Funding for Music Industry Development

Transcription

1 Arts Council of Wales Funding for Music Industry Development Draft proposals for consultation November 2011

2 Arts Council of Wales is committed to making information available in large print, braille, audio and British Sign Language and will endeavor to provide information in languages other than Welsh or English on request. Arts Council of Wales operates an equal opportunities policy.

3 Funding for Music Industry Development Draft proposals for consultation 1. Introduction 1.1 Our Artform Strategy for Music sets out a clear ambition to support the development of Music across a full range genres and activity. We re committed to fostering a dynamic creative culture within which our musical traditions are respected and renewed, new expression is encouraged to flourish and where more people have the opportunity to enjoy and take part in high quality musical activity. 1.2 We value musical diversity in Wales, and our strategy needs to be open and responsive to the dramatically changing world of music, its makers and audiences. From rock and pop to world music, from jazz to classical from traditional to contemporary, our strategy looks for the best ways that we can be involved with the rich variety of musical worlds in Wales. We re also committed to making this music more visible and heard. 1.3 In 2010 we undertook a fundamental review of our funding to arts organisations across Wales our Investment Review. We published the outcomes of the Investment Review in our strategy document, Renewal and Transformation. Renewal and Transformation (published in June 2010) acknowledged the extent of our music investment that is channelled into opera and classical music (with lesser sums distributed across a number of other genres. We said we wished to address this by finding a credible and practical approach to music industry development. 1.4 Working with the Welsh Music Foundation through the establishment of the Cerdd Cymru : Music Wales partnership we have secured the major international world music trade fair, WOMEX for Wales. WOMEX will be hosted in Cardiff and will provide a focal point for a wider series of music industry initiatives. 1.5 Individual Creative Wales grants have supported music artists with change and development into new areas of work. And we ve supported the workshops and festival activity of the first Merthyr Rocks and the showcasing activities for musicians in Glasgow, Lorient and further afield. Our Investment Review confirmed continued revenue funding for 1

4 the activities of Community Music Wales and trac Music Traditions Wales in our portfolio. 1.6 From April 2012 one of our Lottery priorities will be the support of more diverse aspects of music making. We are particularly interested in more dynamic links between the creation of music and the music industry itself. 1.7 Given the scale and complexity of the music industry, the appropriate point of public sector intervention isn t always clear. We certainly shouldn t be spending public money where it s not needed, where the market can sustain an activity without compromising its artistic integrity. Neither should our funding be seen as the panacea that will cushion the industry from the rapid pace of change that we re currently seeing. 1.8 So as part of a wider interest in the creative industries we re interested in exploring three areas of activity: creative workspaces for individual artists and embryonic businesses; encouraging those who produce original content to gain the maximum commercial benefit from their investment; and, working with partners to establish appropriate mechanisms for providing training and business support. These ambitions provide the context within which we present this consultation paper. 1.9 This consultation sets out our current thinking about the Music Industry Development Fund that we re proposing to introduce. We re now asking you for your views. We ve pooled ideas from a number of sources. We ve drawn on our current partnership work with Welsh Music Foundation and have taken further soundings from our National Advisers and organisations such as trac Music Traditions Wales, Tŷ Cerdd Music Centre Wales, Community Music Wales and Creative and Cultural Skills. They have all contributed to both the shaping of the criteria and what we want to achieve through this funding We re now in a position to consult more broadly. The closing date for consultation responses is 25 January

