Q1. Can I apply for the Scheme?
A. You are eligible to apply if you are a UK-based music company with a turnover of less than €50 million and fewer than 250 employees, as per the EU definition of an SME (Small to Medium Enterprise).
Q2. What is the Music Export Growth Scheme for exactly?
A. The Scheme has been set up to support emerging artists, bands, DJs, performers, etc. that have had their first success in the UK and are ready to try and break into an overseas market.If you want funding for a service rather than an act, please get in touch with your local UK Trade & Investment International Trade Advisor who should be able to give you more advice on any opportunities that are available to you. Type your postcode into their website to find your local office: http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export.html
Q3. Can I apply for more than one of my artists?
A. Yes. Though you must apply for one artist on each application form. However, your company can be awarded no more than two grants in any year of funding so you may wish to restrict your applications accordingly.
It’s worth noting that if you have more than one artist on the same tour together you would probably still have different marketing plans for each of them, so hopefully any benefits that one act gets through the funding would have a beneficial effect on your other artists anyway. You can use the other artists you may have, on the same tour for example, as support to your specified act's marketing plan and application.
Q4. How much can I get?
A. You can apply for between £5,000 and £50,000. Companies must part-fund at least 30% of the proposed activity from their own resources, demonstrating their own commitment to the proposed plan. The grants can cover up to 70% of your eligible costs.
Q5. What is an eligible cost?
A. That’s marketing costs, tour support, venue costs, international travel, visa costs, international promotion costs including hire of session musicians/singers etc. for TV performances and other such things. Non eligible costs are your normal day to day running costs, salaries, UK travel and items unrelated to the market you are applying for.
Q6. When will I find out if I’ve been successful or not?
A. Once the deadline has passed there will be a period of administration, the Board will meet and decisions will be made. This can take up to two months.
Q7. And if my application is successful, when will I receive the grant?
A. You will need to undertake your planned activity before you will receive any funding. The grant will only be distributed on the presentation of invoices for eligible spend. In exceptional circumstances, if the amount requested is large this may be awarded in two parts.
Q8. Is anything expected of me in return?
A. We need to make sure there is a return on investment so you will need to comply with any requests for information and provide updates at regular intervals detailing the impact the funding has had on your artist. We do not intend for such requests to be onerous, but we do need to evaluate the success of the scheme and the awards.
BPI and UKTI may also call upon you to do some marketing on behalf of the Scheme or use your company name in promotional material, case studies and press releases. We would also think that you may like to do your own press about the Scheme if you are successful so we will provide you with material for this.
Q9. When will the next deadline be?
A. The Scheme is a quarterly thing and therefore has four rounds a year, these rounds are open for approximately a month at a time. You can email [email protected] and ask to be put on the mailing list to be notified of future rounds as they open.
Q10. So I understand it all now, how do I apply?
A. You will find the application form on the BPI website here. The form is a word document and so will open in Word rather than as a webpage. You need to fill it in electronically in order for us to accept your application.
Complete the form in as much detail as you can so that we have all the information that we need available to us and then return your form, via email to [email protected].
This is also the email to send any questions or queries you may have about the Scheme.
Learn more and apply for latest round of the Music Export Growth Scheme here.