Irish government announces €500,000 fund to support grassroots music venues
Ireland’s government has set up a new €500,000 fund to support grassroots music venues.
Venues with a capacity of 500 or less with a “strong track record” of programming grassroots music events are eligible for the scheme, and can apply for a grant of up to €15,000, with the minimum set at €5,000. Only one application can be made per venue.
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Funding can be used to cover costs such as artist booking fees, production and crew such as sound and lightning technicians, PR, advertising ticketing, specialist equipment hire, health and safety, security, event insurance, intellectual property and late licence fees.
Examples of costs funding cannot be used for include purchasing equipment or instruments, structural changes, and staff costs for those on contract of service.
Other eligibility requirements are that events must be ticketed, start no earlier than 6:PM, and all musicians and freelance crew must be paid. There is no minimum or maximum number of events that can be held, You can read the full list of requirements here.
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Announced by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, applications for the scheme are open now and will close at 12:PM on May 15 (or until the fund is exhausted, whichever occurs first.)
It aims to nurture grassroots music infrastructure, invigorate the night-time economy with a more diverse cultural offering, showcase musicians who perform and write original material, and provide employment opportunities in the night-time economy for production staff and crew who depend on events.
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Earlier this year, a study from nightlife campaigners Give Us The Night showed that the number of nightclubs in Ireland declined by almost 25% in five years.
At the scheme announcement event, the Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan said: “Grassroots music venues are an integral part of the music ecosystem in Ireland and are vital to our communities. I want to support these venues so they can give opportunities to new and emerging artists and give them spaces to perform, develop their skills, and build their audiences. Many of the big acts that we see today in large arenas, started their careers performing in grassroots venues, so it is important that we support these venues to allow them to continue to provide these much needed opportunities for up and coming musicians and DJs.”
Venues can apply for funding here.
