South Shields music producer and musician moved to tears as his studio project is backed by supporters

Martin Trollope, who works under the name Harbourmaster, plans to lease a former storage space in Prospect House in Simonside and turn it into a fully-kitted out space ready to take bands, solo artists and others so that they can put out their own productions at affordable costs.

The 34-year-old, who lives in South Shields, set up a fund in the hope of fitting it out with the best equipment possible and as the unit is on the ground floor, people of all abilities will be able to get into the studio to work.

Within eight hours, the married dad-of-two hit the £2,000 target he thought would take eight weeks to meet, with the funds to be used to support “the extraordinary talent flowing in the North East.”

Those who lend their support will be able to ‘cash in’ their pledge for items including recording sessions and t-shirts.

Martin, who started working as a sound engineer around 15 years ago as he recorded his own music, has gone on to work with others include Jade Thirlwall of Little Mix, John Miles and Tom Mouse Smith, while he as continued to play and work with bands he is a member of, including The Union Choir and District Attorney.

In addition to band recordings, he has helped club singers capture their voices for their families to keep long after they have gone, as well as other audio people want to share.

He said: “It’s massively touching, I had a sit-down and a cry, and it just shows how supportive the community is.

"There were so many names on there I recognised, not many I hadn’t heard of before and it’s really nice to know there is that support out there.

"It means I’ll be able to cover more costs, get more microphones and get in better equipment.

"I’ve worked with professional musicians, people just doing it for fun, schools, and I don’t want anyone to feel limited.”

The funding page can be found via https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/harbourmaster-productions.

A message from the editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Shields Gazette website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.