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Welsh Music Foundation suspends operations after government funding expires
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 1 July 2014
The Welsh Music Foundation, the development body that has supported the music industry in Wales for nearly fifteen years, announced this morning that it is suspending its operations after failing to negotiate new funding from the Welsh government.
Ministers in Cardiff had offered to fund the group for another six months while it looked for alternative sources of funding, but the Foundation’s board decided it wasn’t viable to do so while continuing to offer its core services. To that end the Foundation’s operations will be suspended, with all three members of staff to be made redundant.
The development agency’s board said this morning: “It is with great sadness that, as of today, Welsh Music Foundation is suspending the company’s operations. WMF’s existing three-year core-funding agreement with Welsh Government expired yesterday”.
“Despite our efforts over the past nine months to negotiate continued core-funding, the Welsh Government’s offer of a six month extension to enable the company to secure an alternative income stream whilst continuing to provide the core service was deemed by the board an unviable proposal”.
“As an executive and board, we are extremely proud of the value and leadership we have shown within the industry and how, on an extremely modest revenue grant of £160,000 a year, we have leveraged much more money in project value, served many Welsh music businesses and developed the music economy of Wales”.
The WMF’s activities in just the last year include 36 training events, the launch of a music directory for Wales, representing the Welsh industry at SXSW and co-delivering the WOMEX event, which took place in Cardiff last year. The Foundation’s board say that they will continue to seek new investment and partnerships to support the music industry in Wales despite this substantial set back.
Meanwhile a spokesperson for the Welsh government has said that it is considering a new advice service for the wider creative industries that would cover music.
Said spokesperson told Wales Today: “The Welsh government offered WMF an extension of funding until December 2014 to allow its services to the music industry to continue whilst the organisation seeks replacement funding streams. This offer has been declined. We are exploring options to develop an advice service that works for all creative industries, including music”.
