How MusiCares relief fund may help you

5 years ago
General

Musicians are facing massive income loss amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Recording Academy's MusiCares relief fund may help.


Musicians and music industry professionals can apply for monetary assistance up to $1,000 for canceled bookings, or other types of missed/lost work.


This relief grant will continue to grow as streaming services like YouTube, Spotify, TIDAL and Pandora continue to pledge additional funds in order to help musicians amid these unprecedented times.


We encourage any artists in need of monetary support because of the COVID-19 outbreak to apply.

To start the process, you’ll need a completed MusiCares application.


You will need to supply proof of income loss, such as canceled bookings. This is to help ensure the funds are being dispersed to individuals who need it most, and to prevent fraudulent claims of funds.


If you were not impacted financially from COVID-19 or do not need monetary support, we kindly remind you that this fund is limited; and there are plenty of individuals who were massively impacted.


That being said, applicants need to meet 1 of the 3 following requirements to be eligible for the grant:

  • At least three years of employment history in the music industry
  • Six commercially released recordings
  • Six commercially or promotionally released music videos


Also, you may need to supply the following information:

  • Detailed music industry background documents
  • A biography, resume, or discography
  • Documentation of loss of income
  • Copy of your lease or mortgage statement


MusiCares is only available for musicians and artists who live and work in the United States. Additional coronavirus relief funds are being established all across the country, and MusiCares isn’t the only place to apply for assistance. 


To view a list of COVID-19 relief funds available for musicians, you can visit BMI's resource center (https://www.bmiresource.center/).