Up-and-coming British acts including singer Jamie Isaac, The Saturdays star Vanessa White and indie band Everything Everything are among those awarded a share of nearly £250,000 of Government money to launch their careers overseas.
The Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS), run by the British Phonographic Industry, has made £249,385 worth of grants to British labels and music companies to boost 21 of their acts’ profiles in other countries through tours and promotion.
Brit School alumni Jamie, who made a name for himself in the UK in 2016, is one of the recipients, as are Manchester band Everything Everything and west London post-punk act White Lies.
One of the solo artists given funding is Vanessa, better known as a member of girl group The Saturdays, who is striking out on her own and hoping to make it big in the Philippines, while Mobo-winning singer and saxophonist YolanDa Brown is planning on using her money for live appearances in Australia, Nigeria and the US.
YolanDa said: “As an independent artist, everything from recording the music to touring, marketing and press is self-funded.”
The scheme launched in January 2014 with the Department for International Trade and has already awarded £1.6 million of Government investment to promote more than 100 UK artists internationally.
Applications are now open for the next round of funding, with small and medium-sized companies eligible to apply for MEGS grants ranging from £5,000 to £50,000.
