The British Government funds a thrash metal band as trade minister picks new music stars for grants

It’s a “Yes” from the Trade Minister. Fourteen “indie” music acts, ranging from Japanese acid punk to thrash metal, have been selected to receive Government funding in a bid to find a new wave of artists who can follow Mumford & Sons’ path to international success. Inspired by the international success of Bastille, London Grammar and Alt-J, the Government has invested £550,000 of public money in the “Music Export Growth Scheme”, administered by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the BPI.

The successful applicants include Bo Ningen, a Japanese-born, London-based acid punk group who are using their grant to fund a trip to play at the Austin Psych Festival in Texas this weekend.

Lord Livingston, a former BT chief executive given a ministerial role by David Cameron, gave a thumbs up to London thrash metal act Savage Messiah, whose latest album The Fateful Dark includes the tracks “Scavengers of Mercy” and “The Cursed Earth”.

The minister was guided by a panel of music industry experts representing independent labels. The grants are not loans and the government is trusting the artists to use the windfall, designed to support international tours and promotional campaigns, wisely.

Lord Livingston, who will make £2.5 million available for British rockers over two years under the scheme, said the grants would help a British music industry which is already a “global success story”.

He said: “From The Beatles to Adele to Mumford & Sons, Britannia rules the airwaves and sells more records around the world than almost any other country.

“This exporting strength brings jobs and economic growth to the UK and the Music Export Growth Scheme lets up-and-coming British artists up the tempo on the international stage.”

John Kennedy, Chair of the Board for the Music Export Growth Scheme, which helped choose the successful acts, said: “As we go through these applications it is refreshing and invigorating to see the breadth of talent enthusiasm passion and determination.

“Demand for funds far exceeded our ability to fund which shows how important the monies are but also means that the chosen projects have a responsibility to deliver on their promise as that will help the industry as a whole.”

Source: The Inependent