The Music and Entertainment Business Assistance Scheme (MEBAS) is to reopen with a €4 million fund for 2022
The Music and Entertainment Business Assistance Scheme (MEBAS) has been announced again to aid self-employed performers, sole traders and businesses in the music industry who qualify for the criteria for 2022.
Those with turnovers of €15,000 and over will be able to apply for grants of between €1,500 and €12,500, the Dept. of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport has announced.
€4million has been allocated for MEBAS 2022 to support those operating in the music sector. Last year, it was a €14 million fund but it seemed not all the money from 2021 was allocated.
Those applicable are:
- Self-employed performers, sole traders and businesses in the music industry with turnovers of €15,000 and over will be able to apply for grants of between €1,500 and €12,500
- Performers such as musicians, singers, DJs, lighting and sound crew, audio equipment suppliers etc. will be eligible to apply
The scheme will open for applications at 1pm on January 27th and close at 1pm on February 17th
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, said:
“I have engaged extensively with stakeholders to understand the challenges faced by them and put in place supports that work for the sector. I am pleased to announce that MEBAS 2022 will open for applications on Thursday January 27th. As part of the €50m in supports I have secured for the Live Entertainment sector for 2022, I have allocated €4m to MEBAS 2022.”
The guidelines for MEBAS 2022 will be published next Tuesday, January 25th on the Department’s website in advance of the application portal opening on Thursday, January 27th 2022.
The scheme will operate in a similar manner to CRSS (Covid Restrictions Support Scheme) by providing grants of up to the value of 15% of the average monthly VAT-exclusive turnover prior to the pandemic.
The aim of this scheme is to make a contribution to the overheads of self-employed people and sole traders in the music industry who have been significantly negatively affected by COVID-19. To be eligible, individuals/sole traders will need to demonstrate that their 2021 turnover was no more than 40% of their average turnover prior to the pandemic.
In 2021, MEBAS supported over 1,000 such performers and live entertainment businesses.
The grant will be paid for six months, January 2022 to June 2022, to assist self-employed performers, sole traders and businesses which have seen significant reductions in their turnover due to the COVID-19 pandemic and help to underpin their recovery as the restrictions are eased in the coming months.
In December, the Minister has made €50m available to support live entertainment. The following funding schemes have been provided to date:
€5m LPSS 2 – Pantomime scheme
€20m LPSS 3 – Scheme to cover December/January cancellations
€5m Local Live Performance Support Scheme (LLPSS)
€4m Music and Entertainment Support Scheme (MEBAS)
€5m (capital) Commercial Entertainment Capital Grant Scheme (CECGS)
€1m St. Patricks Festival
