PRS Foundation reveals the 21 artists and 7 early career industry professionals receiving the pioneering PPL Momentum Music and targeted PPL Momentum Accelerator support in latest round
- 9 talented artists including Dea Matrona, The Gentle Good, Still Shady and Bina receive the latest round of PPL Momentum Music Fund support
- 5 music creators and 4 industry professionals receive PPL Momentum Accelerator Liverpool City Region support and 7 music creators and 3 industry professionals receive PPL Momentum Sbardun | Accelerator support
PRS Foundation, the UK’s leading charitable funder of new music and talent development, reveals today the latest artists across the UK who have been selected by a network of industry experts to receive support from the pioneering PPL Momentum Music Fund and the artists and industry professionals in the Liverpool City Region and Wales receiving the targeted PPL Momentum Accelerator support.
The 9 artists selected to receive PPL Momentum Music Fund support in the latest round are:
- ARXX – Touring with Fletcher across the UK
- BINA. – Recording, touring, marketing for new EP ‘Chaos is a necessary part of rebirth’
- Dea Matrona – Touring and marketing for debut album ‘For Your Sins’
- Ili – Recording, touring, marketing for new EP
- Kehina – Marketing and short film for new EP ‘If A Tree Falls’ project
- The Gentle Good – Marketing and live show development for new album, ‘Elan’
- Lusaint – Studio, producer and session musician costs for sophomore EP
- Still Shadey – Recording, touring and marketing for debut album ‘Glorious News’
- Toya Delazy – Producing, gust features, live shows and visuals for new album, ‘AFRODAVE Vol 2’
PPL Momentum Music supported BINA. said, “The PPL Momentum Music fund will massively help me create a timeless project that I’m proud of and will help me take my storytelling and career to the next level.”
The 5 artists and 4 industry professionals receiving PPL Momentum Accelerator support for the Liverpool City Region are:
Music Creators:
- Bandit – Developing music quality and sound and increasing marketing for a new EP
- Ex-Easter Island Head – Touring and PR support for new album ‘Norther’
- Pet Snake – Increasing the scope of recording for debut album
- SSJ – Time to create and release new music
- Tonia – Developing live performance and booking new tour
Industry professionals:
- Connor Di Leo – Co-founder of the MusicSeen, developing the website and content development of promotional material for live sessions.
- Jenny Coyle – Personal, skills and entrepreneurship development and exploring opportunities for collaboration with fellow industry professionals
- Nina Himmelreich – Co-founder of the MusicSeen, website maintenance training, production of live sessions for the site and local Conference attendance to promote MusicSeen
- Oliver Cash – Developing of record label PLUSH to platform & elevate Liverpool’s underground electronic dance music community
Nat Waters from PPL Momentum Accelerator Liverpool supported Bandit said, “The PPL Momentum Accelerator fund will be pivotal for our career as it will enable us to achieve high quality music and focus on more professional marketing efforts around our next EP. Wanting to develop on our previous sound is a huge part of our next steps and the funding has given us the opportunity to do this.”
The 7 artists and 3 industry professionals based in Wales receiving PPL Momentum Sbardun | Accelerator support are:
Music Creators:
- Aderyn – Recording a new EP in studios in Wales, PR and radio plugging and expand current tour dates
- CHROMA – Time to create and record sophomore album
- Cynefin – Time to create and record Welsh language album ‘Shimli’ and marketing support
- Douvelle19 – Collaborating with artists for release artwork, merchandise, recording costs and developing and touring the ‘Locally Sauced’ night
- Lucas Alexander – Expanding the ‘Let’s Get Jazzy & the Pop Ty Ping Up Tour’ into more towns and cities in Wales
- THE NIGHTMARES – Recording new album at West Sound Studios in Newport, Wales, with producer Richard Jackson
- Ynys – Mixing and mastering new album and the promotion and marketing of the record
Industry Professionals:
- David Acton – Personal development and increasing music industry knowledge through education
- Elan Evans – Setting up and running of a record label and music publisher in Wales to help Welsh artists reach new audiences
- Yasmine Davies – Mentoring and training to increase and develop further skills in music producing
PPL Momentum Sbardun | Accelerator supported Dave Acton said, “Receiving PPL Momentum Sbardun | Accelerator at this point in my personal journey in music has not only been a huge boost of confidence and assure me that previous work has been recognised, it will allow me to get the education I need to elaborate on my work and improve my knowledge of the music industry, hopefully in turn allowing me to assist artists further in their careers.”
