Who are we investing in?

InHouse Records is a label for change with a mission to see safer communities, fewer victims of crime, and for prisoners – rehabilitation and employment with dignity and aspiration. Since launching in September 2017, InHouse’s work has engaged hard-to-reach populations both in prison and through the gate, and is focused on developing core competencies and employability skills in line with research indicating that these are the greatest contributors to desistance.

What are we investing in?

InHouse Records approached the Cultural Impact Development Fund for an unsecured loan of £77,000 to establish a partnership with Pirate Studios, a nationwide network of self-service music studios that will provide space to deliver its through-the-gate programme and Caroline International (a division of Universal Music Group) and Sony Publishing to provide music label, distribution, and publishing services for InHouse artists, as well as apprenticeships for those who wish to progress to employment within the music industry. The studios will serve as safe spaces for graduates of its in-prison programme to continue their path towards rehabilitation and to record music under the InHouse label, providing a source of earned income to subsidise operations. As graduates may move to a variety of locations upon their release from prison, working with Pirate Studios will allow the organisation to shift venues quickly to meet the changing geography needs of its graduates. InHouse’s future relationships with Caroline/Universal and Sony Publishing will provide further opportunities for its users to progress personally, professionally, and musically, either as record label apprentices or as signed artists on the label.

This investment, while entirely for the development of key partnerships with Pirate Studio, Caroline International, and Sony Publishing, has wider implications for the organisation's growth and social impact. Complementary through-the-gate services delivered through this partnership model will provide vital progression pathways for graduates of the organisation’s in-prison work upon release. Without investment in these rehabilitation services, the organisation could not responsibly grow its successful in-prison services. As the organisation expands into more prisons, InHouse will generate a larger margin which can be used to support the full cost of the business and subsidise its through-the-gate work.

Read the full InHouse Records case study on the Arts & Culture Finance website.