Fill the Silence
with the Voices
of Teesside.
Tees Valley has music worth hearing. Promoting Local puts it in the places where community life actually happens -- from arts venues and independent businesses to public spaces that have never had it before. Locally sourced and curated, directly licensed from the artists who made it.
Music created here
should be heard here.
Tees Valley has artists worth hearing. But the places where community life actually happens -- the independent café, the public square, the community hall, the high street -- are mostly silent. Not because nobody wants music there. Because the way music licensing works has made it too expensive, too complicated, or simply impossible. Promoting Local was built to change that.
The invisible plays
Independent businesses -- cafés, small bars, community spaces -- already play music. Many are streaming personal-use services like Spotify or Apple Music through the speakers, which is technically unlicensed and puts the business at risk. The plays happen every day. They leave no trace. The artists whose music fills those rooms see nothing from them -- not because there's no audience, but because the system was never built to look in these places.
Some businesses turn to royalty-free music to stay compliant. It solves the legal problem, but it solves nothing else -- no local identity, no audience connection, no data, no community. Background music that nobody chose and nobody cares about.
The literal silence
Town centres, markets, council buildings, public squares, waiting rooms, community halls -- many of these spaces have no music at all. Not because nobody wants it. Because a blanket music licence for a large or complex public space can run to thousands of pounds a year.
The silence is economic, not aesthetic. The cost of conventional licensing has simply made music unviable in exactly the places where a community hears itself most clearly.
Direct licensing sets music free to the community.
Promoting Local operates through direct licences from artists -- not blanket society fees. We get permission from the people who made the music, which means our platform can go anywhere: licensed venues, independent businesses, public spaces, community locations. The permission travels with us. The music follows.
Every installation is a data capture point. Every play is logged, attributed, and connected to a real audience at a real location. Artists see exactly where their music is playing, how audiences respond, and which tracks are landing -- delivered through their own portal dashboard. Venues see what their audience connects with. This is the granular, per-location data that the music industry has always needed from the businesses and spaces it has never been able to reach. Music Monitor, the company behind Promoting Local, was working on this problem before the platform existed. Promoting Local is the infrastructure that acts on it.
This is not a workaround. It is a more accurate, more equitable, and more community-connected model for how local music should be heard.
This is what plays in your venue.
An exact replica of the player screen. Hit play to hear real music from the catalogue.
& Buy Merch
Four sides. One ecosystem.
Artists get heard. Venues get a fully managed music programme. Sponsors fund artist development. Fans buy merch on impulse.
Artists
Submit your music through our artist portal. If approved, your tracks play across the network and receive an official ISRC registration at no cost. Your portal dashboard shows exactly where your music is playing, how audiences respond, and which tracks are connecting -- real data that helps you develop as an artist. Selected artists get access to professional recording at Unit 4 in Hartlepool and filmed live performances on our mobile stage.
Venues & Businesses
A plug-and-play screen-based player with a managed programme of locally sourced and curated music -- either directly licensed from our catalogue or the full PRS catalogue if you're already licensed. Use the screen for your own business content too -- upload your own display slides, announcements, and promotions that rotate alongside the music. Remote dashboard, real-time analytics, QR-powered audience feedback.
Sponsors
Fund an artist's development and put your brand inside the content. Sponsored artists are recorded at our production studio, filmed on our mobile stage, and featured at live events -- all carrying your brand. Your sponsorship produces real creative content, not just screen time.
Merch
Every track has a QR code. Fans scan, rate, and buy artist merch -- right there in the venue. Artists earn from impulse purchases. Venues earn a commission on every sale made through their location. The platform handles the transaction. Coming at launch.
Your music.
Real venues.
Real ears.
We work exclusively with pre-professional artists -- which means we're invested in your development, not just your catalogue.
- ✓ Free to join -- no upfront costs
- ✓ Free ISRC registration on every approved track
- ✓ Track-level play analytics across all venues
- ✓ QR audience feedback on every track
- ✓ Professional recording sessions at Unit 4, Hartlepool (selected artists)
- ✓ Filmed live performances on our mobile trailer stage (selected artists)
- ✓ Merch sales through venue QR codes
Local music.
Your screen.
Your content.
One screen. One box. Plug in and your venue has a constantly updated, fully managed programme of locally sourced and curated music. The screen shows the music programme continuously, and at intervals your own business content fades in alongside it.
- ✓ Works with or without a PRS licence -- we provide the right catalogue for your situation
- ✓ Your screen, your content -- upload your own display slides, announcements, and promotions
- ✓ Business content rotates at intervals alongside the music programme
- ✓ Remote management via web dashboard -- update your content from your phone
- ✓ QR merch sales generate venue commission on every transaction
- ✓ Real-time analytics on what your audience responds to
- ✓ Hardware included -- plug in and go
Backed by Tees Valley's best.
Sponsors fund artist development and put their brand inside professionally produced content. Launching May 2026.
Put your brand inside professionally produced artist content across the network.
Sponsor an Artist → Get in TouchTees Valley's next big names.
Ready to fill the silence?
Whether you're a venue, a business, or a brand looking to back local talent -- let's talk.
📧 hello@promotinglocal.co.uk