PRS Foundation announces new PPL Momentum Accelerator support for talented artists and music industry professionals in Wales
PPL Momentum Accelerator grants of up to £5,000 available for seven artists based in Wales for career support and development, as well as support of up to £2,000 available for two Wales-based future music industry professional. Deadline to apply is 22 August 2022 at 6:00pm.
PRS Foundation, the UK’s leading charitable funder of new music and talent development, announces today a new partnership with Arts Council of Wales to bring the targeted PPL Momentum Accelerator support to talented artists and music industry professionals based in Wales.
PRS Foundation’s PPL Momentum Sbardun | Accelerator will offer grants of up to £5,000 to seven talented Wales-based artists to support their career development. The PPL Momentum Sbardun | Accelerator funding will provide crucial support for exciting artists with a growing fanbase, currently working to establish a music industry team.
Additionally, support of up to £2,000, which might include micro-grants, mentoring or other holistic support, is available to Wales-based future music industry professionals to develop their skills and careers.
PPL Momentum Sbardun | Accelerator follows the recent success of PPL Momentum Accelerator initiatives in the Liverpool City Region since 2019 and Yorkshire since 2020 including English Teacher signing with Island Records, Simeon Walker’s releases being regularly playlisted on Spotify’s New Classical releases and broadcasted on BBC Radio 3, NuTribe performing at Great Escape and Harkin’s album “Honeymoon Suite” receiving critical acclaim in the music press such as Loud & Quiet and DIY.
Artists and industry professionals can find out more information and apply for PPL Momentum Sbardun | Accelerator support via PRS Foundation’s website. The deadline to submit an application is 22 August 2022 at 6:00pm.
Joe Frankland, CEO at PRS Foundation said, “Since the first PPL Momentum Accelerator pilot in 2019, the initiative has been hugely successful across the Liverpool City Region and Yorkshire and it’s fantastic that we are able to bring this targeted support to Wales. It is so important that talented music creators have the opportunity to develop their careers no matter where they are in the UK, and intrinsically linked to this is ensuring industry professionals are able to develop and we can collectively address infrastructure barriers and fill talent development pipeline gaps. There is a huge wealth of talented music creatives across Wales, and I’m looking forward to seeing who applies and receives this vital support in the coming months.”
Becci Scotcher, Senior Grants & Programmes Manager at PRS Foundation said, “We’re delighted to be working with our friends at Arts Council of Wales to offer PPL Momentum Sbardun | Accelerator support for the talented music creators and industry professionals across Wales. This opportunity will enable Welsh artists who are on the way to building their teams and solidifying their place in the music industry – plus individuals building and developing the Welsh industry – to access a vital and timely injection of funds to move their careers forward.”
Lisa Matthews-Jones, Portfolio Manager at Arts Council of Wales said, “We’re happy to be extending our collaborations with PRS Foundation and other partners to address a critical gap in development for artists in Wales, including those working in supporting roles. We hope that this bridges the support available through Horizons Launchpad and PPL Momentum to allow creative talent to access what it needs to prosper.”
Kate Reilly, Chief Membership and People Officer at PPL, said, “We are excited to support the launch of the PPL Momentum Sbardun | Accelerator for Wales. The country is already home to an array of fantastic music artists and professionals, and communities in its towns and cities are busy developing the next generation of great Welsh talents. This accelerator will, in addition to the existing grants available through the PPL Momentum Music Fund, provide additional backing to these early-stage music creators and the professionals that support them, helping them capitalise on their success and continue to develop their careers.”
Bryan Johnson, Head of Artist and Industry Partnerships, Spotify said, “Welsh music has a long and rich history, and we’re proud to be working with the PRS Foundation and Arts Council of Wales to launch the PPL Momentum Accelerator and help hone the talented artists and industry creatives based in Wales. The fund is doing crucial work in helping artists and professionals take that next step of their careers and we’ll look forward to working with them as they develop their skills to produce some incredible music.”
Additionally, the UK-wide PPL Momentum Music fund is available for those artists with a team already in place and at a tipping point, ready to take the next step in their careers. Recent Wales-based PPL Momentum grantees include Adwaith, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Cate Le Bon, Juice Menace and Magugu. The next deadline for PPL Momentum Music support will also be 22 August 2022 at 6:00pm. Find out more on the PRS Foundation website.
Managed by PRS Foundation, the PPL Momentum Music Fund initiative awards grants of £5,000-£15,000 using funds from PRS Foundation, PPL, Creative Wales, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland. Spotify, the official digital partner on the fund, contributes additional funding and a reward package containing exciting promotional opportunities and a close working relationship between Momentum artists and the Spotify team.
From April 2013-March 2020 (Years 1-7), Momentum supported 390 artists and invested over £3.74m into new music. Based on the 5 Years of Momentum Report (2013-18), this means Momentum has:
- Supported more than 225 albums
- Over 260 UK Tours and over 1,400 live dates
- Generated over £18m for the UK music industry and UK economy.
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: http://prsfoundation.com/funding/momentum-music-fund/momentum-artists.
Listen to the latest PPL Momentum supported artists on the Spotify Momentum playlist here.
