½ of Mercury Prize 2017 artist nominees have had their careers supported by PRS Foundation

Today we are delighted to see today that ½ of the artists nominated for this year’s Mercury Prize have previously  received support from PRS Foundation to develop their careers in the UK and overseas.

These artists are:

• Blossoms and The Big Moon – supported through PRS Foundation & BBC Music Introducing Showcase partnership

• Dinosaur and Glass Animals – supported through the International Showcase Fund

• Kate Tempest – supported through International Showcase Fund and Momentum Music Fund

• The xx – Jamie xx was supported through The Open Fund for a new score commissioned by Manchester International Festival

Vanessa Reed, Chief Executive of PRS Foundation said, “We’re proud that 6 of the Mercury Prize nominated artists announced today have received support from PRS Foundation in recent years. It’s interesting to see that most of these artists have been supported through one of our international showcase programmes which we run either with BBC Introducing or with the Department of International Trade, PPL, Arts Council England, MU PledgeMusic, Creative Scotland British Underground and WAI. In the context of debates about the Brexit deal for touring musicians and ongoing Visa challenges for those travelling to the states, this is a timely reminder of how important international experience and exposure is to the development of UK artists.”