New fund launched to support touring artists in the UK
A new fund has been launched to support UK-based touring artists.
Established in collaboration between the Musician’s Union, the Music Managers Forum and the Featured Artists Coalition, The UK Artist Touring Fund has been launched to help artists overcome the “cost of touring crisis” and apply for financial aid to undertake grassroots-level shows.
Open to solo acts, bands and DJs, the project will be part-funded by the UK government’s new LIVE Trust, a voluntary scheme that asks large-scale events and arena shows to apply a £1 ticket levy to support grassroots music.
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In January, a study from Ditto Music revealed that 84% of UK-based independent artists can’t afford to tour, 62.2% of the musicians surveyed said they have turned down tour opportunities “solely due to financial reasons.”
“’We are delighted to partner with the FAC to ensure that touring artists, and the backing musicians who perform with them, are funded to do what they do best,” said Naomi Pohl, General Secretary, Musician’ Union.
“The past five years have been extremely difficult for musicians due to COVID and the rising cost of touring, both within the UK and overseas. We want to make sure there is clear and transparent access to support, not only for those who book and platform artists, but for artists themselves and the huge teams they employ.”
While Music Managers Forum CEO Anabella Coldrick said: “The MMF is very excited to be backing the FAC’s fund to directly support grassroots artist touring.”
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“So many artists and their managers work unpaid on loss-making tours for many years in the hope of growing a fanbase, developing their live performance and creating long term careers,” she continues. “They are having to make tough financial decisions to make ends meet, and in many cases artists play many fewer dates than they would like around the UK due to the upfront costs of touring.”
“The FAC’s new UKAT Fund will act as an essential part of the LIVE Trust distribution process so that managers have an open and transparent mechanism in which to apply for touring support on behalf of their artists and ensure everyone is fairly paid for their work on these tours. We look forward to the fund being operational in the coming weeks and months as it is so urgently needed.”
For more info on the UKATF and to apply, click here.
Megan Townsend is Mixmag’s Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter
