More than a dozen independent UK music labels and songwriters have received £200,000 in government funding to promote up-and-coming artists abroad.
It is the latest round of funding made available through the £2.5m music export growth scheme, established two years ago by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) with the music industry body, the BPI, to help independent music companies make their mark in the US, Asia and Europe.
The 13 music companies selected include the management company behind Catfish and the Bottlemen, winner of the BBC Introducing award. Songwriters Greig Watts, Georgie Dennis and Christopher Wortley will also benefit from the latest grants. Past recipients can count between them 13 record deals and 10 international music awards.
Many of the acts that will benefit this time hail from or near London, such as electronic folk band Crystal Fighters. They also include Moulettes, an English folk rock band formed in Glastonbury in 2002, and The Twilight Sad, a post-punk indie rock band from Glasgow.
This seventh round of funding brings the total grants distributed by the scheme to £1.6m, helping more than 100 companies, and bringing an estimated return of £8.50 on every £1 invested so far, UKTI said.
Music is an important component of the UK’s creative industry – the fastest-growing sector in the UK. According to government figures, the music industry contributed £3.8bn to the UK economy in 2013, with record companies accounting for more than one sixth of this.
The UK’s trade and investment minister, Lord Maude, said: “The UK has a vibrant creative sector that generated over £17bn in exports during 2013. The Music Export Growth Scheme has helped a new generation of British musical talent gain international recognition and boost the sales of UK music abroad; creating jobs and growth for the UK economy.”
