UK’s leading funder of new music celebrates tenth anniversary
For immediate release: 16 December 2009
The leading funder of new music in the UK, the PRS for Music Foundation (PRSF), is to celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2010. Ahead of this milestone, PRSF has vowed to strengthen its UK-wide support of new music at a time when it is most needed by the music industry, enabling more audiences to enjoy the best of new British music.
PRS for Music’s renewed donation of £1.5 million was announced at an event held for the organisation’s beneficiaries last night (Tuesday 15 December). This will provide a real boost to the UK’s musical pioneers, ensuring that visionary composers, musicians, producers, promoters and entrepreneurs continue to receive the support they need to drive their ideas forward.
Sally Taylor, Chairman of PRSF, said: “PRS for Music’s continued support of the Foundation is fantastic news for the music industry throughout the UK. Over the last ten years we’ve been proud to support over 4,000 new music initiatives, helping to launch the careers of artists like Bat For Lashes and Sway and supporting ensembles, promoters and organisations working across all music genres. We’re thrilled that we can continue to support the UK’s diverse musical talent and work in partnership with others to support initiatives that make a significant difference.”
Since its launch in March 2000, the PRS Foundation has:
· Given over £13.5 million to new music across all genres
· Funded more than 500 new commissions
· Supported a range of activities from one-off creations to year-round projects in all genres of new music
· Funded international exposure for British artists
· Provided professional development for individuals
· Delivered exciting partnerships which stimulate cross art form collaboration and develop audiences for new music
As it enters its tenth anniversary year, the PRS Foundation is launching a new brand identity and will be renamed the PRS for Music Foundation. Highlights for 2010 will include showcases for British Music Abroad which supports bands to perform overseas, the launch of the New Music Plus… producers programme in Manchester and Liverpool and of course, the highly anticipated announcement of the winner of the 3rd New Music Award.
Sally Taylor continued: “We are entering a new phase in our development and the new name and brand reflects this. We are supporting and initiating more new music projects than ever before, levering more investment for the sector and developing our reach beyond the UK by increasing our support of international projects.
“Our core aim remains the same: to stimulate the creation, performance and promotion of new music, and to nurture talent and audiences for ground breaking work. We will continue to provide grants for inspiring new music activity, raise the profile of new music and lead partnerships which push artistic boundaries and respond to needs in the music sector.”
In addition to its role as the UK’s biggest funder of new music, the PRS Foundation has stimulated public debate around creative-music making through ground-breaking projects such as the New Music Award. The 2010 New Music Award, which offers a prize of £50,000 for a new musical idea, is now open and the deadline for entries is 8 January. To find out more go to www.prsformusicfoundation.com/newmusicaward
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For more information about the PRS for Music Foundation and the New Music Award, or for interviews, please contact:
Anya Matthews and Henry de Rougemont at Colman Getty
0207 631 2666 / anya@colmangetty.co.uk / henry@colmangetty.co.uk
Note to editors:
PRS for Music Foundation (PRSF)
The PRS for Music Foundation (PRSF) is the UK's largest independent funder of new music across all genres. Widely respected as an adventurous and proactive funding body, PRSF supports an exceptional range of new music activity - from unsigned band showcases to composer residencies, from commissions for new music to experimental live electronica.
Since March 2000 PRSF has given more than £13.5 million to over 4,000 new music initiatives.
In addition to stimulating and supporting the creation and performance of new music, it motivates public debate about creative music-making through ground-breaking projects such as the New Music Award.
The New Music Award recognises and celebrates leading innovators in the UK by providing investment, support and profile for exceptional, pioneering music creators. It offers a £50 000 prize to a musical idea that has not yet been realised, and is open to anyone based in the UK.
The award also seeks to raise awareness of the UK’s most innovative music creators in the media and to help them secure the public profile they deserve alongside the UK’s better known creators working in visual arts and media.
With this award the PRS Foundation wishes to ignite the imagination of the creative community and dramatically raise the level of debate around new British music.