NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM
The national charity Youth Music has announced details of a new £2million fund to promote diversity and inclusion in the music industry.
The charity, which invests in music projects to support young people, announced plans for its new Incubation Fund in a newly published report.
Across two years, the Incubator Fund will be backed by the People’s Postcode Lottery, will offer grants of up to £30,000 to music industry employers to support the careers of people aged 18-25.
“The existing music industry model is broken and there’s a new one up for grabs,” Matt Griffiths, CEO of Youth Music said. “We must use the upheaval and challenges of 2020 as a springboard to hit reset on the music industry and fling open the doors. There’s never been a better time to map and follow a blueprint for the future and prioritise what’s truly important.
Our #BlueprintForTheFuture report highlights inequalities in the music industry.
Find out how your organisation can drive change alongside 18-25s: https://t.co/Sml3mVFsVg pic.twitter.com/G3QAZ3TqcO
— Youth Music (@youthmusic) July 8, 2020
“For more than two decades, Youth Music has invested in music education projects nationwide supporting the next generation of young musicians. But time and time again, we’ve witnessed a stifling of young talent as career aspirations are cut short by unnecessary barriers and discrimination.
“Music has always been a force for inclusion and revolution, helping us imagine a better future. This seminal moment presents us with a real opportunity to not only reflect but to act. We know there’s a deep desire for transformation across the grassroots of the music industries. By working together, individually and collectively, we can create the change that’s being loudly called for.”
The report can be accessed in full here.
It comes days after it was confirmed that the UK government will fund the UK’s arts, culture and heritage industries with £1.57billion to help them “weather the impact of coronavirus”.
The support package, which was announced last week (July 5), will provide music venues, independent cinemas, museums, galleries, theatres and heritage sites with emergency grants and loans.
The money marks the biggest one-off investment in UK culture and follows other measures taken to help companies, institutions and organisations survive during the pandemic, including loans, business rate holidays and the coronavirus job retention scheme. According to a press release, as well as helping businesses to survive, it will “help support employment, including freelancers working in these sectors”.
The post Youth Music launches £2 million fund to promote diversity in the music industry appeared first on NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM.
