MusicAIRE - grants for music organisations in Europe

MusicAIRE offers grants for music organisations based in Europe to address the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Funded under the Creative Europe Programme and managed by INOVA+ and the European Music Council, MusicAIRE supports the recovery and sustainability of the music sector, one of the hardest hit by the pandemic.

The grants are open to music organisations in the 27 EU member states or non-EU countries participating in the Creative Europe programme. Additionally, the projects to be funded under MusicAIRE will need to provide strategies, methodologies, and actions for the music sector to address the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis in at least one of the following thematic fields:

GREEN recovery: increasing the sector’s environmental sustainability and ecological awareness with a view to greening the music industry, in particular live acts, festivals and touring, as well as supporting innovative start-ups aiming at decreasing the environmental footprint of online data storing and music distribution.

DIGITAL recovery: adapting to new emerging trends in digital music consumption, distribution and promotion (such as live music acts online) and developing and promoting sustainable business models that enable monetisation and guarantee remuneration of artists. Digital recovery involves the development of technology-driven products and services in music production, promotion and distribution, as well as capacity building actions for artists in order to make them more competitive and resilient in an increasingly technology-driven market.

JUST and RESILIENT recovery: better harnessing music’s potential as a distinct cohesive force, with a view to contributing to increased solidarity, active citizenship, and social cohesion. This includes a stronger community role for music venues, better access to music both in terms of education and consumption, with a special focus on disadvantaged groups, and fairer remuneration for artists and gender balance.

Eligible activities under the themes above (green, digital, just and resilient) can include:

• capacity building actions (education, training, mentoring, events)
• advocacy-related activities
• testing and scaling-up innovative models and/or tools
• awareness-raising actions
• collection of best practices, certifications, assessments, studies or benchmarks
• building strategies or policies for the organisation/business
• other activities contributing to the recovery of the music ecosystem in the areas of the MusicAIRE initiative.

MusicAIRE offers three grant levels:

• micro: 15,000 EUR
• small: 30,000 EUR
• medium: 55,000 EUR

The grant can cover up to 90% of the eligible costs and a maximum grant amount depending on the strand applied to. The projects can have a duration of up to 10 months.

Deadline Round 1: 28 March 2022

Deadline Round 2: 26 October 2022

MusicAIRE (An Innovative Recovery for Europe) is an EU-funded project (Music Moves Europe) and is managed by the consortium composed by INOVA+ and the European Music Council (EMC)