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Arts Council England yesterday, 13 November, opened a commissioned grant application for one organisation to deliver a small grants scheme for early to mid-career musicians in the contemporary popular sector.

We are aware that changes to the recording industry, particularly following the development of digital technology, mean that investment in talent development is more limited than it once was. We are therefore investing £500,000 from April 2013 until March 2015 to pilot this scheme, which will provide support to the most distinctive emerging artists to develop their potential in the commercial music industry.

The small grants scheme will focus on artistic quality and distinctiveness and aims to test a working model for supporting distinctive artistic talent while giving us a clearer understanding of artist development needs in the commercial music industry.

Helping artists reach their potential

Alan Davey, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said: 'Through this fund, we hope that we can remove some of the financial barriers that prevent artists in the contemporary popular music sector from progressing and reaching their full potential.
 
'The music industry in this country is world renowned for its quality and originality. But we can't afford to be complacent, and we all need to work together to ensure that talent can find its way and artists continue to flourish, despite recent changes.

'We look forward to working with the successful applicant and supporting them to deliver a small grants scheme which is responsive to the needs of artists in this fast paced and ever changing industry.'

The successful applicant will be announced in January 2013.

Find out more  and apply for the Music industry talent development fund commissioned grant.

Find out more about how we support Talent development.