The UK government released an official list of clubs, festivals, and organizations that are receiving funding from their new grant this past Monday. Resident Advisor‘s co-founder, Nick Sabine, released an official statement regarding how they received £750,000 from that government grant for art support. RA received one of the largest allotments of funds out of the £257 million total available in the fund, which has led to criticism.
£750k of government support for Resident Advisor is really unfathomable
— Mint Royale (@MintRoyale) October 13, 2020
Some, like electro duo Mint Royale, had a strong opinion on this, and took to Twitter to share their thoughts. After receiving some backlash, Sabine took to writing a statement to clear some things up.
Why Does RA Get Such a Massive Grant?
Sabine states that RA is facing some difficult times during the pandemic. The website and events company has “experienced a 95% loss of revenue” and does not foresee recovering any time soon. This grant will allegedly cover 30% of their losses until April 2021. In the statement, Sabine also notes:
Following Covid-forced redundancies, we have 56 permanent members of staff, spanning writers, editors, designers, filmmakers, web developers, promoter support and more, most of whom have been working reduced hours. 75% of the grant will go towards retaining jobs and avoiding making further redundancies. The remaining 25% will support our network of creative freelancers whose income has been wiped out during the pandemic.
Nick Sabine, Resident Advisor Co-Founder
The Arts Council determines who will receive grants, and they clearly felt that Resident Advisor deserved such a large amount. A spokesperson from the Arts Council highlighted RA’s importance in the music community, stating that the funding “will enable Resident Advisor to remain operational, enable them to innovate their current digital platform and provide the best chance of long-term survival for the company, alongside supporting artists and other organisations that rely on them as a source of income.”
Many aspects of the music industry have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants such as these, while helpful, bring up some important points of discussion: how much money should be given as aid? And, on what basis should it be determined?