PPL Momentum Music Fund is the ground-breaking support for artists who have reached a crucial tipping point, have a team already in place and ready to take the next step in their careers. Managed by PRS Foundation, the PPL Momentum Music Fund awards grants of £5,000-£15,000 using funds from PRS Foundation, PPL, Creative Wales and Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
PPL Momentum Accelerator funding supports exciting artists with a growing fanbase and who are working to establish a music industry team. Artists can receive up to £5,000 as well as mentoring from regional and national experts. Early career industry professionals, who play pivotal roles in the local scenes can receive support as combinations of small grants, mentoring or other holistic support. PPL Momentum Accelerator Liverpool City Region is run by PRS Foundation in partnership with, the Liverpool City Region Music Board, Culture Liverpool and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and PPL Momentum Sbardun | Accelerator is in partnership with Arts Council of Wales.
John Hendrickse, Grants & Programmes Manager at PRS Foundation said: “We’re delighted to reveal the latest artists and industry professionals receiving our PPL Momentum Music and Accelerator/ Sbardun support. Huge congratulations to all 28 grantees. Its fantastic to see so much talent across the UK whether already established and at a tipping point to break through to that next step, or those steadily building that early career foundation. We’re also proud to be able to recognise and offer support for those early career industry professionals that make an important contribution to the local music scenes in the Liverpool City Region and Wales. The creative ideas, opportunities and entrepreneurship they bring not only play a vital role in the local and national music ecosystem but also the wider development of the careers of music creators.
Kate Reilly, Chief Membership & People Officer at PPL said, “Congratulations to all the recipients in the latest funding round. Supporting the next generation of music talent across the nations and regions is a core tenet of the PPL Momentum Music Fund. We’re proud to support the creativity and ingenuity of some of the most promising artists and industry professionals across the UK and in Liverpool and Wales through the PPL Momentum Accelerator.”
Gerwyn Evans, Deputy Director of Creative Wales said: “We are so pleased that another eight talented Welsh musicians have been successful in securing PPL Momentum funding. We look forward to seeing how the artists use that funding to further develop and market their music and to hopefully watching them catapult onto the next stage of their careers. The funding and mentoring support provided for industry professionals at the early stage of their careers is also great news, not just for the three recipients, but for Wales’ grass roots music scene more broadly as it continues to strengthen and grow.”
Ciaran Scullion, Head of Music and Opera at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said, “The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is proud to partner with PRS Foundation on PPL Momentum Music Fund, a vital initiative which enables our artists to take that all important next step in the development of their professional music careers. We are committed to providing valuable, meaningful opportunities for our artists develop and reach their full potential. Congratulations to all the artists taking part in this current round and to Northern Ireland’s Dea Matrona, who will benefit greatly from this support towards touring and marketing their debut album ‘For Your Sins’.”
Councillor Mike Wharton, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Business for the Liverpool City Region 2023/24 said, “Artists from the Liverpool City Region have been a vital part of the UK and international music scene for the last 60 years, but it is becoming increasingly difficult for young emerging artists to break through and develop sustainable careers in the music industry today.
“That’s why I’ve backed our Liverpool City Region Music Board working with Culture Liverpool to support the inclusive growth of the music sector and the development of our local talent and as such, I’m delighted that we have been able to continue our work with the PRS Foundation on the PPL Momentum Accelerator programme.”
PPL became headline sponsors of the Momentum Music Fund in February 2020. Since then, 193 talented music creators at tipping points in their careers have received this vital support to break through to the next level. This type of support is crucial for both music creators’ careers and the wider industry as the 10 Years of Momentum Report (2013-23) found. To date, the fund has been transformational with over £5.2 million awarded to artists across the whole of the UK, resulting in:
- Helping to generate £22 million for the UK music industry
- Over 500 artists awarded PPL Momentum Music Fund support
- Creation of 275 albums (including Mercury Prize nominated albums and dozens of top twenty chart placements)
- Support for over 300 UK tours and over 1,600 live dates
- Over 7,300 applications received over 40 funding rounds with a 7% success rate of funds being granted
Through a 2018 evaluation of the PPL Momentum Music Fund, and evidence from thousands of applications PRS Foundation receives each year, talent pipeline gaps across the UK were identified. Many music creators show strong musical potential but are unable to capitalise upon this due to financial barriers, gaps in regional infrastructure, knowledge, advice, and access to industry platforms.
PPL Momentum Accelerator was subsequently launched as a targeted scheme to support the development of outstanding artists and bands who are writing their own music, and early career Industry Professionals, outside London and who face additional barriers in reaching a crucial career tipping point based on their location. Launched as a pilot in Liverpool in 2019, PPL Momentum Accelerator, currently runs in Liverpool City Region, Wales and Yorkshire.
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.
The find out who has been supported through the PPL Momentum Music Fund and PPL Momentum Accelerator to date, and for all the latest deadlines to apply, visit PRS Foundation’s website. Successful applicants from the 20th May deadline will be announced in the coming months.
Ends.
