Seeking a world-wide customer base, Shetland musician Steven Spence is bringing some good news to Unst which faced a major economic blow this month with the closure of the RAF base Saxa Vord.

Steven, a well-known and respected musician throughout and beyond the Shetland Isles, is building up his business, 'Spencie's Tunes'.

After composing tunes for friends over many years, Steven, helped by grant assistance of £2,000 from Shetland Enterprise last year, has set up a business on the UK's northern-most inhabited isle, writing commissioned tunes for customers across the globe. It compliments his other activities which include the publication of manuscripts and the sale of new fiddles.

Working with recording engineer Jonathan Ritch and music teacher Alice Mullay, Steven will compose a fiddle or accordion tune, and supply a framed manuscript together with a CD recording of the piece.
Steven started playing fiddle at nine and won his first competition at 13, going on to win many more and play with a string of popular bands.  His tunes have won numerous composition awards with his work 'Uyea Isle' opening the televised Hogmanay Show in Edinburgh. His versatility has always attracted folk to ask him to compose special tunes for occasions such as weddings or anniversaries, and it became obvious that there was a ready market developing for this unique product.

He explains, "We have identified two main markets, private individuals wanting an unusual gift to commemorate a special event, and commercial or public agency clients looking for tunes for promotional reasons."

Orders rose sharply after Steven published a musical manuscript book and CD of 37 of his tunes entitled 'Spencie's Tunes', many of which have been played by well-known Shetland musicians.

Steven says, "If I'm asked to compose a tune, I like to talk to the client and get an idea of the personality of the person it's for, or find out about the event so that I can reflect relevant features in the music."

It's hoped that in addition to the domestic market, 'Spencie's Tunes' will meet a demand from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and America.

Steven is also broadening his business activities by marketing fiddles, with his own brand, on the internet.

Shetland Enterprise project officer Katrina Wiseman said: "Spencie's Tunes has shown that businesses can be operated effectively from remote rural locations"

Steven's website address is www.spenciestunes.com