skip to main content

Top-up Payments to Coronavirus Hardship Fund Grants

We’re making a top-up payment of £100 to previously successful applicants to our Coronavirus Hardship Fund this month.

Published: 18 June 2020 | 12:00 AM Updated: 28 April 2021 | 4:31 PM
Man in a mask playing guitar in front of a laptop
The MU Coronavirus Hardship Fund provides small grants for the urgent relief of musicians in genuine financial hardship.

Applicants that received an initial payment of £200 from the fund are being contacted and given the choice as to whether they need the additional top-up payment or not. If not, their proposed payment will remain in the fund to support other musicians in due course.

MU members who have not yet applied to the Coronavirus Hardship Fund are still able to apply for a £200 grant as and when they need it.

Thank you to PPL for their donations of £200,000 which have made this top-up payment possible.

Summer of Live Festival

We’re launching the Summer of Live Online Festival this Sunday, 21 June. The inaugural event being hosted by Shell Zenner, radio presenter, producer and DJ, and featuring the talents of Penfriend, Jack Curley, Prima and Kinkai.

The event is being organised to raise money for our Coronavirus Hardship Fund, which distributes money directly to musicians in immediate financial difficulties.

Find out more.

Get MU membership today

From gig players to part-time teachers and professional instrumentalists, MU members can access specialist insurance for musicians. This includes Public Liability, Instrument and Equipment Insurance, Accident Insurance, Tax Investigation Insurance, and Professional Indemnity Insurance for music teachers.

Explore our member services

  • Get public liability insurance for musicians
  • Access expert legal support
  • Be represented in your profession
  • Access expert career advice, resources, and training events
  • Connect, network, and get to know the community of musicians

Learn about all membership benefits

Get MU membership today

Continue reading

Three people sitting on a long sofa being filmed for BBC Breakfast.

MU Tackles Busking Bans on BBC Breakfast

MU Assistant General Secretary Matt Wanstall spoke to BBC Breakfast about busking bans in cities across England following the introduction of a PSPO in Coventry.

Published: 24 September 2026

Read more about MU Tackles Busking Bans on BBC Breakfast
Close up of a large, red, closed theatre safety curtain, lit up by stage lights.

Right to Work Changes and Deputies: MU Seeking Urgent Legal Clarification

Concerns have been raised about how new Right to Work requirements could affect musicians who arrange deputies or substitutes to perform on their behalf. The MU is urgently investigating the implications and will provide further guidance as soon as possible.

Published: 18 September 2026

Read more about Right to Work Changes and Deputies: MU Seeking Urgent Legal Clarification
A birds eye view of an online music lesson. A person sits at a keyboard in front of a phone on a stand, and an open laptop.

Dr Anna Bull: Putting Young People’s Voices at the Heart of Music Education

Originally written for Music Teacher magazine, Dr Anna Bull explores why safeguarding is about more than policies and procedures, and how empowering young people to find their voice can help create safer music education, as set out in the MU’s Experiences of Harm and Risk in Music Education Guide.

Published: 17 September 2026

Read more about Dr Anna Bull: Putting Young People’s Voices at the Heart of Music Education
Shot from behind of someone in a cap sat working at a mixing desk in a recording studio.

Have Your say in UK Music’s 2026 Workforce Diversity Survey

UK Music is inviting people working across the music industry to take part in its Workforce Diversity Survey, which aims to identify where further improvements are needed and highlight where positive change is already taking place.

Published: 17 September 2026

Read more about Have Your say in UK Music’s 2026 Workforce Diversity Survey