MinisterMartin announces funding of €896,000 under Music Industry Stimulus Package
184 acts to record singles, EPs and albums with support from this funding announcement
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, today announced funding decisions to support recording by artists under the Music Industry Stimulus Package.
184 musicians/bands are being awarded a total of €896,000 to assist them to record singles, EPs and albums. This support covers a wide range of music genres including rock, indie, jazz, trad, folk, country, classical and electronic.
Minister Martin said “these awards will enable artists to record their work in a year which has been very challenging for performers. The availability of music through recordings has become more important than ever and this support will enable listeners, nationally and internationally, to enjoy some of our finest musicians’ new work.”
There were over 1,400 applications for recording support, which reflects the high demand for support as well as being an indication of the vibrancy of the music sector in Ireland. The total funding for the 2020 Music Industry Stimulus Package of €1.7 million is covering support for 79 song writing camps and 56 new album releases as well as the 184 recording awards announced today.
The Music Industry Support Programme was set up by Minister Martin this year to assist those working in the music industry including musicians, engineers, public relations, media, agents, labels and publishers and to ensure that music can continue to reach a wide audience. The need for support was identified as the cessation of live performances reduced musicians’ incomes and their capacity to invest in developing new material, recording and releasing albums.
This Music Industry Stimulus Package is being managed on behalf of the Department by First Music Contact (FMC). All details of awards will be posted on the FMC website (www.firstmusiccontact.com) .
Minister Martin also said that “given the exceptional number of applications received to the open call for the music support grants this year, I am committed to rolling out more measures in 2021 to help meet the significant demand for support for the music sector.”