The Arts Council England (ACE) CEO was responding to criticism by BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor, who accused him of being ‘ill-informed and out of touch’ for saying the music industry did not do enough to support new talent.
In an original interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, which focused on the launch of the new ACE-backed Momentum Fund to support emerging talent, Davey said that major labels were guilty of wanting ‘talent to be delivered to them ready made … they’re not prepared to take a long period of time investing in talent’.
However, in a blog post on the ACE website, Davey clarified his comments. He emphasised the importance of the music business to the ‘cultural vitality’ of the UK and explained that ACE research showed that while ‘considerable investment in talent was clearly going on, it appeared to be getting harder and harder for emerging talent to progress’.
He continued: ‘I respect the music industry in this country - it’s populated by many talented people who have weathered many storms. I give it a large part of my disposable income every month. I know they invest hugely in the acts they nurture and support and will continue to do so. It's their life blood.
‘But I also hope that ACE, having listened to the industry, can play a role in continuing its extraordinary success. Raw emerging talent needs to be given the chance to survive and develop to the next stage, just as it does in classical music, dance, theatre and the visual arts. This is what we do. So I'm proud to launch the Momentum Music Fund for popular music.’
The Momentum Fund was launched by ACE and PRS for Music Foundation to offer £500,000 worth of funding to develop the careers of emerging UK artists and songwriters.
In an original interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, which focused on the launch of the new ACE-backed Momentum Fund to support emerging talent, Davey said that major labels were guilty of wanting ‘talent to be delivered to them ready made … they’re not prepared to take a long period of time investing in talent’.
However, in a blog post on the ACE website, Davey clarified his comments. He emphasised the importance of the music business to the ‘cultural vitality’ of the UK and explained that ACE research showed that while ‘considerable investment in talent was clearly going on, it appeared to be getting harder and harder for emerging talent to progress’.
He continued: ‘I respect the music industry in this country - it’s populated by many talented people who have weathered many storms. I give it a large part of my disposable income every month. I know they invest hugely in the acts they nurture and support and will continue to do so. It's their life blood.
‘But I also hope that ACE, having listened to the industry, can play a role in continuing its extraordinary success. Raw emerging talent needs to be given the chance to survive and develop to the next stage, just as it does in classical music, dance, theatre and the visual arts. This is what we do. So I'm proud to launch the Momentum Music Fund for popular music.’
The Momentum Fund was launched by ACE and PRS for Music Foundation to offer £500,000 worth of funding to develop the careers of emerging UK artists and songwriters.
