Artists in London reliant on income from outside sector

Artist Grayson Perry, a former ACME tenant, in his studio at Carpenters Road 1994-5.
13 Jul 2023

Survey of artists with affordable rent studios in London finds only one in three make a living from work within the industry.

Flats near HS2 construction to become creative workspaces

A person painting in a workspace
11 Jul 2023

Camden Council teams up with arts organisation to transform 90 empty flats into affordable creative workspaces for local artists.

Dance doesn’t get the attention it deserves

Chisenhale Dance Space August Residencies 2022, Ghost and John. People sat together on a blow-up mattress in a dance studio. They are looking from a book the person in the middle is reading from.
11 Jul 2023

Throughout the pandemic we heard the mantra 'build back better'. A new dance initiative aims to do just that - placing collectivity, autonomy and equity at its heart, as Reece McMahon explains.

New artist development programmes at Sadler’s Wells

03 Jul 2023

A series of artist development initiatives focused on practice rather than performance-based outcomes have been launched by Sadler’s Wells.

The initiatives include artist-led programmes, a mentoring scheme and programmes for South Asian dance practitioners and disabled artists.

The mentoring programme will see 10 early-career choreographers or dance artists paired with an established choreographer from the Sadler’s Wells network to explore a specific creative question, provocation or idea.

The South Asian Dance Development Programme is a two-year programme for emerging choreographers whose practice is based in a South Asian dance style. It will be delivered in partnership with Akademi and take place through a range of creative exchanges, skills sharing, peer-led learning and mentoring support.

The Disabled Artist Programme is a rolling programme focused on practice development opportunities for disabled artists. Participants will be invited to join a practice-based session each month, collaborating with artists who have worked on Sadler’s Wells’ stages. 

And Sadler’s Wells Time and Space Commissions will offer three more established choreographers £7,000, studio space and producing support, with “no pressure to deliver a production at the end of the process”. 

Sadler’s Wells Associate Artistic Director Rob Jones, who devised the initiatives, said: “We want these programmes to be spaces where we can have a consistent dialogue with developing choreographers and dance artists.

“The majority of our programmes are open call outs, and some are targeted in recognition of underserved areas of the dance ecology. These initial strands are focused on holding space for development without the pressure of production-based outcomes.

“We’re really excited to have a different kind of conversation with the dance ecology and this first step will build a strong a foundation for the work Sadler’s Wells is doing to support the future of choreographers and dance artists.” 

A champion of racial equity

Headshot of Kevin Osborne. He is a Black man wearing a white shirt, black trousers, and a black cap. He sits on a brown chair in front of a painting.
26 Jun 2023

The driving premise behind Kevin Osborne’s career has been to help people meet their basic needs, so they can achieve their full potential.

Fund offers musicians advances of up to £50,000

26 Jun 2023

A new fund has been launched to support artists working in the independent music sector.

As part of Music Gateway's Ignite fund, eligible artists will be offered advances of up to £50,000 to help them cover recording costs and promote new releases in a variety of ways, including merchandise production, playlist promotion, radio and press campaigns, digital marketing strategies and sync optimisation and representation.

The fund is designed for artists and rights-holders who have an existing portfolio of released songs and a proven track record of income across a period of more than six months. 

Artists participating in the Ignite programme will work with the in-house team at Music Gateway on release strategies, royalty registrations and representation for sync licensing. 

They are not obligated to use the company’s promotional services during the Ignite term – which lasts a minimum of 12 months – but digital distribution and publishing admin has to go through Music Gateway.

The company will be responsible for registering and distributing music, running campaigns and pitching for sync. It will recoup the advance through royalty earnings. Artists will retain 100% of their rights.

“Our team have been fortunate enough to develop and support some incredible talent over the years,” said Sophie Small, CEO of Music Gateway. 

“This fund is designed for us to continue to do this in a way that increases the level of support we can provide outside of services for specific representation or campaigns and bring it all together in a way that still keeps the artists in control of their ownership, which is at the heart of what we do.”
 

Website helps musicians input data for royalties

15 Jun 2023

A new website is helping songwriters, composers and artists understand how to input data integral to receiving royalties. 

The Get Paid Guide, a partnership between PRS for Music, The Ivors Academy, the Music Publishers Association and the Intellectual Property Office, will educate music creators on controlling and managing their music data, through a step-by-step guidance on what music data is, why it matters and what to do with it.

The collaboration was driven from a 2021 DCMS Select Committee inquiry into the economic impact of music streaming on creators.

Following the inquiry, government set up a music metadata working group. The group published the Metadata Agreement last month, which identified education on data input as an area that needed vital work.

