Local artists and ‘Future Industry Professionals’ to receive PPL Momentum Accelerator support

In recent months we have been working closely with PRS Foundation, the UK’s leading charitable funder of new music and talent development, to help them select music creators and industry professionals based in the Liverpool City Region who will receive their PPL Momentum Accelerator support.

The two music creators receiving support are:

Astles – Recording, marketing and touring

Nutribe – Recording, marketing and touring

The five future industry professionals being supported are:

Abby Meysenburg – Mentoring, training/coaching

Matthew Hogarth – Mentoring, meeting/conference attendance

Jenuelle Na-Oy – Mentoring, training/coaching, meeting/conference attendance

Aaron Fontenot – Mentoring, mini grants for projects, training/coaching

Kyle Percy – Mini grants for projects, training/coaching

PPL Momentum Accelerator funding supports exciting artists with a growing fanbase and who are working to establish a music industry team. For this Liverpool strand of the initiative, those in the local music scene with potential to be industry professionals of the future were also eligible for support.  Both Astles and Nutribe receive up to £5,000 each as well as mentoring from regional and national experts. The five future industry professionals, Abby Meysenburg (Director at Bed and Breakfast Live Music, and A&R and Industry Liaison for Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, and Event Manager & Mentor at Future Yard), Matthew Hogarth (Director, Venue Manager and Head of In House Booking at Future Yard and Label Co-Founder at Eggy Records), Jenuelle Na-Oy (Box Office at  Academy Music Group), Aaron Fontenot (Culture Deck Co-founder/Head of Programming), and Kyle Percy (Independent Artist Management, Director at Nifty Records and Director at Purple Noise Promotions) will each be receiving up to £1,000 worth of support as combinations of small grants, mentoring or other holistic support.

PPL Momentum Accelerator supported artist, Astles said, “I am over the moon to have been awarded with the PPL Momentum Accelerator fund. I have always been extremely proud to have been an independent musician from Liverpool, so to have been recognised in this way by so many incredible organisations both nationally and regionally is amazing. This fund I believe will really allow me to create the world around my music, which has always felt slightly out of reach as an artist who has funded everything themselves.”

PPL Momentum Accelerator supported industry professional Abby Meysenburg said, “Mentoring and training through PPL Momentum Accelerator will provide me with skills and knowledge that will strengthen my business, help me think outside of the box, and be the best advocate for live music that I can be. Ultimately, I want to build a sustainable and scalable promotion company that gives opportunities to artists and supports the local economy, and I am grateful to the PRS Foundation for the opportunity to work towards achieving these goals.”

The full PPL Momentum Music Fund offers grants of up to £15,000 and is for artists with a team already in place and at a tipping point, ready to take the next step in their careers.  As part of the partnership with Liverpool City Region Music Board, Culture Liverpool and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, two Liverpool City Region based artist have received full PPL Momentum support.  They are:

Dialect – Recording, marketing and touring

SPINN – Recording, mixing and marketing

Past Liverpool-based recipients of the PPL Momentum Music Fund support include Låpsley, All We Are, Jalen N’Gonda and Trudy & the Romance.

Kwame Safo, Grants & Programmes Manager (Industry Funds) at PRS Foundation said: “Congratulations to the music creators and future industry professionals based in the Liverpool City Region receiving this targeted support through our PPL Momentum Accelerator initiative. We’re delighted that together with our partners on the fund, this support will help not only build the careers of those receiving this funding but also add to the local music industry which is brimming with talented creators and individuals.

Kevin McManus, Head of UNESCO City of Music, said, “A key focus for the LCR Music Board is talent development so we were keen to work closely with the PRS Foundation on their Momentum Accelerator programme. Targeted support for promising young artists and professionals can be absolutely crucial in furthering careers, so by working with the PRS Foundation we have been able to provide this support for individuals across the Liverpool City Region.”

Sarah Mitchell, Director of Membership and Communications at PPL, said: “The Liverpool City Region is not only steeped in music history but has a rich and vibrant contemporary music scene that is reflected by the quality of its new artists and its many talented up-and-coming industry professionals. We are proud the PPL Momentum Accelerator fund is able to provide financial support to two music creators and five future industry executives from this region as they each look to navigate the next stage of their career.”

Managed by PRS Foundation, the PPL Momentum Music Fund initiative awards grants of £5,000-£15,000 using funds from PRS Foundation, PPL, Creative Wales, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland. Spotify, the official digital partner on the fund, contributes additional funding and a reward package containing exciting promotional opportunities and a close working relationship between Momentum artists and the Spotify team.

From April 2013-March 2020 (Years 1-7), Momentum supported 390 artists and invested over £3.74m into new music. Based on the 5 Years of Momentum Report (2013-18), this means Momentum has:

• Supported more than 225 albums
• Over 260 UK Tours and over 1,400 live dates
• Generated over £18m for the UK music industry and UK economy.

PRS Foundation and Arts Council England initiated The Momentum Music Fund in 2013. Arts Council England originally established the need for this specific fund and supported the programme from 2013-18.

For a full rundown of all the artists supported so far see: http://prsfoundation.com/funding/momentum-music-fund/momentum-artists.

Listen to the latest PPL Momentum supported artists on the Spotify Momentum playlist here.