Supporting artists

Essex County Council has opened a £1m arts and culture fund for applications.

Artists and arts organisations can apply for between £2,500 and £30,000, with decisions expected late March.

Applicants should explain how they contribute to Everyone's Essex, the four-year plan for the area's creative sector.

The council says Essex's creative sector was the third largest in the UK pre-pandemic, contributing an estimated £2.6bn.

73,000 arts and entertainment workers do not quality for statutory sick pay, according to trade union body TUC.

The figure amounts to one in eight sector workers, or 12% of the workforce.

TUC warns that tougher self-isolation rules introduced in light of the Omicron variant could leave these workers without income over the Christmas period.

“Our sick pay system is broken. No one should be left to choose between doing the right thing or putting food on the table," TUC General Secretary Francis O'Grady said.

The UK has the least generous statutory sick pay in Europe, the union says, worth £96.35 per week and only available to employees earning more than £120 per week.

The Government previously introduced a temporary scheme to assist people who face hardship if required to self-isolate, but TUC analysis found 64% of applications were rejected.

A landmark deal on working conditions for voice actors working on video games has been agreed.

Voice studio OMUK will give Equity members details of the game prior to or at the time of audition and disclose whether an accent is required, among other information. 

Minimum fees will be set according to the production's budget. Games with a budget under £500,000 must pay at least £175 per hour, increasing to a minimum £300 for games with a budget of £5m or more. 

OMUK Managing Director Mark Estdale says the deal brings the industry in line with existing TV, stage and film agreements.

"Without taking this step, the games industry would remain the wild west of media even though it's now probably the biggest employer of talent."

A bill to reform musicians' rights to payment from streaming failed to progress in the House of Commons on Friday (3 December).

59 MPs voted against a second reading, with 28 voting in favour.

All 59 dissenting MPs were Conservatives despite 44 Tory MPs signing an open letter in October that asked Boris Johnson to “start paying musicians properly”.

Minister for Science, Research and Innovation George Freeman said the Government supports the DCMS Select Committee's recommendations and will work to ensure a "fair and vibrant digital creative inudstries and music sector".

Music Managers Forum Chief Executive Annabella Coldrick and Featured Artists Coalition CEO David Martin said even though the bill fell at the first hurdle, the trajectory towards eradicating "outdated industry practices" feels "unstoppable".

"The Government has delivered a very clear message to major labels, publishers and collecting societies: if you don't deliver change, then legislation cannot be ruled out."

BPI CEO Geoff Taylor said that although well-intentioned, the bill was not the right way forward for british music.

“We have listened to the arguments made across the debate and will engage positively and proactively with the process government has put in place to look for joint solutions to ensure the streaming market continues to grow and sustain the careers of many more artists.”

Eleven schools in Northern Ireland will each receive funding to hire professional artists.

£15,000 has been awarded by the Creative Schools Partnership, a combination of National Lottery, Education Authority and NI Executive funding, across the schools' proposals.

Projects include screenwriting, dance, photography, filmmaking and music composition. Grants will cover two years' work.

First Minister Paul Givan said: “This successful partnership has already seen hundreds of children engage with the programme within post-primary schools in urban villages areas.

“The young people have benefited from this innovative arts-based approach, which has supported curriculum learning and improved their educational outcomes.”

The cultural sector has suffered a 60% drop in economic output over the past 18 months, a University of Sheffield study reveals.

Restrictions led to 55% of sector jobs being furloughed - well above the national average of 16% - and more than 80,000 arts professionals applied to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).

This amounts to 68% of eligible freelancers in the UK.

Professor Vanessa Toulmin said the study highlights the "catastrophic effect" of the lockdowns on arts workers' finances, job security and wellbeing.

"People in the sector have been losing sleep and have had much higher levels of anxiety."