Creative Producers highlighted in new Award for Live Music

30 June 2015 - Press release

The Arts Foundation and PRS for Music Foundation are teaming up to launch a new £10,000 fellowship aimed at independent producers working behind the scenes in live music. The award is part of a new three-year partnership between the Arts Foundation and PRS for Music Foundation which will support exceptional individuals with imaginative approaches to developing new music in the UK.
 
The applicants, who have to be resident in the UK, will be nominated by experts working in or across any musical genre including Jazz, Opera, Folk, Pop, Electronica and beyond. The shortlist will be revealed in Autumn with the final winner announced at the Arts Foundation Awards on the 28th January 2016.
 
Seen by some as akin to curating in the visual arts, the role of independent producing is vital in its support of artist development and, the way new music is offered to an audience. Independent producers contribute to institutions’ programmes creating new platforms, spaces and curatorial frames for new music along with projects that they themselves conceive and make happen.
 
Composers whose work is multi-media, multi-disciplinary, theatrical or installation based often need to work with a producer if they are going to be able to raise the funds, put the production of their work together and reach their target audiences. Alternatively, some artists are stepping into independent producing, alongside their lives as performers and composers. Although they do not always identify themselves as independent producers they can often bring great creativity to the process.

The  £10,000 fellowship is not a commission but to be used to pay for living and working expenses, allowing the producer, who must show a track record in the art form, breathing space in order to further their practice. All shortlisted artists will receive £1,000.
 
Vanessa Reed, Executive Director of PRS for Music Foundation said:
“People often say that the best creative producers in live music are invisible – they work behind the scenes, with artists, promoters and venues to find the most imaginative way to present new music in its many different forms. PRS for Music Foundation is supporting this award to raise awareness of these important practitioners whilst giving one winner time and resources to further develop their unique talent.  I’m sure that the shortlist for this award will be very strong.”
 
Shelley Warren, Director of the Arts Foundation said :
“We are delighted that PRS for Music Foundation have committed to supporting artists through our fellowship scheme. Our shared belief of nurturing innovation while easing the financial pressures inherent in our daily lives has been a key factor in the development of many of our fellows’ practices.”
 
This award supported by PRS for Music Foundation joins five other £10,000 Arts Foundation fellowships in Literary Translation, Art in the Urban Space, Jewellery Design, Children’s Theatre and Materials Innovation.