PRS Foundation launch Momentum Fund partnership with Liverpool City Council
- Pioneering Momentum Music Fund explores targeted regional investment
- New development funds available for outstanding artists in Liverpool
PRS Foundation, the UK’s leading charitable funder of new music and talent development, together with Liverpool City Council announce a new partnership for the Momentum Music Fund, offering Momentum funding and new Momentum Accelerator support to talented musicians based in Liverpool.
This new partnership will ensure that at least £20,000 of grant support will be offered to Liverpool based artists before March 2019, with two levels of support pledged:
- At least one artist in Liverpool will receive up to £15,000 of Momentum Music Fund support. This artist will demonstrate outstanding music, UK-wide traction, strong team, co-investment from the industry, and solid plans needed to warrant higher levels of investment. Previous recipients of the Momentum Music Fund based in Liverpool include Lapsley, All We Are, Jalen N’Gonda and Trudy & the Romance. Momentum artists will be selected by an independent panel of music industry experts, one of which will be held in Liverpool.
- At least two Momentum applicants in Liverpool will receive up to £5,000 each through PRS Foundation’s new Momentum Accelerator. These artists will be selected for their outstanding music, growing fanbases, early signs of industry interest, and their suitability for support from a smaller bursary with mentoring from regional and national experts. Additional support will be offered by PRS Foundation, Momentum partners, funded organisations and regional music industry experts to further assist Momentum Accelerator artists and their growing teams.
Artists based in Liverpool should apply to the Momentum Music Fund via prsfoundation.com before the next deadline: 28th January 2019.
Vanessa Reed, CEO at PRS Foundation said,
“Our Momentum Fund has always aimed to reach talented artists from across the UK who would benefit significantly from “tipping point” investment. Working with Liverpool City Council enables us to strengthen our support in a leading UK music city outside of London where artists need varying levels of investment to progress their careers. I look forward to seeing the range of artists who put themselves forward for this opportunity and I hope this partnership gives us an investment model that we can build on in Liverpool and test in other cities and regions.”
Councillor Wendy Simon, Deputy Mayor/Cabinet Member Culture & Tourism said,
“A key part of The Mayor of Liverpool’s Inclusive Growth Plan is about making Liverpool one of the best cities in the world; a city that is known for its creative reinvention, passion, resilience, and its commitment to community and fairness, so we are delighted that we are able to work towards this with PRS Foundation and the Momentum Fund. The LIMF Academy has been one of PRS Foundation’s Talent Development Partners for a number of years and this move to have a Liverpool specific Momentum Fund is a natural extension of this partnership. Liverpool is a city that is renowned across the world as a music city and with this in mind we have recently created the post of Head of UNESCO City of Music to take forward the city’s ambitious music strategy. Kevin McManus has been appointed to this post. We are a city that has over the years consistently generated exceptional music talent and schemes like Momentum are absolutely vital in enabling us to continue to be able to support and nurture the next generation of musicians from across all communities in the city.”
Managed by PRS Foundation, the Momentum Music fund awards grants of £5,000-£15,000 using funds from PRS Foundation, PPL, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales and Welsh Government, The National Lottery through Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland. Spotify contributes additional funding and a reward package containing exciting promotional opportunities and a close working relationship between Momentum artists and the Spotify team.
The Momentum Music 5 Year impact report, which was launched at the Great Escape in May this year, revealed that Momentum has generated £13million for the UK music industry. Since launching in 2013 Momentum has supported over 300 artists, over 180 albums, over 1,000 live dates. PRS Foundation and Arts Council England initiated The Momentum Music Fund in 2013. Arts Council England originally established the need for this specific fund and supported the programme from 2013-18.
For a full rundown of all the artists supported so far see: https://prsfoundation.com/funding/momentum-music-fund/momentum-artists. The next deadline for applications to the Momentum Music Fund is 28th January 2019.
Listen to the latest Momentum supported artists on the Spotify Momentum playlist here.
