Help Musicians to receive LIVE Trust Phase 2 Funding for Fast Track Live
Help Musicians is delighted to receive Phase 2 funding from LIVE Trust to deliver Fast Track Live, support which enables early career musicians to perform live through access to funding and trusted advice needed at pivotal moments of opportunity in their careers.
By reducing the financial risks or barriers to live performance opportunities and providing expert guidance, Fast Track Live will enable more musicians to grow their careers today, laying the foundations for sustainable careers tomorrow and strengthening the future of UK music.
Building a career in music has always required resilience, but today’s musicians face increasing financial pressures when trying to take the next step. Too often, talented artists are forced to turn down important live opportunities because the costs simply don’t add up.
About Fast Track Live
LIVE Trust’s Phase 2 funding enables Help Musicians to deliver Fast Track Live, a programme designed to provide support at pivotal moments when musicians have immediate live opportunities but face financial barriers to taking them.
Building a career in music has always been challenging, and today’s financial pressures make it even harder for musicians to capitalise on important live opportunities. Fast Track Live provides grants of £500 – £1,000 to help cover shortfalls in touring and live performance costs. Alongside funding, every recipient also receives two one-hour Career Clinic sessions with an expert adviser to help make the most of the opportunity ahead of them.
We’re incredibly grateful to LIVE Trust for supporting Fast Track Live, enabling us to reach more musicians with the funding and trusted advice they need at pivotal moments in their careers. We know from experience that timely support can make all the difference — helping musicians seize opportunities today while building stronger careers for tomorrow.
Meeting demand for support
With an average annual income of £20,700 — below the UK average of £33,280 — and nearly half of musicians earning less than £14,000 a year, many face significant barriers to progressing their careers.
Help Musicians receives more applications for Fast Track support than it can currently meet, meaning many musicians miss out on crucial support at pivotal moments in their development. This investment will enable Help Musicians to support more musicians, helping them take advantage of career-defining opportunities.
By supporting grassroots talent at the moments it matters most, we’re not only helping individual artists progress, we’re strengthening the future of the UK’s live music ecosystem.
Strengthening the sector through collaboration
LIVE Trust demonstrates what can be achieved when the music industry works together to support grassroots music. LIVE Trust has committed £1 million through Phase 2, bringing total funding distributed to £1.5 million. Funding comes from a voluntary £1 contribution added to tickets for arena-sized live shows.
Phase One funding has already supported:
- 372 venues
- 211 shows
- 81 festivals
Help Musicians is delighted to work alongside LIVE Trust and fellow funding partners to strengthen the UK’s live music ecosystem. As a recipient of Phase 2 funding, we are proud to be part of an industry-wide effort to support live grassroots music.
