What Difference Does it Make? A Film About Making Music will see its global premiere on Monday 17th in more than 63 countries across all world time zones. The UK premiere will be hosted during Glasgow Film Festival.

Taking over subterranean music institution Sub Club for the screening, Red Bull Music Academy presents the film in the most apt of settings. The basement club has hosted the cream of local and international underground talent for over 20 years and, as a beacon for music makers in the city and beyond, provides the perfect backdrop for a film that salutes them. The 90-min screening will be followed by a live performance from Academy alumnus Koreless who also features in the film. To register interest for one of the 100 free tickets available, email  [email protected]

In celebration of its 15th anniversary, Red Bull Music Academy invited award-winning director Ralf Schmerberg to create a full-length feature film. What Difference Does It Make? A Film About Making Music explores the challenges that a life in music can bring. It seeks to go beyond music, and ask questions about life itself. 

“Why am I doing this and what difference does it make?” Brian Eno

The film which will be available for free from 18th February on redbullmusicacademy.com the film features Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Brian Eno, Philip Glass, Giorgio Moroder, Erykah Badu, Nile Rodgers, Rakim, Skream, Q-Tip, Bernie Worrell, Egyptian Lover, Ken Scott, Thundercat, Richie Hawtin, James Murphy, Debbie Harry and Stephen O’ Malley and many others. All of these artists have lectured or been studio tutors at the Red Bull Music Academy. Every one of these artists has been heavily influential in shaping the face of music today.

Shot during the 2013 edition of the Red Bull Music Academy in New York, the film evokes the heady atmosphere of that event, in which fresh musical ideas tend to spark between artists representing different genres and generations. In a different city each year, 60 up and coming musicians from around the world participate in workshops with musical luminaries in a custom-fitted complex of studios and workspaces. By night, they perform in the city’s cult venues and concert halls, alongside contemporary and classic innovators as well as heroes and heroines of the local scene. Long after the last notes are played, the experiences and insights gained there tend to resonate deeply in the lives and practices of those who take part.