soundLINCS's Music:Link: Breathing new life into a community asset.
In 2018, we partnered with soundLINCS, an East Midlands-based music charity, to revitalise their Music:Link project—a longstanding publication listing live music events and tuition. Originally managed by a community group for over 30 years, Music:Link was now under soundLINCS’s care, with a focus on boosting its appeal and sustainability. Supported by the Collaboration4Growth Fund, the project aimed to grow membership by enhancing both visual appeal and content, increasing engagement and ensuring Music:Link’s long-term viability.
Our role:
We conducted a comprehensive review of Music:Link, taking a two-part approach that assessed both the membership offering and production costs. Through member and staff consultations, workshops, and surveys, we evaluated target demographics, existing membership structures, and potential new revenue streams. We also analysed Music:Link’s expenditure on printing, marketing, and digital presence, alongside customer relations management.
Challenges:
A significant challenge that emerged during the review was staffing. While MusicLink had previously been volunteer-run, soundLINCS now required in-house resources to manage it, but lacked the capacity to fill this need due to stretched resources and limited volunteer availability. This issue placed the sustainability of MusicLink in jeopardy.
Outcome:
Our recommendations included actionable steps for enhancing MusicLink’s membership appeal, refining its service, and streamlining customer management. However, recognising the critical need for dedicated staffing, we advised soundLINCS to redirect remaining project funds towards a paid internship. This role would focus on sales, membership development, and product creation, with the potential to become a permanent position if sufficient membership revenue could be generated.
Key Learning:
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Audience-Centric Review: Engaging members and staff directly provided invaluable insights into audience needs and helped identify new growth opportunities.
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Efficiency Through Streamlined Processes: Improving customer management and payment processing can enhance user experience while reducing operational strain.
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Sustainability Requires Resources: Sustainable project management requires consistent staffing, particularly for long-running community projects transitioning from volunteer to professional oversight.
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Investment in Growth: Recommending a paid internship allowed soundLINCS to focus resources on building long-term membership revenue, and supporting future sustainability.
Our partnership with soundLINCS demonstrated our commitment to helping organisations like MusicLink achieve sustainable growth through tailored, resource-conscious strategies. We’re excited to continue supporting projects that combine heritage with future-focused development.