StreamGM & The Yard MCR Partnership

StreamGM has joined forces with Cheetham Hill’s hidden cultural gem The Yard Mcr to produce live-streamed shows about their flourishing, creative community. 

StreamGM is moving into The Yard Mcr to develop and broadcast new content such as acoustic sets, musical skits, diverse club nights, podcast recordings and creative conversations. 

Harnessing The Yard Mcr’s ongoing relationship with streaming tech company EMEA Blackmagic Design, this alliance with StreamGM will encapsulate The Yard’s hive of creativity, and the talented people who bring life to the historical building. 

From September 2023 viewers all over the world will be able to watch cultural and musical events unfold live from The Yard Mcr on the www.streamgm.co.uk and www.theyardmcr.com websites, StreamGM’s YouTube, and Facebook, via Manchester’s leading online publisher and media partner, The Manc, and the United We Stream Global Network. 

StreamGM’s new programming with The Yard Mcr includes:  

One Shot @ The Yard: In an age of lip-syncing, canny editing and studio niceties, One Shot gives music fans something unpredictable and truly authentic. Visiting bands and artists will perform one song and they only have one ‘take’ to do this. 

Blending The Yard’s stunning, natural acoustics and StreamGM’s creativity– Stripped Back is an intimate gig series to capture musical and vocal sessions with local and visiting artists, live from the city’s coolest atrium. 

StreamGM are also developing 'In Conversations and Masterclasses’  which is a new four-part series filmed in The Yard to highlight the experiences of BAME, QTIPOC and LGBTA+ musicians and artists as they navigate their crafts and careers in the creative arts industry. 

StreamGM co-founder Laura Graham said: “Manchester will always have a world renowned, thriving music, culture and arts scene and there is no doubt that The Yard Mcr is an epicentre of this. 

“We are a small team driven by an immense shared love of local culture and will continue to bang the drum for Manchester, The Yard Mcr is our perfect home! 

“The Yard Mcr and Black Magic’s joint dedication to nurturing creative talent and world leading video technology, blended with StreamGM’s unwavering commitment to culture, trusted digital platform, and continued support from The Manc, makes for a super-exciting future! 

“The plan is to shine a big spotlight on the many musicians, creatives and artists who express their talents or hone their crafts in The Yard Mcr, to tell their stories and take them beyond the building’s historic red-brick walls through innovative experimental video streaming techniques and our broadcast network.” 

Once a Victorian school, The Yard’s indoor classrooms and main assembly hall have been sympathetically converted into private studios, meeting rooms, and a stunning double height atrium as the main event space - for gigs, club nights and band rehearsals. 

"We are thrilled to embark on this journey with StreamGM," said Mark Hamburger, Co-Founder of The Yard Mcr. 

"This partnership allows us to expand our reach beyond our venue, promoting Manchester's music scene to a global audience. We are excited to witness the magic which emerges from connecting artists, fans, and music venues worldwide.” 

With StreamGM’s world-wide streaming partners continuing the relationship with Manchester’s audience first social publisher The Manc, the mission is to make audiences around the world aware of The Yard’s position in Greater Manchester culture. 

Kristen MacGregor-Houlston, Head of Brand Partnerships at The Manc continued: “We have been proud supporters of StreamGM since it started three years ago during the pandemic. 

“We are looking forward to  StreamGM’s second clubbing series of MainRoom, and their new music and cultural strands such as ‘One Shot’. 

“The Manc & Manc Audio have always been huge supporters of grassroots mancunian music, artists and club nights so this partnership between our brands is perfect." 

StreamGM and The Yard Mcr will also nurture and offer ‘hands on’ paid industry experience for young people in the production and promotion of digital broadcasting using Blackmagic’s technology. 

Blackmagic is a world leading innovator and manufacturer of creative video technology with a simple philosophy of enabling true creativity to blossom. 

Stuart Ashton, Director EMEA Blackmagic Design concluded: “Blackmagic Design wholeheartedly supports The Yard Mcr’s unyielding dedication to nurturing creative talents nationwide. 

“The Yard's unwavering focus on cultivating artists in music, art, design, television, and film seamlessly aligns with Blackmagic Design's central mission of providing a platform for anyone with creative ambition, and how the right environment and tools can ignite limitless achievement. 

“We firmly believe that the local support we offer will empower The Yard Mcr and StreamGM to establish a platform that propels individuals towards their aspirations: translating imaginative dreams into tangible accomplishments.” 

StreamGM is a livestreaming project that spotlights music and cultural talent in Greater Manchester, from underrepresented creative communities, and is part of GMCA’s commitment to supporting and promoting creative excellence across the city-region. 

Developed following the global success of pandemic response United We Stream, StreamGM also provides a global platform for artists, promoters, and producers.

Their grassroot clubbing series MainRoom will continue, with series two beginning in Autumn. MainRoom takes clubbers beyond venue walls and gives viewers a sense of the latest Mancunian music, dance, and fashion styles, straight from the deepest, darkest clubs around the region. 

People enjoy watching MainRoom to get a flavour of Manchester's epic underground clubbing scene and use the streams as soundtracks to house parties.

Series one of MainRoom was filmed on location in various clubs around Manchester including Freight Island and Yes.