Published
Sun, Jul 5, 2020, 22:06
- Music venues, as well as theatres, galleries and museums, will be eligible for grants and loans.
The UK government has announced a £1.57 billion package for arts, culture and heritage industries left reeling by the global pandemic.
At the heart of the "one-off investment in UK culture" is £880 million in grants, available until April 2021, for music venues as well as theatres, heritage sites, museums and galleries, as well as £270 million worth of loans.
Last week saw the launch of the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign, which called on the UK government to do more for the country's music industry. A letter signed by 1500 artists was sent to UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden outlining the disastrous impact of the pandemic on the UK's music scene.
"Until these businesses can operate again, which is likely to be 2021 at the earliest, government support will be crucial to prevent mass insolvencies, and the end of this great world-leading industry," the letter stated.
We'll update this post with further details on the government package when we have them.
Read reaction from various UK promoters and venue workers here.
Update, July 8th: The Scottish venues, promoters, festivals and other industry workers have come together to form a taskforce to ensure that the wide-range of arts and cultural groups are eligible for support, Complete Music Update reports.
Photo credit: Luke Mellor