastle: London-based music charity delivering songwriting, production and wellbeing programmes for young people and adults, including those with mental health needs. Comparable studio-based delivery model and wellbeing focus, with a smaller operational footprint.
- Serious (formerly Serious Music): UK music education and participation charity producing participatory programmes and live events. Overlaps with Key Changes' concerts and progression pathways, with comparable London-based arts-grant funding model.
Others
- Amy Winehouse Foundation: UK charity supporting young people affected by addiction and mental health issues through music and education. Strategic partner of Key Changes (gifted a London studio in 2013) and the most direct comparator in youth mental health and music charity space.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Key Changes social profiles
Digital presenceKey Changes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Key Changes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Key Changes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Key Changes 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 Key Changes
What does Key Changes do?
Key Changes provides free and subsidised music mentoring programmes that combine songwriting, production, and recording sessions with mental health and wellbeing support for young people and adults with lived experience of mental ill health. Programmes are delivered in professional recording studios across five UK cities, as pop-up recording studios on inpatient psychiatric hospital wards, and online via artist development and wellbeing network sessions. The charity also operates Key Changes Records, an in-house label for artist releases, and progression pathways through volunteering and work experience.
Is Key Changes a public or private company?
Key Changes is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Key Changes founded?
Key Changes was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Key Changes based?
Key Changes is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Key Changes make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Charitable Grants and Funding is the primary driver. The others are fee-for-Service Programmes.
Who are Key Changes's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Music for All and Mind. Direct peers are Create, Drake Music, Live Music Now, Brighter Sound and Nordoff Robbins. Emerging players are Soundcastle and Serious (formerly Serious Music). Amy Winehouse Foundation is listed as an others.
Does Key Changes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Key Changes.
What industry is Key Changes in?
Key Changes's product category is Mental Health Charity Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMANAK, Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs), with a secondary code of MPAIAHAC, Session Musicians & Vocalists. Its NAICS code is 51224 and its SIC code is 8050.