Bands get funding to make it abroad

Funding...for Slow Club

FOURTEEN UK music acts will receive government funding to help support international touring and promotion including Slow Club, Metronomy and Band Of Skulls.

Trade Minister Lord Livingston this week announced details of the second round of the Music Export Growth Scheme as many prepare to set off on the summer festival circuit.

Acts from a range of genres and from up and down the country will share a £250,000 pot.

Bo Ningen, Charli Taft, Christian Gregory, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Julia Biel, Lulu James, Savage Messiah, Skinny Lister, Smoke Fairies, Transition and Young Fathers are the other acts to get the help.

A spokesman for Slow Club said: "We've toured America a few times now but it's an expensive business and making it work can sometimes be difficult. Being able to head there again is really exciting."

Here comes the science bit...

The Music Export Growth Scheme was set up by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) to help small and medium-sized independent music companies promote their artists overseas as part of wider Government efforts to get another 100,000 businesses exporting. 

The decision to allocate funding to a specific campaign was taken by a panel of music industry experts, independently chaired by John Kennedy OBE, with advice and guidance from BPI, UKTI, the Association of Independent Music (AIM), the Music Managers Forum (MMF), and representatives from some of the UK’s leading independent record labels.

Kennedy said: "Yet again demand for funds far exceeded our ability to fund, which shows how important the monies are, but also means that the chosen projects have a responsibility to deliver on their promise as that will help the industry as a whole."

The Scheme, funded by UKTI, will make up to £2.5million of grants available over a two-and-a-half year period.  It was announced in October 2013 at 10 Downing Street meeting chaired by Prime Minister David Cameron.

The next round of funding will be open for submissions on Monday, May 12th. Full details can be found at www.bpi.co.uk/export-scheme.aspx