BPI announces further financial support for struggling artist and live music communities

BPI, the governing body for UK music, has announced a second round of donations to support the artist and live music communities affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

• Read more: “It’s a bizarre spot for everyone to be in”: how you can help musicians whose income is in peril thanks to coronavirus

An official press release stated that “donations totaling nearly £270,000, co-ordinated by the BPI, will go to a range of causes from this second round of funding that will help to sustain artists and musicians, artist managers and grassroots music venues that are most in need.”

The financial support comes from funds previously provided by major record labels Sony Music Entertainment UK, Universal Music UK, Warner Music UK, and independents Cherry Red and Demon Music Group, as well as by The BRIT Awards, Amazon Music, PPL, and YouTube Music, who have since added to the fund with a significant contribution.

Geoff Taylor, chief executive of BPI and the BRIT Awards, said of the second round of donations: “Record labels and music companies have been individually helping those across the music community most affected by the Covid-19 emergency, but they also recognise the value of working collectively.

ICYMI: This morning we announced a second round of donations by the recorded music sector and streaming music platforms, coordinated by the BPI, to help support the music community, including @NordoffRobbins1, @musicvenuetrust and more.

Read more: https://t.co/mKqlWz6SWS pic.twitter.com/Yiqrsraxe4

— BPI (@bpi_music) August 11, 2020

“These further donations aimed at helping artists, managers and venues, which come on top of substantial donations already made to Help Musicians and the Music Venues Trust, underline the sector’s solidarity with all those affected and will hopefully help to make a difference as we work together to bring the industry through this crisis.

He added: “We thank the organisations that have donated, including a generous new contribution from YouTube Music.”

According to the press release, “close to £60,000” will go to each of Help Musicians, Nordoff Robbins, and the Music Venue Trust, while mental wellbeing and addictions charity Music Support will receive nearly £30,000 to help fund its NHS-approved Thrive app.

Separately, the Music Managers Forum (MMF) Rebuild Project will receive just under £60,000 funded directly by The BRIT Awards.

The press release added that the total value of overall donations made by the recorded sector and its music partners to date now stands at around £1,620,000, and that “further residual funds still to be apportioned.”

This second wave of financial support comes after the recorded music sector donated £1.25 million to the Help Musicians Coronavirus Hardship Fund back in April, alongside a previously unannounced £100,000 donation, made possible by Amazon Music, that went to the Music Venues Trust.

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