The Musicians Union of Ireland (MUI) has welcomed the Government’s announcement of €50 million in measures to support the Live Performance sector.

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, yesterday launched the enhanced Live Performance Support Scheme 2021. The scheme includes a new support for sole traders and music businesses to pay fixed costs; a new capital fund to install recording facilities for live streaming; and a new local performance scheme this summer for villages and town centres.

Following huge demand for the pilot LPSS last year, a fund of €25 million will be made available for 2021.

The Music & Entertainment Association of Ireland (MEAI) and EPIC Working Group expressed their gratitude yesterday, though they cautiously noted that the scheme will not benefit everyone.

Welcoming Minister Martin's announcement, The Musicians Union of Ireland (MUI) executive member, Niamh Parsons, said the support was long overdue although the funding commitment will not resolve the urgent issues faced by artists and other workers in the live performance sector as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We were in the first group of workers in Ireland to be affected by the pandemic and will be the last to escape,” she said.

“The collapse of the live industry affected not only artists but the thousands of people who work alongside them, from road crew and sound engineers to security and haulage companies.”

SIPTU Organiser, Graham Macken, also shared his reaction to the latest funding news.

“We are now calling on the Government to honour its commitments in the Programme for Government and the recommendation by the Arts Recovery Task Force to introduce a universal basic income for the Arts industry.”

In its November 2019 report “A Life Worth Living”, the Arts Recovery Task Force - which included SIPTU and MUI representatives - recommended that the Government should ‘pilot a universal basic income scheme for a three-year period in the arts, culture, audio visual and live performance and events sectors’.

“Workers in these sectors require emergency support if they are to survive this crisis, rebuild their creative futures and sustain and unite people following the difficulties posed by the COVID,” Macken said.