Birmingham is the birthplace of so many musical stars from rock star Ozzy Osbourne, Blaze Bayley from Black Sabbath, guitarist Tony Lommi, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason and Zena McNally from girlband Misteeq.  Birmingham has an endless list of rock legends and musical superstars who were born or raised in the wonderful city of Birmingham.  And of course, we can’t forget that the Birmingham music scene has also produced the likes of Duran Duran, UB40, Ocean Colour Scene and more recently, Jamelia and The Streets.

Where has that left us today?  It seems that the artistic talent that seems to be nurtured in Birmingham has given the second largest city in the UK a need to be constantly creative.  And Birmingham’s creative talent truly is second to none in the rest of the country - with a music scene that is just jam packed with fresh faces every day!

BBC West Midlands Introducing...

Have you got what it takes?  BBC West Midlands Introducing is the radio show for Birmingham and the Black Country’s local talent to come out and show what they’ve got!  The show is presented by Brett Birks and Louise Brierley who are both mad about music, and anyone who wants to get themselves on the show needs to be mad about music too.

The show has a diverse mix of different music genres – covering everything from indie, rock, acoustic folk, heavy metal, R ‘n’ B, punk and pop.  So no matter what sort of music you make, you could have the chance of appearing on this show full of local talent. 

Presenters Brett and Louise also bring you all the news from the local music scene, upcoming gigs and reports from the latest festivals so you will be in the know with current music trends!  They chat to music industry insiders so you could be one step closer to bagging that long-awaited record label...

Every week, they welcome a live band or singer/songwriter into the BBC WM studios so they can dazzle the radio waves with a full live session.  Do you want the rest of Birmingham and the Black Country to hear your music?  Get heard on BBC West Midlands!

Very recently, local Birmingham girl Rowena Nelson, billed by BBC journalists “Birmingham’s answer to Beyonce”: She Needs You has received sparkling reviews and is now on the lookout for management and band members. 

If you want your chance to reach out to Birmingham like Rowena Nelson has, then you’ll be pleased to know that it has never been easier...

You can now upload your music directly onto the website and if Brett and Lou think you’re hot, then you could get the chance to set the Birmingham frequency on fire with your music!  Listeners will also text and call the show to leave their feedback about new, local music so you will get to know exactly what people think of your songs.

Upload your music here

Birmingham’s Gig Scene

The unparalleled Birmingham gig scene is unstoppable.  It grows and grows and grows and despite the way of physics, there is always more room for your music.

Birmingham has always hosted a vibrant musical community, but how did it all start?  When did Birmingham move away from just being a standard city?  Jenny Moore from Capsule at the Custard Factory in Birmingham said, “There was nothing much going on, so people took it upon themselves to just go out there and make things happen.  It’s impossible to define a Birmingham ‘sound’, as one probably doesn’t exist and that’s not what the people are interested in anyway.  It’s more about a community with a shared DIY ethic in their approach towards music and art.”

So it’s not always about getting a record label or trying to make it big.  There are so many Birmingham artists who have found comfort in the underground scene, or opt to stay independent even with the world’s biggest record labels thrown at them.  Artists such as Nick J. Townsend of popular underground band, Weak 13 is a prime example – he has found success in his own right and now presents Basement Sound Radio, which explores the underground world of Birmingham’s rock scene.  See ‘Weak No More’

The Drum, The Moseley Arms, The Yardbird Jazz Club, Jam House, The Red Baboon and The Hare & Hounds are all great places for setting up gigs. 

If you’re just testing the waters, The Moseley Arms offers regular open mic nights.  Get more information on The Moseley Arms

Social Networking in Birmingham

The music scene in Birmingham has Larry and Sergey to thank – that’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the inventors of Google.  The world wide web could never be where it is today without Google and the internet has given music a new way of reaching people.

YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and hundreds of music driven websites have given local Birmingham musicians a way to advertise their music.  For free.  Social media optimisation is even being integrated into company marketing plans as they search for new ways to reach their target markets.

So if you’re a musician in Birmingham, you should take advantage of the millions of people on social networking websites.  Join the Directory of Birmingham fan page on Facebook