Downtown Kayoto, Prima Queen, Reevah, Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18 and Laura Misch among the latest artists to receive PPL Momentum Music Fund support

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PRS Foundation, the UK’s leading charitable funder of new music and talent development, together with PPL, Creative Wales and Arts Council of Northern Ireland, reveal the latest artists that will receive support from the pioneering PPL Momentum Music Fund.

The artists who have been selected by a network of industry experts, are:

ALT BLK ERA – marketing, PR and radio plugger for EP release

Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18 – album recording and promotion

Conchúr White – touring, promotion and video creation

Downtown Kayoto – 3 music videos to support EP release

Laura Misch – Debut UK headline tour

Maruja – recording debut album and vinyl manufacturing

Prima Queen – studio time, recording and production for debut album

Reevah – recording, mixing, mastering and release of sophomore album and tour

Sophie May – recording, production, marketing and touring

Space Afrika – filming production

The Silhouettes Project – touring and promotion

PPL Momentum Music supported Downtown Kayoto said, “The PPL Momentum Music Fund will assist in my goal of building a vital foundation in this current music climate, especially being an artist who is far removed from the capital.”

John Hendrickse, Grants & Programmes Manager at PRS Foundation said: “Huge congratulations to the 11 talented music creators in this latest round of our PPL Momentum Music Fund. It’s fantastic to see 7 of the grantees are women, all woman groups or mixed gender collectives, and 7 of the 11 grantees are based outside of London – including another PPL Momentum Accelerator grantee progressing to a career tipping point where PPL Momentum Music Fund support can get them to that next level. This further demonstrates the wealth of talent from underrepresented genders and across the regions and nations of the UK as well as the evolution of the PPL Momentum Fund since its launch its launch 10 years ago.”

This latest round of PPL Momentum Music Fund grantees is the second in a row to feature a previous PPL Momentum Accelerator supported artist (Downtown Kayoto and in the previous round Chiedu Oraka), highlighting that the targeted approach to supporting talent in Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region and Wales is working.

PPL Momentum Music Fund is targeted support for artists who have reached a crucial tipping point, have a team already in place and at a tipping point ready to take the next step in their careers. PPL Momentum Accelerator funding supports exciting artists with a growing fanbase and who are working to establish a music industry team.

Kate Reilly, Chief Membership and People Officer at PPL, said: “The PPL Momentum Music Fund is going from strength to strength as it celebrates its tenth year, as shown by both the pathways it is creating for new artists coming through, and the breadth of talent it is supporting. Whilst breaking through has never been easy, new music creators face a particular set of challenges at the moment. The team at PPL is dedicated to supporting the development of a sustainable pipeline of new talent into the industry – congratulations to everyone receiving funding in this round.”

Gerwyn Evans, Deputy Director of Creative Wales said: “Once again it is fantastic to see artists from across so many genres receive this vital support from PPL Momentum Music Fund.

“Growing and nurturing artists across every stage of their careers and supporting music venues and businesses in Wales is a key priority for Creative Wales, so it’s vitally important that we work with the PPL Momentum Music Fund who dedicate financial support to accelerate artists and create equal opportunities for those looking to break through.

“The latest recipient in our region is a hugely exciting project. Carwyn Ellis is an esteemed composer and multi-instrumentalist in his own right, having worked with some well-known artists throughout his career. His more recent project with Rio 18 is a unique celebration of the Welsh language soundtracked with South American influences. Recent albums has seen the collective work with international musical talent from across Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, the USA, as well as the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. This funding will help support Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18 with further promotion and album-recording, emphasising just how important it is for artists to get the support they need in order to keep doing amazing work.”

Ciaran Scullion, Head of Music and Opera at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said, “The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is proud to partner with PRS Foundation on PPL Momentum Music Fund, a vital initiative which enables our artists to take that all important next step in the development of their professional music careers.  We are committed to providing valuable, meaningful opportunities for our artists develop and reach their full potential, and this funding programme offers artists not only the opportunity to connect with the UK-wide industry, but also to showcase the tremendous talent that is inherent to Northern Ireland on an international stage.  Congratulations to all the artists taking part in this current round and to Northern Ireland acts, Reevah and Conchúr White, who will benefit greatly from this opportunity.”

Successful applicants from the 3^rd November 2023 deadline will be announced in the coming weeks.  The next deadline to apply for PPL Momentum Music Fund will be in 2024. Applicants can find out more and apply on PRS Foundation’s website.

Managed by PRS Foundation, the PPL Momentum Music Fund awards grants of £5,000-£15,000 using funds from PRS Foundation, PPL, Creative Wales and Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

PPL became headline sponsors of the Momentum Music Fund in February 2020. Since then, 172 talented music creators at tipping points in their careers have received this vital support to break through to the next level. This type of support is crucial for both music creators’ careers and the wider industry as the 10 Years of Momentum Report (2013-23) found. To date, the fund has been transformational with over £5.2 million awarded to artists across the whole of the UK, resulting in:

• Helping to generate £22 million for the UK music industry
• Over 500 artists awarded PPL Momentum Music Fund support
• Creation of 275 albums (including Mercury Prize nominated albums and dozens of top twenty chart placements)
• Support for over 300 UK tours and over 1,600 live dates
• Over 7,300 applications received over 40 funding rounds with a 7% success rate of funds being granted

PRS Foundation and Arts Council England initiated The Momentum Music Fund in 2013. Arts Council England originally established the need for this specific fund and supported the programme from 2013-18.

For a full rundown of all the artists supported so far see: https://prsfoundation.com/funding-support/funding-music-creators/next-steps/ppl-momentum-music-fund/momentum-artists/

Listen to the latest PPL Momentum Music Fund supported artists on the Spotify Momentum playlist.

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