Music industry launches Covid-19 relief fund for struggling artists

The fund was set up by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO), the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA), and First Music Contact (FMC) and is supported by music streaming service Spotify

Music industry groups have banded together to launch a Covid-19 emergency relief fund to support Irish musicians financially impacted by the public health crisis.

The fund was set up by the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO), the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA), and First Music Contact (FMC).

It is also being supported by music streaming service, Spotify, which has launched a global relief fund of up to $10m.

Chair of IMRO, Eleanor McEvoy, said: “Many talented and beloved members of the Irish creative community are struggling financially due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We hope that this fund can help to ease some of their worries and fears. We are also appealing to anyone who is passionate about Irish music to donate to the fund to ensure we can help as many people as possible.

The fund is open to songwriters, composers, performers, session musicians and arrangers and will make a once-off emergency relief payment of €750 to applicants meeting qualifying criteria.

Applications will be reviewed by a 12-person committee of music industry professionals appointed by FMC.

Chief executive of FMC, Angela Dorgan, said: “We are delighted with the response of the music industry bodies to this fund to support artists who have lost livelihood opportunities as a result of the crisis. We could see from our surveys the amount of people affected immediately and although this fund won’t go anywhere near entirely bridging those gaps, we hope it will help sustain the most vulnerable in our sector during the crisis: the makers, the artists.”

- Applications can be made here

- Donations can be made here