Irish government announce €500,000 grassroots music venue fund
The Irish government has announced a €500,000 fund to help support grassroots music venues in the country.
Under the scheme, venues will be able to claim a grant of up to €15,000 if they have a capacity of 500 or less, and they are known as a platform for emerging and local artists, and they have grassroots performances as a core part of their programming.
The policy was announced earlier this month by Patrick O’Donovan, the Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, and is part of the Irish government’s wider Night-Time Economy Support Scheme.
“Grassroots music venues are an integral part of the music ecosystem in Ireland and are vital to our communities,” O’Donovan said. “I want to support these venues so they can give opportunities to new and emerging artists and give them spaces to perform, develop their skills, and build their audiences.”
Minister @podonovan has announced a new Night-Time Economy Support Scheme of €500,000 for Grassroots Music Venues. Applications now open.
D'fhógair an tAire @podonovan Scéim Tacaíochta nua €500,000 um Gheilleagar Oíche d'ionaid cheoil phobail inniu.https://t.co/OEEi6nc2pG pic.twitter.com/Go4JDbO0fR— Tourism-Culture-Arts-Gaeltacht-Sport-Media (@DeptCultureIRL) March 31, 2025
“Many of the big acts that we see today in large arenas started their careers performing in grassroots venues, so it is important that we support these venues to allow them to continue to provide these much needed opportunities for up and coming musicians and DJ.”
Eligible Irish venues can apply now, with the scheme set to close on May 15 or when the allotted funds run out. Check out the full list of eligibility criteria here and apply here.
It comes at a time of crisis for the live music economy. In the UK, the government have backed a long overdue call for a levy on tickets to gigs at arena level and above – adopting a ‘Premier League model’ with the top tiers of the live industry paying back into the ecosystem to keep the talent pipeline flowing, as they do in football. A recent report found that over 90 per cent of music fans are supportive of the £1 ticket levy scheme.
At a time when the new Labour government have also promised a price cap on touted tickets and an investigation into dynamic pricing after last year’s Oasis reunion tour controversy, MPs have promised a proactive approach to securing a more stable future for UK music and fans.
As for gig spaces, Music Venue Trust – who have reported the “complete collapse of touring” across the UK – have already been gifted ticket levy donations from the likes of Coldplay, Sam Fender and Katy Perry from their upcoming arena and stadium tours. This also comes at a time when MVT’s annual report for 2024 showed that one venue was lost every two weeks last year, with nearly 44 per cent of their venues running at a loss and a near 20 per cent spike in venues in need of emergency help on the brink of closure.
As for the rest of the industry taking action, MVT CEO Mark Davyd told NME of a “a very positive meeting of all of the major players in the music industry” before Christmas where “there was very broad consensus from all of the major promoters and the arenas that there was a will to try and make the voluntary levy happen”.
“It’s not absolutely smooth-sailing, because there are always demands on the ticket price and what artists should be doing,” Davyd told NME. “There is work needed to deliver it, but there was a consensus that this is how everyone would like to progress. Actions are being taken already this year to try and make this a reality.”
Davyd said that the levy would need a “blanket approach” applied to all major tours to be “considered a success”. Without it, he said that the government had been clear that they would “feel obligated to legislate for it”.
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Max Pilley
NME