Across the sector, creators have experienced delays in receiving royalties, and in some cases haven’t been paid at all, due to a lack of awareness around accurate metadata inputs.

In response, the Get Paid Guide features tutorials on International Standard Musical Work and International Standard Recording codes and offers help on frequently asked questions from creators, such as the use of pseudonyms and what to do when covering another artist’s song.

President of the PRS Members’ Council, Michelle Escoffery, says the guide “brings us closer to achieving a healthier metadata ecosystem overall”.

“Getting the data right at the point of works registration is vitally important and is often the difference between being paid or not.

“I encourage all music creators to use this guide, get fluent with the relevant codes and empower themselves to get paid accurately and quickly.”

Equity moves to support performers facing 'AI threat'

voice over artist working in a studio. image depicts a man wearing headphones, speaking into a microphone while doing work on his computer
08 Jun 2023

Equity says new resources will educate performers on their legal rights, and calls for government to take urgent action to regulate the use of artificial intelligence.

Age discrimination in the art world

Moulds of heads and feet as part of an artwork
06 Jun 2023

Though opportunities for young artists may be laudable, Liane Lang thinks age boundaries are discriminatory.

Free Musicians Union membership for refugees

05 Jun 2023

The Musicians Union (MU) is offering refugees a year’s free membership.

The scheme, which launched last week, allows musicians escaping famine, conflict and persecution to have full access to the MU’s advice and services including contract advice, legal advice and insurance cover relating to their work as musicians.

It has been made possible by the union’s collaboration with Counterpoints Arts, with the partnership hoping the initiative will help refugees build music careers in the UK.

“Solidarity and inclusion are about embracing everyone,” MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl said. 

“We want refugee musicians to flourish, avoid bad deals and exploitation, and have confidence that - should they need help - we’ll be right by their side.”

Artists' resale royalties reach £2.3m in first quarter

05 Jun 2023

Over £2.3m was paid to 873 artists and artists’ estates in Artist’s Resale Right (ARR) royalties by the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) in the first quarter of the year.

Of the 873 recipients, 53 were paid ARR royalty for the first time. The median payment for the quarter was £280, with over 60% of all royalties under £500.

£120m has been paid out in total to 5,900 artists and estates since 2006, when the right became UK law.

DACS Chief Executive Christian Zimmermann said ARR is a vital source of income for artists working in the UK.

“We know from our members how important these payments are to artists who use their royalties for living expenses, materials and studio space – helping sustain their practice,” Zimmerman added.

“Estates often use the money for cataloguing, archiving and restoration – making sure that the legacies of British artists are preserved for future generations."

Mercury Theatre extends talent development programmes

31 May 2023

Mercury Theatre Colchester is extending three dedicated talent development programmes for promising and innovative playwrights, producers and directors from the east of England.

The programmes enable creatives to work with leading theatremakers and gain experience working in the industry.

Each programme is designed to nurture future talent. Evaluation statistics from the previous cohort show that programme beneficiaries have enhanced employability of up to 60%.

The Mercury Playwright Programme will mentor a group of writers through the process of creating a full-length play or piece of theatre, under the guidance of stage and screenwriter Kenny Emson.

The Mercury Directors Programme will support mentees through the through page-to-stage directing process under the guidance of Mercury’s Creative Director Ryan McBryde.

And the Mercury Producers Programme will provide an overview of the skills and craft of theatre producing, including setting up companies, pitching, planning, budgeting, fundraising, audiences, marketing, touring and press, led by Dilek Latif, Mercury’s producer.

“The success of our [Playwrights, Producers, Directors] PPD scheme has proved to us how vital it is that regional theatres support local artists and so we’re extending and reaching out for the applications from playwrights, producers and directors at any stage of their career who have a strong link to Colchester and or the wider Eastern region having originated, studied or lived here,” said McBryde.

“This year, our PPD offer will be enriched by unlocking additional expert knowledge from guest session leaders from our new Associate Companies: Graeae, English Touring Theatre, Paines Plough and Frantic Assembly,” he added. 

“Partnering with these extraordinary, world-renowned theatre companies will allow us to broaden the scope of our work and provide further opportunities to springboard artists across our region.”

The nine-month-long programmes are set to run from July 2023 to March 2024.

Antony Stuart-Hicks, Talent Development Producer for the Mercury, said the theatre is looking for “creatives who are bold, ambitious and theatrically daring”,  particularly those underrepresented in the industry, “whether this be by class, disability, ethnicity, gender or sexuality”.

Equity secures pay rise for West End actors and stage managers

A view of London's West End at night
30 May 2023

Three-year deal struck by Equity and the Society of London Theatre following 'difficult and challenging' negotiations.

