LABELS HAND OUT MORE CRISIS CASH 

U.K. record labels have pledged a further £270k ($350k) for the artist and live music communities as they continue to fight the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The contribution joins previously raised funds of £1.25m.

Co-ordinated by record label trade association BPI, this second round of funding will go to a range of causes that will help sustain artists and musicians, artist managers and grassroots music venues that are most in need.

Musicians charity Help Musicians, music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins and the Music Venue Trust will receive close to £60k each. Mental well-being and addictions charity Music Support will receive nearly £30k to help fund its NHS-approved well-being app Thrive.

The monies are drawn from funds previously provided by major record labels Sony Music Entertainment U.K., Universal Music U.K., and Warner Music U.K., and independents Cherry Red and Demon Music Group, as well as The BRIT Awards, Amazon Music and PPL. They have since been added to with a significant contribution from YouTube Music.

Separately, just under £60k funded directly by The BRIT Awards will go to the Music Managers Forum's (MMF) Rebuild Project. The total value of overall donations made by the recorded sector and its music partners to date now stands at around £1.62m with further residual funds still to be apportioned.

“Record labels and music companies have been individually helping those across the music community most affected by the Covid-19 emergency, but they also recognize the value of working collectively,” Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive BPI & BRIT Awards, said.

"These further donations aimed at helping artists, managers and venues, which come on top of substantial donations already made to Help Musicians and the Music Venues Trust, underline the sector’s solidarity with all those affected and will hopefully help to make a difference as we work together to bring the industry through this crisis.”