Following the success of the Live Performance Support Scheme last year (to the tune of €5m), there’s more good news for those in the sector today.
A ten-fold increase in funding has been confirmed with €50m in supports to help businesses, performers, musicians and crew announced.
The money will be used to fund a number of measures designed to support the Live Performance Sector from organising live shows to making capital investments in filming/streaming technology at venues.
Want the full details: Check out the Government announcement here from 9 March 2021. Find out how to apply here.
Locally, funding in the region of €100,000 was divided out between Cleere’s and Set Theatre to facilitate around 30 recorded performances that have been broadcast over Facebook and YouTube since Christmas Day, the last of which from Cleere’s landing this past Friday.
Between Cleere’s and Set, local acts like SOLA, Alchemy, R.S.A.G, Mick Walsh, The Kilkenny’s and more were able to stage “live” shows – in venues, with crews – along with visiting acts like Liam O’Maonlai, Brian Deady, Somebody’s Child, Niamh Regan, Adrian Crowley and Soda Blonde.
The Kilkenny shows were recorded in each venue in late November and early December.
It is hoped that more funding can be returned to venues locally, putting work and wages on the table for artists, engineers, lighting techs, video producers, designers and more in one fell swoop.
Kevin Broderick, in the recently released Live Venue Collective report, had this to say from his involvement in the 2020 scheme.
“It was fantastic to be back working on sound, the last time I had done sound for a proper gig before this run was back in Feb, I honestly can’t remember the last time I would have gone that long without doing sound for a band, hopefully I don’t have to go that long again.”
“Thanks to the Live Venue Collective, and Johnny and Paul in Cleere’s for getting these shows together, it was great to be back working in Cleere’s again, and to make some extra money just in time for Christmas. All the bands and artists we worked with were brilliant, everyone was so happy to be back doing an actual gig! Even though there was no crowd we all still enjoyed it, it was great working with everyone.”
Download: Read the 2020 Live Venue Collective report (Feb 2021, PDF)
How it breaks down
The minimum amount of funding to venues under the 2020 scheme was €10,000. Nationally, the Live Venue Collective tied both Cleere’s and Set in with the likes of Connolly’s of Leap (Cork), Sin É (Dublin), Róisín Dubh (Galway), Mike The Pies (Kerry), Sky and the Ground (Wexford) and more aroudn the country to access the funding and a number of live acts.
With today’s announcement, here’s how the funding breaks down
- €25m new Live Performance Support Scheme (up from €5m late 2020)
- €14m new support scheme for live entertainment businesses
- €5m to local authorities for outdoor live performances
- €5m capital supports for live entertainment sector
- €1m to St. Patrick’s Festival
Key features of the Live Performance Support Scheme include:
- support live performances that will occur on or before 30 September 2021
- support the creation of employment and wellbeing opportunities in the culture and creative industries and the generation of high quality artistic output
- scheme is aimed at commercial venues, producers and promoters in the culture sector (for example: music, entertainment and theatre)
- awards will range from €10k upwards
With €5m allocated to capital supports, the focus there appears to be on getting venues to install high quality recording/streaming equipment to facilitate broadcasting and sharing of shows in the future.
The Live Performance Support Scheme 2021 will be open for applications from Friday 19 March until Wednesday 14 April.