Made in Scotland funds 18 shows at Edinburgh Fringe

30 May 2023

The Made in Scotland programme will fund 18 Scottish shows at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The programme, funded by the Scottish government’s Festivals Expo Fund, will support shows created by local companies, spanning a range of performance styles including dance, music and theatre.

This year’s selection of shows focus on themes including life and death, loss, violence and drug addiction, as well as exploring everyday life through the lens of emerging parenthood and family.

Performances will also delve into Scottish traditions, exploring how they embody culture while questioning the concept and nature of a country.

The 18 shows selected for the 2023 festival are part of more than 250 funded by the Made in Scotland showcase since its inception in 2009.

Christina McKelvie, Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development at the Scottish Government, said the programme gives “Scottish talent a well-earned opportunity to perform on the international stage”. 

“Together, the Fringe and Made in Scotland help nurture and encourage the exceptional creative talent that flourishes in Scotland, showcasing the creativity and innovation that’s right on our doorstep,” she said.

The showcase is “the main mechanism through which Scottish government supports local artists at the Edinburgh Fringe”, said Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society.

“It has been a vital platform for artists from Scotland to have their work seen, promoted and presented alongside their international peers.”
 

Equity General Secretary: “We need to win bigger”

23 May 2023

Equity leader warns industry bosses of £1m strike fund in speech calling on sector management to cooperate with union to progress workers' rights.

PRS Foundation initiative generates £22m for UK music industry

16 May 2023

A grant scheme run by PRS Foundation has generated more than £22m for the UK music industry over the past decade, an evaluation report has found.

To mark a decade of its PPL Momentum Fund, a new report commissioned by PRS Foundation details how it has helped musicians including Little Simz, Sam Fender and Kae Tempest.

Launched in 2013, the fund has awarded more than £5.2m to artists across the UK.

The fund provides "career-boosting grants" of between £5,000 and £15,000, and is targeted at a pivotal time in the creative and business development of artists.

The report reveals that almost half of grantees are of Black, Asian or other ethnically diverse heritage, and more than half of grantees are based outside London.

Joe Frankland, CEO at PRS Foundation, said that 10 years of the fund was a "fantastic milestone".

He added that the fund has been "a vital stepping-stone for so many incredible artists who have gone on to top the charts, sell out shows around the world and scoop multiple music awards".

Nurturing the next generation of creative talent

Architects view of Roundhouse Works
16 May 2023

There’s a wealth of talent and ambition in the UK’s younger generation but, if we ignore their needs, we’re at risk of losing a generation of creative talent, writes Tina Ramdeen.

Equity secures trial of five-day rehearsal week

15 May 2023

A new five-day rehearsal week is to be trialled across the subsidised and commercial theatre sector as part of new agreements secured by performers' union Equity.

A working party has been established between Society of London Theatres (SOLT)/UK Theatre and Equity to develop plans.

The trial will begin across six organisations in the subsidised sector: Northern Stage in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Curve Theatre in Leicester, Hull Truck Theatre, Sheffield Theatres, Chichester Festival Theatre and the New Vic in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The initial trial will finish by Christmas 2023, with Equity hoping to roll it out more widely afterwards.

Equity Industrial Official Charlotte Bence said the trial "will incorporate lots of different types of production – including children’s shows and pantomimes – so we can unpick what that way of working will look like across different scales of shows".

The five-day week is part of a raft of new agreements on pay and conditions brokered by Equity, that also includes the sector's first code of conduct for digs.

The quality of accommodation has become a big issue for theatre workers, with Equity members regularly reporting unsafe accommodation.

Equity general secretary Paul W Fleming said the negotiations had also delivered "strong percentage increases in minimum rates of pay, the payment of touring and subsistence allowance four weeks in advance, and good increases to swing and understudy payments".

Classical ensemble announces closure after ACE funding loss

A member of the Psappha ensemble during a performance
10 May 2023

Psappha said the loss of £250,000 a year funding from Arts Council England has proven 'too great a challenge to overcome'.

Derbyshire theatre unveils expansion plans

04 May 2023

Plans have been announced to transform a Grade II-listed theatre in Glossop, Derbyshire.

Partington Theatre has said it is hoping to purchase the vacant former NatWest Bank which sits next-door to the venue in the centre of the town.

The Manchester Evening News reports that the bank closed two months ago, but the theatre wants to bring it back into use as a performing arts centre, including new facilities for thespians, musicians and the wider community.

Mark McDonough, Chairman of the board of trustees for the theatre, said: “Purchasing this building would see our little theatre expand with more community space, rehearsal and storage areas, and most importantly make the theatre truly accessible to all. 

"This is a very exciting opportunity which would make a huge difference to not just the theatre and its patrons, but to the entire Glossop community.”

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