Scratch My Business Experiment

Opening doors to new music entrepreneurs

Oh Yeah launched the pilot version of the Scratch My Business Experiment on October 6, 2008. This ran for a 10 week trial period, and culminated in a live event and film screening on December 14.

What exactly is the Scratch concept?

The scratch concept has been developed by the Battersea Arts Centre in London. It encourages work-in-progress ideas, rather than getting too obsessed with the finished product. The BAC also puts great value of the notion of a “ladder of development” which encourages new ideas to be tried out, taking small steps but building on feedback and support.

How did this translate to Oh Yeah?

Five ventures were asked to set up in an open plan space at the Oh Yeah building. Each was offered a desk, a chair, electricity and access to WiFi. They were given a  a mailing address, reasonable opening hours and a very affordable rent (£15 per week). The experiment was to see how much progress could be made within this time frame. Oh Yeah offered the projects in question some basic business training and assisted with music industry and media queries.Importantly they had a chance to work collaboratively and co-operatively in a creative space.

The three enterprises that flourished in the pilot scheme were:

  • Bandwidth Films
  • Horseface Promotions
  • V-Cappella

We aim to document the further adventures of the Scratch pioneers on the Oh Yeah blog.

Will there be a second series?

Almost definitely. Stay tuned for further details.

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