PRS for Music Foundation unveils Momentum Music Fund successes at Liverpool Sound City

20 May 2015 - Press release

Details published of how artists have benefitted from landmark Arts Council England fund - series of videos launched with Ghostpoet case study - http://youtu.be/iPKTe6GCxVU
 Over two years, Momentum supported 68 of England’s most talented artists - helping fund 46 new albums and over 50 UK tours
 Panel discussion at Liverpool Sound City to feature artists Becky Hawley (Stealing Sheep), FEMME and Andy Rossiter (manager for LoneLady)

At this year’s Liverpool Sound City conference, PRS for Music Foundation will detail for the first time how the landmark Momentum Music Fund is benefitting  artists across the country.  

Launched in May 2013, the Arts Council England initiative, which is managed by PRS for Music Foundation, supported 68 of this country’s most talented bands and artists in its first two years - providing career-boosting grants of between £5,000 and £15,000 to English-based acts at a crucial time in their professional development.

During that period, Momentum has helped fund 46 albums and more than 50 UK tours, alongside a range of creative and promotional activities - investing more than £500,000 into artist development.

In total, more than 1,600 applications were received, with 632 being considered by revolving panels of industry experts. The unprecedented demand and an increasingly high standard of application was recognised by Arts Council England and PRS for Music Foundation who both doubled investment for 2015-16.

Successful applicants for Momentum funding include acts going on to gain significant critical and commercial acclaim, as well as nominees for the Mercury Music Prize, the Brit Awards and the BBC Sound Of… shortlist, including Adult Jazz, Andreya Triana, All We Are, Bo Ningen, East India Youth, Floating Points, Ghostpoet, Lapsley, Lonely The Brave, PINS, Smiler, Stealing Sheep and Years & Years.

From those completing post-grant evaluations, more than 80% stated that they would not have achieved their goals without Momentum support. Among the notable successes are:

Andreya Triana: signed to Ninja Tunes offshoot Counter Records, Momentum helped fund recording of Andreya’s breakthrough second album Giants - leading to appearances on Later with Jools and The One Show.
Bear’s Den: Momentum funded the London-based trio’s debut album Islands (Communion Records), featuring the Ivor Novello nominated song Above The Clouds Of Pompeii
Ghostpoet: The former Mercury-nominee received funding for his third album, Shedding Skin (PIAS). Marking a change in creative direction and recorded with a live band, the result was unanimous critical acclaim and Ghostpoet’s highest chart placing yet.  
Max Cooper: Championed by the likes of FACT and The Quietus, electronic producer Max used Momentum funding to release, tour and promote three singles and his debut album Human - taking his groundbreaking 4D sound show on the road and going on to secure a publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis.
LoneLady: Preceding the release of her second album, Hinterland (Warp Records) Momentum funded UK tour dates for LoneLady (aka Julie Campbell). Earlier this month, Julie was nominated for The Times’ Breakthrough Award at the forthcoming South Bank Sky Arts Awards.
Stealing Sheep: Signed to Heavenly Recordings, the Liverpool three-piece were funded for studio time in preparation for their second self-produced album Not Real. Vocalist/keyboardist Becky Hawley will join a panel discussion about Momentum at Liverpool Sound City.
East India Youth: With Momentum funding to advance the audio-visual elements of his stage show, East India Youth graduated to sell-out live dates and a Mercury-nominated album with Total Strife Forever (Stolen Recordings).    

To better explain how Momentum works a series of monthly artist case study videos is also being launched today, starting with Ghostpoet discussing the funding of his latest album Shedding Skin (see here). It is accompanied by two further videos About Momentum and How To… offering applicants advice ahead of the next deadline of June 2nd.      

See here: http://prsformusicfoundation.com/Funding/Momentum-Music-Fund/Success-Stories/ for detailed case studies and artist quotes  

Speaking about Momentum’s evolution, Vanessa Reed, Executive Director of PRS for Music Foundation said:

“The Momentum Music Fund was born from a widespread concern that challenging financial circumstances were preventing some of this England’s most talented artists and bands from realising their full potential.

“Two years on, it is now increasingly clear that Momentum is having a profound impact - giving invaluable creative space for artists to innovate and push on. With the continued support of Arts Council England, I am certain that we can build on these successes and help even greater numbers in the future.”  

Sir Peter Bazalgette, Chair, Arts Council England, said:

“Through this fund we have been able to remove some of the financial barriers that prevent artists in the contemporary popular music sector from progressing and reaching their full potential. Momentum enables the next generation of musical talent to showcase their work to the widest possible audience and take that all important next step in their career.”

Alison Wenham, Chair & Chief Executive of AIM added:   

“The Momentum Fund has provided an invaluable injection of that most precious and elusive resource, money, into helping many artists’ careers flourish. It is wonderful to see the UK’s music scene enlivened by such a diverse range of artists who have benefitted from the Momentum Fund. The vast majority of these artists are signed to independent record companies, so labels are also benefitting from a fund that supports career-defining albums and shows. At a time when traditional investors are hard to find, the Momentum Fund has helped both artists and labels to achieve their potential.”

A panel discussion “The Momentum Music Fund - The Story So Far” will take place at Liverpool Sound City on Friday 22nd May at 1.45pm- moderated by XFM’s Mike Walsh and featuring speakers Laura Bettinson (aka FEMME), Andy Rossiter (manager for LoneLady), Becky Hawley (Stealing Sheep) and Joe Frankland (PRS for Music Foundation).

A Momentum Showcase, featuring four acts supported by the fund, will follow on Saturday 23rd May at 8pm on Liverpool Sound City’s Cavern Stage - with performances by Attaque, FEMME, LoneLady and All We Are.

A full evaluation of the Momentum Music Fund is to be published in summer 2015.