Music graduate wins NatWest business start-up award

A Music Business graduate from USW has won this year’s NatWest Business Start-Up Plan award, thanks to her vision for an innovative music company based in Cardiff.

Josey Fisher, 21, has just graduated from BA (Hons) Music Business and will now benefit from mentoring sessions as part of the award, at the NatWest business start-up hub, where she will have the opportunity to hone her business skills.

Originally from the USA, Josey has now settled in South Wales and plans to make her music supervision and publishing administration company, Supervision Creative, a reality after putting forward an impressive business plan.

Each year, NatWest supports final year Music Business students to build on their entrepreneurship studies, simulating a real-world initiative to launch music start-up businesses. As part of this partnership, students research, plan, develop, brand, market and manage a substantial project that has the potential to be successfully scaled up.

Josey’s experience of growing up in Pennsylvania has had a direct impact on her knowledge of the music industry – something which influenced her decision to explore the cultural differences between the USA and the UK.

She said: “Being raised in a small town in America restricted my approach to music, as there was no ‘music scene’ locally – all I knew about music came from the big cities of Los Angeles and Nashville. But I knew that one day I wanted to work with artists from all over the world, and so I decided to move to Wales and immerse myself in a completely different cultural scene.”

Josey chose the Music Business course at USW after it stood out as ‘the perfect’ degree for her. She said: “I spent a long time looking for universities and courses that didn’t restrict me to just one area of the industry. The Music Business course had everything I wanted; I was able to learn about every single aspect of the business side of music, about artists and the world of marketing through social media. I now have the knowledge and ability to work in different areas of the industry and grow my career.

“Throughout my studies, I found my passion for music supervision and publishing, and with encouragement from my course leader, came up with the idea for my own company. During my final year, I spent more than six months applying for entry level jobs in the industry, and found that all of them required experience, which I didn’t have.

“This frustration further fuelled my determination to create a company that would provide opportunities for music students, including internships with local businesses, so that they could gain that all-important experience while still at university.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to have won this award – it’s one of my biggest accomplishments. I spent hours upon hours on my major project, wanting to create something new and different that would really help people. Receiving the NatWest award was an assurance that people would back my business and believe in my idea.”

Nathan Martin, Regional Board Engagement Manager at NatWest, said: “The NatWest Business Start-Up Plan award gives students on the Music Business course the opportunity to develop enterprise skills and get to grips with all aspects of being a successful business owner.

“This introduction to the world of entrepreneurship, and the chance to spend time at our accelerator hub, is invaluable for students, and complements what they have already learned during their degree. We’re excited to be supporting Josey in her business venture, and look forward to seeing Supervision Creative come to fruition.”

Lucy Squire, Head of Music and Drama at USW, added: “Receiving the NatWest Business Start-up Plan award represents a huge opportunity for Josey to take forward on her career journey, underpinning the quality of her work and helping her to stand out in a competitive marketplace.”