The government has announced grant-aid of €4m to support people working in the music sector, with an application portal opening on January 27.

The 2022 strand of the Music and Entertainment Business Assistance Scheme is open to self-employed performers, sole traders and businesses in the music industry with turnovers of €15,000 and over.

These will be able to apply for grants of between €1,500 and €12,500.

Performers such as musicians, singers, DJs, lighting and sound crew, audio equipment suppliers, etc. will be eligible to apply, with a total of €4m to be distributed.

Applications open on January 27 and close on February 1.

In Association with

Culture minister Catherine Martin (pictured) said the scheme will operate in a similar manner to the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme, by providing grants of up to 15% of the average monthly VAT-exclusive turnover before the pandemic.

To be eligible, applicants are required to demonstrate that their 2021 turnover was no more than 40% of their average turnover prior to the pandemic.

In 2021, MEBAS supported over 1,000 performers and live entertainment businesses, and MEBAS 2022 is expected to support a similar number of people. 

The grant will be paid for six months, from January 2022 to June 2022.