It was intended to provide a stimulus to a music industry devastated by Covid-19 but a funding package for artists has instead created disharmony among musicians. A group calling itself Music Industry Stimulus Package Transparency has complained that some established artists got grants from three schemes, while others received nothing.
Among the biggest beneficiaries were the traditional musician Sharon Shannon, who received three grants totalling €17,000; the London-based singer Moncrieff, who got three grants worth €15,000; and the Sligo singer Tommy Fleming, who got two worth €12,000.
A total of 184 artists shared €896,000 last week from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under three funding strands: songwriting, album release and recording an album. More than 1,400 applied for the grants,