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PPL donates £700,000 to UK COVID-19 hardship funds
By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 15 April 2020
PPL has announced that it has pledged £700,000 to three of the music industry hardship funds that have been set up as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The collecting society will donate £500,000 to the Help Musicians Coronavirus Financial Hardship Fund, as well as £100,000 each to the Musicians’ Union Coronavirus Hardship Fund and the AIM COVID-19 Crisis Fund.
The Help Musicians and Musicians’ Union funds are offering emergency grants to musicians who have been financially affected by the ongoing health crisis, while AIM is providing support to contractors and freelancers working in the independent music sector.
“At PPL, we recognise the role of these hardship funds in providing a lifeline to those in the music industry who have been most impacted by the current crisis”, says PPL CEO Peter Leatham. “We are delighted to be able to contribute to the funds established by Help Musicians, The Musicians’ Union and AIM to ensure financial support reaches those in need. This funding is vital for those who have lost their regular means of income and find it challenging to sustain their livelihood”.
Help Musicians is no longer accepting new applications to its fund having exhausted the initial £5 million the charity itself pledged. It is, however, continuing to process applications already received while fundraising to provide support to all who qualify. It also plans to “take a multi-layered approach to helping people with hardship over the coming months”, meaning new funding options are expected to be launched in the near future.
Members of the Musicians’ Union can still apply for its hardship fund here, while information on accessing AIM’s fund is here.
