Music is at the heart of the Vocalzone story.
In 1907, the great Enrico Caruso stepped onto the stage at Covent Garden using what became Vocalzone, and we have been there for performers ever since.
We have always been proud to be a part of so many performers’ stories, and in recognition and appreciation of this symbiotic relationship, the Vocalzone Endorsement Network was born.
Over the years, a great number of musicians have benefited from our endorsement, and we in return have valued their recommendation and support.
Why we pressed pause.
In many ways, the Endorsement Network was a victim of its own success, with a huge roster of artists and large numbers applying to join every year.
As with many businesses linked to the entertainment sector, the COVID pandemic hit us hard, and an unprecedented demand for places from artists coincided with a smaller Vocalzone team and a need to focus on core business activities.
We felt that we would not be able to offer the level of support and service our artists deserved, so we made the tough decision to put the Network on hold.
If nothing else, Vocalzone stands for quality, and we refuse to offer something that we cannot make as good as we believe it should be.
Why we are re-launching it.
Since we pressed pause, the Vocalzone team has grown, with Fin, Ele, Laurence, and Mark coming onboard. This offers us more capacity to revive the Endorsement Network and give it the attention and support it needs and our artists deserve.
On top of that, we have spent a lot of time looking at the boring stuff like systems and processes to make the Network easier for us to run, which in turn means we can offer artists a better service and experience.
What’s new?
Not a lot!
The essence of the Network remains unchanged, but there is a renewed focus on making sure that it is inclusive and representative of all the genres and performance sectors in which Vocalzone fans can be found, not just music.
So, whether you work in musical theatre or broadcasting, sing hip hop or opera, we are hoping the relaunched Network will be a place for performers of all stripes who are serious about all things voice.
Another important change is that membership of the Network will now be for a term of 12 months at a time.
The thinking behind this is that it will allow us to offer the benefits of the Network to the largest number of artists possible on a continual basis.
One of the main limitations of the previous set-up was that we frequently couldn’t offer support to new artists because we had such a large roster of existing artists on our books to manage and support.
By adding a term limit, we can ensure that there will be fresh spaces every year for new artists, that our support will be more concentrated, and that the Network does not outgrow our ability to manage it well.
Artists will of course be able to reapply each year, but we cannot guarantee places for the reasons set out above.
So, what’s next?
We are starting small to make sure that our new setup works as we intend and that the experience for artists is top-notch.
Endorsed and Supported artists from the old setup who have asked to remain part of the Network are being given the chance to move over to the new system, and spaces are being made available to new artists to apply for.
If all goes well, we will release new spaces on a rolling basis as and when we have capacity.
The new application form, Ts and Cs and overview of the new setup is live on our website here.
Performers have always been a huge part of the Vocalzone story, and with the new Endorsement Network, we hope to be part of a new generation of performers’ stories too.
