Pickup Music is a community of musicians, creators, and music lovers

Our story

In 2015 Sam Blakelock was living in New York trying to make a living as a jazz guitarist. In between gigs, teaching, and part-time jobs, he started the Instagram page @pickupjazz. The page quickly grew into a vibrant community of jazz musicians. It was a new way for musicians from New York, LA, and beyond to connect and share live performances online.

With the addition of the broader @pickupmusic page, the community expanded to include every genre and instrument. By 2016, the the online community spilled out into real life with live shows, meet-ups, and challenges.

By 2018, the Pickup Music had become one of the largest communities of musicians on social media – a supportive space that allowed a new generation of musicians to connect, learn and grow together.

That same year, Pickup Music launched its membership to help students improve at guitar. The platform gave members a way to learn directly from the best musicians on social media. Rather than focusing on traditional "dad-rock", the membership explored more modern guitar sounds that blend elements of neo soul, RnB and jazz.

Today, Pickup Music is a community of over 1 million musicians through its @pickupmusic, @pickupjazz, and @pickupbeats pages. The Pickup Music membership helps over 20,000 students worldwide get better at guitar through the best guitar lessons available online.