£2.5 million coronavirus fund for musicians runs out of money after five days

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A £2.5 million fund for musicians suffering financial hardship during the coronavirus pandemic has run out of money after just five days.

Launched by Help Musicians UK, who support musicians and help at times of crisis, but also at times of opportunity, The Coronavirus Financial Hardship Fund aims to support artists by initially providing a one-off, £500 payment.

Launched on June 5th, thousands of artists applied for the fund, which is now almost at capacity, and came from £2m of the charity’s reserves, plus donations of £500k from music licensing company PPL and £50k from the Lightbody Foundation.

You read full details about Help Musicians UK, as well as the scheme, here. 

In May this year, the UK government set up a taskforce to aid in the recovery of the culture sector in the aftermath of coronavirus.