The Featured Artists Coalition announces a UK Artist Touring Fund

30 January 2025 - Press release

 

• Developed with the Musicians’ Union and Music Managers Forum, the UKAT Fund will act as a vehicle to distribute artist-allocated revenues collected by the recently-launched LIVE Trust 

• It will allow bands, solo artists and artists who perform as DJs to apply for financial support for grassroots shows 

• In doing so, it aims to boost artist development, audience engagement and sustain the wider live music supply chain

• The UKAT Fund is also open to receive donations and commercial funding from those who wish to channel funds directly to support artists

 

The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) has established a UK Artist Touring (UKAT) Fund to ensure revenues allocated for grassroots artists from a new ticket contribution on large-capacity live events can be effectively and transparently distributed.

Founded in 2009, the FAC is the UK’s only representative body specifically focussing on the rights and interests of artists, with an elected board of artist directors.

Today’s announcement follows the recent launch of the LIVE Trust, a new industry-supported charity set up to receive and administer proceeds from a voluntary £1 ticket donation on UK stadium and arena shows over a 5,000 capacity.

Following Government-backed recommendations by MPs on the Culture Media & Sport Committee, this revenue will be used to help mitigate the “cost of touring crisis” in grassroots live music.  Since artists are the sector’s biggest employers, with responsibility for paying their wider teams and partners, their financial situation is particularly acute. 

In a recent survey of 1,500 independent artists by Ditto Music* 84% of UK-based respondents said they could not currently afford to tour.

The UKAT Fund will connect directly to the LIVE Trust, and act as a vehicle to receive and distribute donations to artists. Through a transparent application process, open for artists, DJs and other music performers, the fund will help reconcile and bridge short-falls in touring budgets - stimulating new economic activity that will help develop artist careers and attract new audiences. 

The initiative has been developed in partnership with the Musicians’ Union (MU) and the Music Managers Forum (MMF), ensuring that session musicians and managers will also benefit fairly and appropriately from funding. 

Additionally, the UKAT Fund will be open to receive one-off donations and commercial support for those who wish to invest directly in UK talent. 

Further details can be found at: www.thefac.org/UKATFund

David Martin, CEO, Featured Artists Coalition:

“The FAC has established the UKAT Fund in preparation for when the LIVE Trust becomes operational and starts to distribute revenue from the incoming ticket contributions. It will ensure that any funding allocated for grassroots artists can be distributed in the most effective, transparent and efficient way possible. By helping keep shows on the road, our three fundamental aims are to support artist development, boost audience engagement and help sustain the wider live music supply chain.”

Annabella Coldrick, Chief Executive, Music Managers Forum: 

"The MMF is very excited to be backing the FAC’s fund to directly support grassroots artist touring.  So many artists and their managers work unpaid on loss-making tours for many years in the hope of growing a fanbase, developing their live performance and creating long term careers. They are having to make tough financial decisions to make ends meet, and in many cases artists play many fewer dates than they would like around the UK due to the upfront costs of touring. The FAC's new UKAT Fund will act as an essential part of the LIVE Trust distribution process so that managers have an open and transparent mechanism in which to apply for touring support on behalf of their artists and ensure everyone is fairly paid for their work on these tours. We look forward to the fund being operational in the coming weeks and months as it is so urgently needed." 

Naomi Pohl, General Secretary, Musicians’ Union: 

“'We are delighted to partner with the FAC to ensure that touring artists, and the backing musicians who perform with them, are funded to do what they do best. The past five years have been extremely difficult for musicians due to COVID and the rising cost of touring, both within the UK and overseas. We want to make sure there is clear and transparent access to support, not only for those who book and platform artists, but for artists themselves and the huge teams they employ.”

Tom Kiehl, CEO, UK Music:

“Artists are increasingly finding it challenging in tough financial circumstances to tour, hone their craft and find opportunities. The introduction of a UK Artist Touring Fund is a very positive development by the Featured Artist Coalition, Musicians’ Union and Music Managers Forum, putting artists firmly in the driving seat. If we don’t support the grassroots of the music industry, our ability to develop future artists is under threat.”

Jon Collins, CEO, LIVE:

“Addressing the crisis in grassroots music requires all parts of the UK live music industry to play their part in generating funds, identifying solutions, and driving support to those who need it most.  As LIVE board members, we already work closely with FAC, MMF and the MU and we look forward to learning more about the UKAT Fund as plans are put in place.  Momentum is building behind the LIVE Trust, and we would encourage all who are involved in arena and stadia shows to offer their support.  Funds generated will be passed through to expert programmes such as this to maximise impact and accelerate their excellent work.”

Details of the Culture Media & Sport Committee’s Parliamentary report into grassroots live music can be found here.  

The Committee recommended that the industry should support the entirety of the grassroots live sector - from artists and independent promoters through to grassroots venues - through an industry-led blanket levy on arena and stadium events over 5,000 capacity. 

This recommendation was accepted and adopted by the UK Government in November 2024.   

Following the launch of the LIVE Trust, the FAC, MMF and MU believe that the UKAT Fund marks another important step to ensuring that the Committee’s recommendations become reality, and ensure the bedrock of the UK’s live music ecosystem can thrive. 

The FAC has proved our ability to successfully operate and administer an artist grants programme with the Step Up Fund, which we established with Amazon Music in 2022. Since then, Step Up has put more than a quarter of a million pounds directly into the pockets of artists, helping trigger a wave of creative activity from live touring to recording and content production projects.