5 2. What do we want to fund? 2.1 In recent times, the music infrastructure has been changing. In the industry in general, there s now less support available from record labels the historic funders of talent development. Where separate businesses, such as labels and publishers, exist in Wales, they re looking for new ways of creating revenue so that they can continue their investment in artists. With less money in the sales of recordings, labels are often waiting longer to sign more developed artists. Nurture of early talent must often come from elsewhere, often the artist themselves. 2.2 To this end, a musician is now often their own production and supply chain, using the services that have developed using digital technology to replace what was traditionally the functions of a series of separate businesses. As well as music enterprises adapting to market changes, many musicians have to develop their own portfolio careers around their music making. We recognise that the current music business requires us to work with individuals that have portfolio careers. These are musicians whose income comes from working in more than one area be it performing, writing, recording as well as from non-musical sources. 2.3 Whether investing in musicians, business enterprises or both, support is often needed. Our proposed Music Industry Development Fund should be encouraging musicians to be entrepreneurial, allowing them access to the skills, networks and marketing this sector needs. The fund could also be used to support music enterprises looking at innovative ways to create revenue, and continue their investment in artists and talent development. We want the new Fund to have a specific brief and to invest in the development of professional performance opportunities, investment in musicians, composers, promoters, research, training and business mentoring and other services and support to the sector 2.4 There s also an increasing need to exploit work and to retain intellectual property within Wales. We hope to contribute to a more sustainable market environment for our professional musicians and their development, with the attendant public benefit which would flow from this. 2.5 We examined carefully at the current gaps in our funding. We ve also looked at who s been benefiting through our individual grants awards. By doing this, we ve been able to characterise the kind of musician(s) and or organisations that we feel our funding might best be aimed at. 3

6 These might be Wales-based music creators with strong track records enterprises investing in new music from Wales those who create or commission challenging and original music those wanting to develop innovative ways of promoting music from Wales to audiences those looking for ways to take their music to an international audience or their enterprise to an international market those wanting to develop their skills and knowledge to enable them to make a sustainable living from music. 2.6 Given the relative weight of our investment in orchestral provision and opera, we expect to attach priority to musicians and music enterprises working in other genres. Those in full time education will not be eligible to apply to this funding strand. 2.7 We believe that there s a need to grow the music industry in Wales. So the criteria for this funding are based around support for music industry development, as opposed to purely music creation. That said, we d consider funding the creation of new music but only if there are credible plans to promote and distribute it. Do you agree with our analysis of professional music industry sector needs? What other aspects would you highlight as characterising the current music scene and barriers to development in Wales? 4

7 3. Funding criteria 3.1 We expect that a large number of musicians and organisations will want to apply to us for support. It s therefore essential that we re clear about the criteria that we d use to inform the choices that we ll make. We re only interested the best and most promising artists those with artistic product of high quality, who are enterprising and well managed. (Below we set out our proposals for the specific criteria we d use to reach a judgement.) 3.2 We ll expect artists and others active in the music industry applying to us for support to provide evidence of the way they fulfil the following criteria. The criteria are not weighted. We d expect applicants to provide responses to all of the areas set out below that they comnsider to be of relevance to their plans. The headings in bold below form the core of the information to be requested in our application form. 3.3 Music of high quality Quality counts. And as in every aspect of creative endeavour, the higher the quality of music, the more likely that an artist will succeed. Therefore, we believe that we should support Wales-based musicians who can demonstrate a strong or rapidly evolving track record. We re looking for artists who are committed to their work artists who aren t just swayed by short-term rewards, but who are prepared to put in the hard miles to create that hard won breakthrough. So our funding should be seen as providing support at a critical tipping point rather than a starting point for artists. 3.4 New music from Wales It s important for us to acknowledge the work of living musicians and those creating new and challenging work. In doing so we d want to support applications from organisations wishing to invest in musicians by commissioning new work. This funding will support musicians of calibre to create great work and to get it appreciated by larger audiences. 3.5 Music promotion Good, imaginative promotion and ways of developing and engaging audiences are vital to ensure that the work of our best musicians reaches audiences across Wales and further afield. 5