For further information please contact:
Liam McMahon, Senior Communications Manager, PRS Foundation
+44 (0) 7834 625 985 | liam@prsfoundation.com
For further information about the Momentum Music Fund please contact:
John Hendrickse, Grants & Programmes Manager, PRS Foundation
0203 741 4044 | john@prsfoundation.com
Notes to Editors
About PRS Foundation
Since 2000 PRS Foundation has given more than £47 million to over 8,900 new music initiatives. 5 out of the last 6 Mercury Prize winners had received PRS Foundation support (including recent winner Ezra Collective) and the charity has supported BRITS, RPS, AIM and Ivors Award-winners.
PRS Foundation supports outstanding talent from all backgrounds, covering the whole of the UK and all genres, with grantee success stories including Little Simz, Wolf Alice, Dave, Sam Fender, Years & Years, AJ Tracey, Anna Meredith, Yola, Glass Animals, Ezra Collective, Jade Bird, Ghetts, Shiva Feshareki, Sarathy Korwar, Floating Points, Nadine Shah, The Fanatix, Imogen Heap, IDLES, Kae Tempest, Kojey Radical and Emily Burns.
Widely respected as an inclusive, collaborative and proactive funding body, PRS Foundation supports an exceptional range of new music activity through direct grants to music creators and through support for pioneering organisations, including venues, festivals, promoters and other talent development organisations. PRS Foundation founded the Women Make Music fund, co-founded global gender equality initiative, Keychange and most recently launched the POWER UP initiative to tackle anti-Black racism in music. www.prsfoundation.com
About PPL
Founded in 1934, PPL is the UK music industry’s collective management organisation (CMO) for performers and recording rightsholders. We license recorded music in the UK when it is played in public (bars, nightclubs, shops, offices, etc.) or broadcast (BBC, commercial radio, commercial TV, etc.) and we work to ensure that revenue flows back to both our own members and those of our international partners. These include both independent and major record companies, together with performers ranging from emerging grassroots artists through to established session musicians and globally renowned artists.
PPL’s public performance licensing is carried out on PPL’s behalf by PPL PRS Ltd, the joint venture between PPL and PRS for Music.
Through a network of agreements with other CMOs around the world, we also collect performance rights internationally when music is played overseas in public and used on TV, radio, and some online streaming services, as well as for private copying. International royalties are an increasingly important revenue stream for performers and recording rightsholders.
In 2022, we collected £272.6 million across all of our revenue streams, marking the highest level of revenue in our company’s 89-year history, and distributed money to more than 165,000 performers and recording rightsholders.
About Creative Wales
Creative Wales is an internal agency of the Welsh Government. Our mission is to drive growth across the creative industries, build on existing success and develop new talent and skills –positioning Wales as one of the best places for creative businesses to thrive.
About Arts Council of Northern Ireland
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the lead funding and development agency for the Arts. Our funding enables artists and arts organisations to increase access to the arts across society and deliver great art that is within everyone’s reach. National Lottery-funded arts programmes are bringing communities closer together, tackling prejudice, racism, isolation and mental health and improving emotional wellbeing. www.artscouncil-ni.org (twitter) @ArtsCouncilNI (facebook) \ArtsCouncilNI
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland Lottery Fund distributes a share of the money raised by The National Lottery for good causes.
- Over £30m is raised for good causes every week
- More than 500,000 projects have been funded
- Over £36bn has been raised since the Lottery started
About Liverpool City Region Music Board.
Liverpool City Region Music Board was set up in December 2018 as an independent, sector-led Board, appointed by the LCR Combined Authority Mayor, Steve Rotheram, and supported by Liverpool City Council.
The Liverpool City Region Music Board is responsible for creating and overseeing the LCR Music Industry Development Pilot, a strategy to grow and support the music sector along with its economic and social impact on the city region. It is one of the first such Boards created in the UK.
About Liverpool City Combined Authority
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is the only Combined Authority that has Culture as part of its Devolution agreement.
Support for the PPL Momentum Accelerator programme is part of the wider LCR Music Industry Development Pilot, endorsed and funded by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Strategic Investment Fund (SIF).
The Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) is the key funding tool for promoting economic growth for the Liverpool City Region. It supports the delivery of the city region’s strategic priorities as well as unlocking economic potential and accelerating inclusive growth.
About Culture Liverpool
Culture Liverpool is the Liverpool City Council department which aims to grow the city’s reputation as a cultural and sporting destination, positioning Liverpool as the most exciting place in the UK in which to live, visit, work, study and invest. Through the production and delivery of events, and championing creativity via funded projects across Liverpool City Region, Culture Liverpool pushes boundaries and inspires audiences, ensuring everyone has access to arts and culture. For more information, visit cultureliverpool.co.uk
About Arts Council of Wales
The Arts Council of Wales is the country’s official public body for funding and developing the arts. Every day, people across Wales are enjoying and taking part in the arts. We help to support and grow this activity. We do this by using the public funds that are made available to us by the Welsh Government and by distributing the money we receive as a good cause from the National Lottery. By managing and investing these funds in creative activity, the Arts Council contributes to people’s quality of life and to the cultural, social and economic well-being of Wales.
