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.
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2015
Founded by independent musicians
20K +
Members
100 %
Independently owned
Our Team
We're a small-but-mighty team of musicians who love helping people get better at guitar and develop their unique musical voice.
Sam Blakelock
Co-founder, CEO
Cam Nolan
Co-founder
Kyle Sparkman
Head of Community
Karen Du
Video Editor
Jan Jakut
Lessons Team
Leigh Collins
Lessons Team
Sarah Riddle
Web Team
Jonathan Colman
Lessons Team
Harry Nicholson
Web Team
Julia Mahncke
Writer Team
Miguel Mendes
Lessons Team
Jack Handyside
Lessons Team
Dominik Meyer
Head of Growth Marketing
Karl Kerfoot
Head of Education
Our Artists
Here’s just a few of the incredible instructors we work with.
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