{"id":30020,"date":"2015-12-11T10:56:47","date_gmt":"2015-12-11T10:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=30020"},"modified":"2015-12-11T10:56:47","modified_gmt":"2015-12-11T10:56:47","slug":"in-depth-welsh-music-calls-for-more-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2015\/12\/11\/in-depth-welsh-music-calls-for-more-support\/","title":{"rendered":"In depth: Funding cuts to Welsh music"},"content":{"rendered":"

Industry insiders call for more support for the Welsh music scene<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

From the melodic arias echoing over players\u2019 bellows on the rugby pitch, to the much-loved rhythms of Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones, music is integral to Wales\u2019 culture and heritage. With \u00a395m generated by the Welsh music industry\u2019s tourism sector last year alone<\/a>, music plays a key role in pinning Wales on the map; but with significant cuts to government spending, is there enough support for the Welsh music industry?<\/p>\n

Last year the Welsh music industry was dealt a massive blow as government funding for the Welsh Music Foundation<\/a> (WMF), an organisation that helped emerging Welsh artists kickstart their career, was axed. A \u00a3160,000 annual grant helped the WMF carve the careers of many homegrown artists, like Cate Le Bon<\/a>, over its 14-year span, but the funding cut forced the WMF\u2019s closure triggering alarm bells for the industry\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

\"A

Fast-forward to November 2015 and the scene tells a different story. An incredibly exciting month for the industry saw the seventh annual Swn Festival<\/a> rocking the capital, the fifth Welsh Music Prize<\/a> being awarded to Gwenno Saunders<\/a>, and BBC Cymru Wales<\/a> awarding 35 artists career-helping grants via the BBC Horizons\u2019 Launchpad Fund. It seems the industry is thriving, despite the lack of government funding. But is this just a surface picture? Are cracks developing underneath?<\/p>\n

A birdseye view of the industry<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are various support schemes available to emerging artists in Wales; perhaps the most prominent at present is the BBC Horizons Scheme<\/a>. Founded in 2014 as part of a working partnership between BBC Radio Cymru<\/a> and the Arts Council of Wales<\/a>, the scheme supports specially selected up-and-coming artists.<\/p>\n

Horizons\u2019 project manager and BBC Radio Cymru presenter, Bethan Elfyn, explains how the scheme pushes artists to wider audiences through radio platforms and festivals, and provides an \u201cinjection of grants\u201d through the Launchpad Fund<\/a>. \u201cA range of artists are selected, from complete unknowns to more established acts, but they all have a current drive, determination and momentum!\u201d she enthused.<\/p>\n

\"BBC

One chosen applicant is Aled Rheon. The Cardiff-based singer-songwriter was selected as a Horizons 12<\/a> singer last year and awarded a \u00a32,000 Launchpad Fund grant last month. He feels the Horizons Scheme has been \u201cinvaluable\u201d in facilitating his career and helping promote his first bilingual EP. \u201cThe Launchpad Fund will help pay for something I would definitely not have been able to afford myself,\u201d he said. Listen to Aled’s music on his Soundcloud<\/a> below.<\/p>\n