Co-Pilot is back for 2025!
The Association of Artist Managers (AAM) Australia’s flagship mentoring and professional development program will return in 2025, running from June - September, thanks to the generous support of Spotify.
Applications for the program open Wednesday 12th February 2025 and close Thursday 20th March 2025 at 3pm AEDT.
This year’s program will once again accommodate participants from Australia (AAM-member artist managers) and New Zealand (MMF Aotearoa-member artist managers). 10 managers will be selected to participate in this year’s program.
Delivered in partnership with Spotify and MMF Aotearoa, and running from June – September 2025, the program will support 10 early-mid career music artist managers, with 9 AAM members from Australia and 1 MMF Aotearoa member from Aotearoa being selected for this year’s program.
Programme Overview:
Emerging music artist managers play a pivotal role in today’s contemporary music industry, driving discovery and innovation. They are key to shaping the future of contemporary music. In an ever-changing industry landscape, managers in the early to mid-stages of their careers often face a mix of exciting opportunities and significant challenges, especially when navigating critical turning points or scaling their businesses. The AAM's Co-Pilot program — supported by Spotify — aims to equip developing artist managers with the skills and resources they need to thrive. By helping them upskill, adapt, and strategically grow their businesses — and those of their artists — it ensures a healthy and sustainable future for Australian and Aotearoa artist managers, and the artists they represent.
At its core, Co-Pilot is a mentoring program offering one-on-one guidance as well as peer support, tailored professional development workshops (virtual and in-person) and networking opportunities. Upon completion of all program activities, each participant will also receive a bursary of AUD $1,500 to support their career advancement, work-related travel and/or cover business expenses.
Managers selected to participate in the 2025 Co-Pilot program will engage in the following activities:
Participant Meet-up Networking Hour (June 3) in Sydney/Eora, where they’ll connect with other participants, AAM and MMF Aotearoa team members.
2 x in-person workshop days at Spotify offices in Eora/Sydney (June 4 and 5), where you’ll be joined by other participants, mentors, Spotify teams members, special guest host and speakers, and representatives from the AAM and MMF Aotearoa teams.
4 x one-on-one mentoring sessions with an established manager mentor. Each participant will be paired with a mentor that aligns with their professional goals and needs. Mentee and mentor pairs will be responsible for scheduling their own mentoring sessions, which are to be held on dates/times that suits both parties within the mentoring period. These sessions can be in-person or virtual.
2 x one-one-one virtual sessions (30 mins) with a Spotify team member.
4 x virtual online workshops, each workshop covering an essential management-related topic, hosted by an industry expert.
These activities are designed to help participants gain access to the tools and support needed to navigate key challenges, advance their careers, and strategically guide the careers of their artists.
10 participants will be selected to participate in this year's Co-Pilot program, chosen through a competitive application process. Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria (see below) to apply. Applications will be assessed by an independent review panel, in conjunction with the AAM and MMF Aotearoa.
Catering will be provided for the in-person workshop days (June 4 and 5). For any participants (or mentors) attending from interstate or regional NSW, accommodation and/or flights will be provided for those who require. Flights and accomodation will be provided for the Aotearoa participant.
Selected participants and mentors will need to complete a program feedback report at the end of the program period.
Application Timeline:
Applications Open ⏤ Wednesday 12th February, 2025
Applications Close ⏤ Thursday 20th March, 2025 (3pm AEDT)
Applicants notified of outcome ⏤ Approximately 4-6 weeks after applications close
Program Key Dates 2025:
Participants must be able to attend the following activities on the scheduled dates to be eligible for this program, especially the in-person workshop days (full days) on Wednesday 4th June and Thursday 5th June 2025. Please only apply for this program if you are able to participate in all activities.
Please note: For any activities below that say ‘Various dates’, these will be scheduled once the 10 program participants are selected (in the case of the virtual workshops), or are activities that are to be scheduled between participants and their mentor (in the case of the mentoring sessions) or participants and Spotify team members (in the case of the Spotify one-on-ones). Participants will be consulted regarding their availabilities, to ensure they can attend the activities on the determined date/time.
Tuesday 3rd June (5pm - 6pm) | In-person (Eora/Syd): Participant Meet-up Networking Hour
Wednesday 4th June (8:45am - 6pm) + Thursday 5th June (9am - 4pm) | In-person (Eora/Syd): In-person workshop days at Spotify offices in Sydney/Eora
Various dates between June 6th - September 12th | Online: 4 x one-on-one mentoring sessions with an established manager mentor. Mentee and mentor pairs will schedule their own mentoring sessions (in-person or virtual), to be held on dates/times that suits both parties within the mentoring period.
Various dates between June - August | Online: 2 x one-one-one virtual sessions (30 mins) with a Spotify team member
Various dates (4 dates x 1-1.5 hour sessions) in June | Online: 4 x virtual online workshops
Friday 12th September: Mentoring period ends
W/C Monday 15th September | Online: Post-program surveys sent to participants and mentors for completion
Tuesday 30th September | Online: Post-program feedback surveys due
Eligibility:
9 AAM and 1 MMF Aotearoa members will be selected to participate in the 2025 Co-Pilot program.
To be eligible for the 2025 Co-Pilot program, applicants must:
Be a currently active artist manager. (Please note: Self-managed artists who only manage their own project are not eligible to apply for this program. If you are a self-managing artist who also manages other act(s) - in addition to your own project - you are welcome to apply, if you meet other eligibility criteria also.)
Be a current member of the AAM (Australian applicants) or MMF Aotearoa (NZ applicants)
Be available to participate in all program activities
NZ applicants must have a valid passport
Please note that participants from the 2023/2024 Co-Pilot Program are ineligible to apply for this 2025 Co-Pilot program.
In their application, successful applicants will be able to:
Demonstrate a suitable level of management experience, along with sufficient current and upcoming career activity, that indicates they will benefit from this program
Articulate how the various activities in this program will support their professional development needs
Define outcomes they’re seeking through this program
Articulate their career goals for the upcoming 12-24 months
Demonstrate enthusiasm and capacity to commit to this program
Contact Details:
Lorraine Owen (lorraine.owen@mmf.co.nz) - Manager, Operations - MMF Aotearoa
