Supporting grassroots music
1
About the grassroots music sector
The engine room of England’s thriving music ecology, the grassroots music sector encompasses a range of organisations including rehearsal and recording studios, venues, festivals, and promoters. These are the places where musicians and music professionals develop their skills and hone their craft, test out new ideas and approaches, and prepare to engage with and develop audiences.
Grassroots music plays a vital role in engaging local as well as national talent, raising aspiration and facilitating the delivery of musical experiences across the country. The music professionals working in this sector are the enablers of talent, their vision and vitality supporting generations of artists to reach and inspire their listeners.
Read on to learn more about how we support grassroots music.
2
Support for grassroots music
Funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as part of the UK Government’s Creative Industries Sector Vision, £5 million has been invested to support Grassroots Music. As part of this, the Supporting Grassroots Music fund specifically supports rehearsal and recording studios, festivals and promoters, as well as venues for live and electronic music performance.
The Supporting Grassroots Music programme is a time limited priority within National Lottery Project Grants. Before starting your application for this time limited priority, please take some time to familiarise yourself with all the relevant guidance documents and information sheets.
The difference made so far
The difference made so far
To ensure our support is addressing the needs of the grassroots live music sector, we commissioned an evaluation of our investment in the Supporting Grassroots Live Music fund (2019-2023). This fund – which was only open to grassroots music venues and promoters – helped inform our design of the current Supporting Grassroots Music programme.
BLOG: Supporting grassroots music
Supporting grassroots music
Claire Mera-Nelson, our Director of Music, explores the Arts Council’s support for grassroots music and the launch of further funding thanks to DCMS.