Blog

In a world that can feel increasingly divided, the music community came together to help the musicians who make the music that carried us through this crisis, says James Ainscough, Help Musicians CEO.

But how do you budget for marketing and PR? There is a balance to be struck when it comes to having the right amount of ‘PR push’ within your campaign, and  explaining how you will apply PR is crucial to a successful funding application, Creative Programme Officer, Barnaby Duff explains.

In 2019, at a crucial point in his career, Manchester-based Sam Healey’s punk-jazz group Skeltr received the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award. Here, Healey tells us about why he knew he was ready to apply, his audition and the positive ripple effect the Award has had on his career trajectory.

Applying for creative funding during a pandemic requires adaptability, creativity and contingency planning, Creative Programme Officer, Abi McQuater explains.

Transmission Fund offers grants for short periods of development, including online courses, 1:1 coaching, conference attendance, songwriting academies and masterclasses. Having been adapted for a socially-distanced landscape, Help Musicians’ Creative Programme Officer Barnaby Duff explains how the Transmission Fund might be able to assist your career, even in lockdown.

Opera singer Bibi Heal was supported by the Fusion Fund to create Song Surgery, a project that explored the use of poetry and music to improve mental health and wellbeing. Here she reflects on how Fusion gave her the freedom to research and develop the project, as well as how she is adapting the project to suit the current climate of self-isolation.