Going out on your own straight out of high school isn't easy, especially when you're entering an industry like music.
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That did not dissuade Matt Martin who is already starting to make waves with his independent record label, Red Cave Records.
Martin started Red Cave in early 2018 after being influenced by people doing similar things in Geelong and seeing a wealth of young musical talent in Ballarat.
"I saw a lot of young artists around Ballarat looking to release their music and put on a show," he said.
While breaking into the music scene in Melbourne at such a young age has proved difficult for Martin, he said the Ballarat music scene had been nothing but supportive to his venture.
"I definitely saw a struggle coming into it being so young. A lot of contacts I had in Melbourne were quite a lot older.
"I found that the support from the Ballarat music scene has been great, they've been quite involved in a lot of it as well as a few of the labels in Melbourne have lent me a hand and showed me the way on a few things.
"The scene is really friendly. I enjoy working with everyone around here, it's not particularly competitive, it's all just about having fun and expressing ourselves."
After cutting their teeth playing venues across the region, a collection of bands under the Red Cave Records banner are set to get their opportunity to strut their stuff at a showcase night at Karova Lounge.
Martin said he was ecstatic when the venue reached out to him.
"It was pretty rewarding to know a venue like Karova is willing to give a young person like myself an opportunity to showcase our bands."
As the days wind down, the nerves have started to set in ahead of the showcase evening.
"It's pretty nerve-racking, but we're just hoping people come out and have a good night."
Red Cave bands Meraki Minds, Quentiam and Leftfield Luxury are set to rock the Karova Lounge on Friday evening from 8.30pm, with tickets available for $10.