UK music charity Help Musicians has launched Fast Track Live, a support program offering grants and specialist career guidance to musicians seeking to build sustainable careers through live performance.
The initiative is designed for artists pursuing:
- touring
- showcasing
- festival appearances
- venue opportunities
- audience development
- other significant live activity
It aims to help them use those opportunities to advance their careers. Successful applicants receive grants of £500 to £1,000 and a two-hour career clinic with a live music specialist. Funding will be distributed across two rounds in September and October, and applications are open on the Help Musicians website.
The program is backed by LIVE Trust Phase 2 funding, which comes from the £1 ticket levy on arena and stadium shows.
Sarah Woods, CEO of Help Musicians, said:
“By pairing financial investment with specialist career development advice and support, we’re hoping to enable musicians to leverage the live performance opportunity available by reducing some element of financial risk and creating new insight and connections. We’re grateful to LIVE Trust and to every artist who has helped to provide funds to the Trust for making this support possible, helping us invest directly in the musicians of future years.”