8 3.6 International audiences The world has become one potential big market therefore a small nation like Wales should aim to make a big impression on international audiences. We could consider supporting music enterprises wishing to break into international markets by attending showcase events where they can make a business case for such presence. Artists could be supported pending on the nature of the invitation they receive and the prestige or standing of a particular showcase and the business case they can provide which targets more sustainable careers as a result of such presence. 3.7 Skills and knowledge In our experience, there s a fundamental deficit of skills among Welsh musicians. This isn t necessarily in artistic terms, but often in knowledge and understanding of the Music Business. Our funding could seek to remedy this. Having the talent is the essential pre-requisite to a successful career in music. But these days, business skills are also essential to becoming a professional musician making a sustainable living from music. Support under this heading could be for mentoring or particular aspects of music management development for individuals, collectives or for the sector more generally. Do you agree with these criteria as the basis for funding decisions? 6

9 4. The types of support we can consider 4.1 We acknowledge that musicians will follow a variety of routes to the fulfilment of their career ambitions. Applications for small-scale projects require quick turnaround times in order to allow musicians to respond to situations and significant opportunities that appear at short notice. This might mean performing at major showcasing events or being offered studio time to produce a new body of work. We believe that this discretionary level of activity can be supported with a modest level of funding. 4.2 Applications for larger projects requiring significant levels of investment suggest longer lead-in times and as a result longer turnaround times. For a structural approach to developing the Music Industry in Wales, we would expect to see a high degree of working in partnership showing evidence of direct contact with major networks. We would also need to see evidence of partnership funding as to be able to assess the Arts Council s contribution to a larger funding package. 4.3 In responding to need, we re keen to examine how awards might be used in a different way. Applicants could be asked to specify which type of award would best suit their particular needs (repayable grant, guarantee against loss etc). Ultimately, however, the eventual award would in the hands of the decision panel. 4.4 We could consider support for: research and development initiatives for example into the development of rehearsal rooms in areas that lack suitable facilities. an audience and artist development programme which gives young people access to live music new promoters to upscale their activity empowering established promoters and venues to curate their own concert programmes an international showcase for talent buyers to view the most important artists from Wales 7

10 activity which springboards musicians and industry professionals into new areas of opportunity developing use of digital technology for the creation and distribution of work capital expenditure up to 2,000 for equipment deemed essential to the proposed project the creation and commissioning of new and challenging work for public consumption recording but coupled to plans for distribution in any format and within clear artistic parameters the longer term development of any activity described above over a two or three year period 4.5 Support for funding cycles over more than one financial year must demonstrate: a high degree of development over the period, or the need to prepare for the creation of major new projects over an extended period of time evidence of planning cycles involving advanced contractual commitments. 4.6 We ll review the outcomes of the scheme in three years to measure its success against aims and objectives. Do you agree that we have identified the kind of activity which This funding should support? 8

11 5. Assessment and decision-making 5.1 Applications will be assessed by Arts Council of Wales officers, supported by the Senior Music Officer, and a panel comprising National Advisers, the Welsh Music Foundation and co-opted expertise from the music industry where appropriate. 5.2 Assessment will be based on a clear set of criteria informed by this consultation process. Additionally, evidence of peer review will help us decide which applications to prioritise for financial support. 5.3 We suggest that the funding is divided into two levels one below 5,000 for small-scale projects requiring a quick decision which would be open to application at any time, and one for applications above 5,001 which would be considered quarterly. In the initial three years of the operation of this funding we would propose a maximum cap on any application of 50,000 in a given financial year. We would consider applications which extended over a three year period of activity but with the per annum cap of 50, In some cases, the panel may choose to offer different types of funding such as grant loans or investment with agreed return, with their decision made according to the nature of proposed projects. 9

12 6. Conclusion 6.1 We d welcome your views on this document. Although we re seeking views on three specific questions, we d be happy to receive any other comments in relation to the Music Industry Development funding strand. 6.2 The closing date for consultation is 25 January Please send responses to response@artswales.org.uk. Alternatively, you may write to us at the following address: The Arts Council of Wales Bute Place Cardiff CF10 5AL Please mark the envelope Consultation Response 10