Since 2013, the Fund has supported 375 artists with £3.7 million pounds, nine of whom have been nominated for the Mercury Prize. 160 albums have been associated with Fund, while 260 UK tours have been made possible.
PPL has been a core partner for the Fund since 2017, providing vital financial support and industry expertise whilst working collaboratively with PRS Foundation on joint events and promotional activities to engage with potential applicants across the UK.
Peter Leathem, chief executive officer, PPL, said: ‘We are very proud to be putting our name to the Momentum Music Fund, a scheme that, since 2013, has supported some of the most inspirational rising talents in the UK. Seeing these acts produce work of such high quality, with the help of PRS Foundation, has encouraged us to become increasingly involved with the Fund. We cannot wait to see the work that funded artists will produce in the future, and we thank PRS Foundation, all of the Fund’s supporters, and, most importantly, the artists themselves for helping to make the Fund what it is today.’
Joe Frankland, chief executive officer, PRS Foundation, said: ‘We’re delighted that PPL has increased support for Momentum. This is a strong endorsement of the ground-breaking Fund and the impact it has had over the past 7 years. We’ve enjoyed working closely with the PPL team through industry funds and events, and this feels like a natural next step to accelerate the careers of shared PPL and PRS for Music members across the UK.’
Stuart Clarke, manager of the momentum-funded band Sports Team, said: ‘The Momentum Music Fund was an invaluable tool for us at an early stage of Sports Team’s career, enabling us to scale things up around the project while keeping the band independent. It’s fantastic news that PPL is increasing its support for this essential fund.’
In addition to the PPL Momentum Music Fund, PPL also supports PRS Foundation’s International Showcase Fund, which provides grants of up to £5,500 to help export-ready UK artists perform abroad at music industry-facing festivals and conferences and increase their audience globally.
The next deadline for applications to the PPL Momentum Music Fund is 10 February 2020 via the PRS Foundation website.
