Our hardship fund was launched at the start of the lockdown in order to provide quick-turnaround grants of £200 to musicians whose work had been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
The Hardship Fund which we established in March to offer assistance to musicians facing financial difficulties during the coronavirus outbreak, continues to prove a key industry source for artists across the UK.
Our hardship fund was launched at the start of the lockdown in order to provide quick-turnaround grants of £200 to musicians whose work had been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Since mid-June, musicians that received an initial payment of £200 from the Fund have again been contacted and given the choice to benefit from an additional top-up payment of £100.
Over £1m has now been distributed to members of the MU and the Fund has been acknowledged as a crucial lifeline by musicians across the UK. The MU continues to make immediate and direct payments to those musicians in the greatest financial need.
Good feedback from members
Our Twitter feed has received numerous messages of thanks as a result.
“Massive thank you to the MU for providing me with £200 through the Coronavirus Hardship Fund,” said one tweet, “It’s not a lot, but it’s the most I’ve been granted as a self-employed musician with no work. So grateful!”
MU members have also been equally appreciative of the daily updates, advice and sense of unity and support provided through the our website and via regular emails. “Thank you so, so much for the help you’re giving to musicians right now,” wrote one musician, “very proud to be a member”.
Valuable contributions to the fund
We acknowledge the significant and hugely valuable contribution to the Fund made by PPL, the UK's music licensing company for over 110,000 performers and recording rightsholders.
In May, the PPL Board approved a second contribution of £100,000 from PPL to the MU Coronavirus Hardship Fund. This followed the company pledging in April a total of £700,000 to three of the music industry’s hardship funds set up as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic – the Help Musicians Coronavirus Financial Hardship Fund (£500,000), the Musicians’ Union Coronavirus Hardship Fund (£100,000), and the AIM COVID-19 Crisis Fund (£100,000).
Supporting the Fund have been a number of key initiatives, including our Crowdfunder project which has now reached a total of £68,000. A notable contribution to this has been the Broken Record Appeal, established by Tom Gray and Tim Burgess, which has raised over £9,000, while musician Ben Mills raised over £2,000 playing a virtual fundraising gig.
Radio station Jazz FM used their own UK Music Day to promote the MU Coronavirus Hardship Fund to their listeners, while in April, the MU launched an online auction of items donated from across the creative industries to raise money for the Hardship Fund. Items were donated by renowned author Sir Philip Pullman, rock band Garbage, and by writer, broadcaster and jazz pianist, Jay Rayner.
Summer of Live Online Festival
The Union also launched the MU Summer of Live Online Festival in June with the specific aim of raising donations by text to the Fund. The inaugural event on the 21 June was hosted by radio presenter, producer, and DJ Shell Zenner, and featured live performances by Eliza Shaddad, Jack Curley, Prima and Kinkai.
The second broadcast is scheduled for Saturday 18 July when the MU will be partnering British Underground to raise further donations. This broadcast will be hosted by award-winning artist Greg Russell and is set to feature performances by John Smith, Lady Nade and Chloe Foy, all from the UK’s vibrant folk music scene.
Providing urgent relief for musicians in genuine financial hardship
Phil Kear, MU Assistant General Secretary said:
“It's times like these we need musicians and the music they create the most. But musicians have been critically impacted by the current crisis. From losing teaching work, through to cancelled gigs, venue closures and orchestras fighting for survival. Within the first ten days alone of our coronavirus impact survey, musicians reported a collective loss of over £20 million.
“That's why we started the MU Coronavirus Hardship Fund, providing small grants of £200 to provide urgent relief for musicians in genuine financial hardship. Within two hours of launching the fund, we received hundreds of applications, with musicians writing to us to explain how vital these grants are for their immediate needs.
“We are all deeply aware of the devastating effect this dreadful period has had on the livelihoods of the majority of our members, and while we could not hope to replace the millions of pounds in lost income highlighted by our members’ surveys on the effects of the crisis, we are able to perhaps provide a lifeline to those who are in most desperate need.
“We have received amazing support, both from within the MU membership and officials, and from the wider industry and the public. The sizeable donations received from industry organisations, such as PPL, have been vital in helping us in supporting our members.”
Find out more about our Coronavirus Hardship Fund, eligibility criteria and how to apply.