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AIM evolves and extends its COVID-19 support programme

By | Published on Wednesday 10 June 2020

AIM

The Association Of Independent Music has announced that it is opening its COVID-19 Crisis Fund to further applications and will provide financial support for lost income in June and July, as well earlier months when the pandemic was impacting on the music industry.

AIM launched its crisis fund in April seeking to support contractors and freelancers in the independent music community who had lost income as result of the COVID-19 shutdown. Since then nearly 200 beneficiaries have received financial support, including tour managers, live crew, sound engineers, producers, agents, managers, promoters and publicists.

The AIM fund specifically sought to support freelancers in the industry because many of those people have fallen through the cracks of the government’s COVID-19 support schemes. While there is a government programme for freelancers, it only applies to those formally registered as sole traders with tax authorities.

The trade body says that, thanks to the generosity of the music companies and organisations that have put money into its scheme, it “is able to evolve the fund and extend the period of lost work covered into June/July, in addition to the initial period of April/May. Applicants can now receive up to £1000 for each two month period. Receiving aid for one time period does not preclude beneficiaries from applying again for the other”.

Among those to have put money into the fund are Beggars Group, Believe, Cherry Red Records, Elephant Music, EmuBands, Ninja Tune, PPL, Specific Music and SRVL.

Confirming the extension of the support initiative, AIM CEO Paul Pacifico said: “Due to the generous support of our donors, we are now able to extend support from the Crisis Fund to cover a greater time period, which could prove crucial for many of our members and the emerging artists and freelance workers on their teams as the pandemic evolves”.

He added: “Hardship takes many different forms. We want to make sure that we’re supporting our community to keep them healthy and safe through this trying time”.

Details of who is eligible for support from the fund and how to apply are available here.



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