List of COVID-19 relief funds and initiatives for African musicians

Following the impact of the outbreak, the global music community continues to seek different ways to provide relief for affected musicians during these difficult times. In light of the efforts, Music In Africa has compiled a list of organisations and initiatives by music platforms that have pledged any form of COVID-19 relief or support that music industry stakeholders in Africa can use to weather the storm.

Below is the list, which will be updated regularly to reflect any relevant developments.

African funds

Artist Relief Grants by Business and Arts South Africa (BASA)

Open to all South African creatives.
BASA is offering short-term financial aid for COVID-19-related medical care and/or prescription medicines. The aid can also be used to offset the loss of income due to the cancellation of confirmed engagements, as a result of the nationwide lockdown or other emergency measures.
More information on the Artist Relief Grant can be found here.

South African Funds 4 Entertainment (SAFE)

Open to all entertainment workers and professionals in South Africa.
SAFE is a non-profit organisation established by entertainment companies and brands in SA. The fund is intended for South Africa’s entertainment stakeholders such as bar companies, vendors, suppliers, DJs, artists, creatives, venues, security teams, among others. Those in need can apply for relief on SAFE’s official website.

Facebook Small Business Grants programme

Open to small businesses and music professionals in South Africa.
Up to 30,000 eligible small businesses and music professionals in more than 30 countries where Facebook operates will be able to receive the grant.

Applicants must satisfy the following criteria to apply.

• Have between 2 and 50 employees
• Have been in business for over a year
• Have experienced challenges from COVID-19
• Be in or near a location where Facebook operate

Facebook is still working on the further criteria for applicants in South Africa. More information on the small business grant can be found on the company's offical website.

Zimbabwean government

Open to Zimbabwean-owned youth enterprises and registered youth associations that meet the specified criteria.
The fund, which is being administered through the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, seeks to promote innovativeness, value addition, and/or beneficiation among youth-run enterprises and complement other relief initiatives by government. It is also meant to provide relief support to youth enterprises in the creative industry and many other sectors affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

To benefit from the fund applicants should meet the following criteria:

• Proof of operation for a minimum of six months to a year prior to lockdown in the form of invoices, orders, delivery notes, and bank statements.
• They must be youth aged between 18 and 35 years.
• Must be citizens of Zimbabwe residing in the country with local business operations.
• Proof of place of operation e.g. lease agreement, Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority bill, water bill, etc.

Government of Ivory Coast

Open to all artists and producers registered with the Ivorian Copyright Office (BURIDA).
The Ivorian government has made an advance of 500,000,000 FCFA to BURIDA for the immediate payment of duties to its members.
Additionally, the emergency plan is the immediate provision by the Ministry of Culture and La Francophonie, of food and logistics to combat covid-19 worth 70 million Fcfa, to cultural and artistic entities in need.

French Embassy in Morocco

Open to all Moroccan cultural associations and self-employed artists
The cooperation and cultural action service of the French Embassy in Morocco invites Moroccan artists and cultural organisations whose activities are reduced due to the coronavirus health crisis to submit their projects to receive funding.
Entities or persons who wish to benefit from this support mechanism must read the complete regulations and complete the form.
E-mail to the Directorate General of the French Institute in Morocco, specifically to Thibaud Retailleau, in charge of cultural cooperation, via the address: [email protected] (link sends e-mail).
The deadline for submitting applications is 20 May 2020

NPO Follow Your Art

Open to all artists in the specified regions affected by the crisis caused by the coronavirus.
The newly launched funding campaign seeks to support artists hit by the COVID-19 measures in Tunisia, Belgium and Italy. As soon as the first call has been successfully closed, a new call will be launched in three different countries. As soon as the first call has been successfully closed, a new call will be launched in three different countries.
There is no application deadline.
Applications will be analysed on a first-come, first-served basis, taking into account the urgency of the applicant's needs.
Interested artists can view the original call and submit their applications here.

Dream'S Chebeb programme in Tunisia

Open to all Tunisian citizens aged between 18 to 30 years.
The fund is intended to support the project for theatrical creation and its artistic and technical trades. Interested creators can submit their applications via an online form.
Deadline for submissions has been extended to 30 April. More information on the programme can be found on Deam’S Chebeb official website.

Global funds available to African music professionals

Centre for Applied Human Rights (CAHR) COVID-19 fund

Sponsored grant from the Open Society Foundations.
Open to artists and activists around the world.
CAHR is calling on artists and activists around the world to apply for COVID-19 funding of up to £3 000 ($3 750). The funding is intended to support artists and activists in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak and its implications for human rights defenders.
Applicants must demonstrate evidence of a strong working relationship between the artist(s) and activist(s).
More information on the the fund can be found here.

Artist Relief Project

The Artist Relief Project is sponsored by Artly World, a US-based non-profit organisation, and is intended to support individuals pursuing careers as artists, in any discipline with any level of success or experience, whose anticipated income has been directly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis due to cancellation and closures of events, venues, performances and productions and so on.
Artists can apply for funding by completing the application Form.

Non-financial support

World Health Organisation (WHO)

WHO is the leading authority on world health issues and also provides the most reliable information on travel, media resources, and other research on COVID-19.

Nhimbe Trust COVID-19 culture and creative industries portal

Zimbabwean arts consultancy company, Nhimbe Trust has launched a COVID-19 Culture and Creative Industries portal to offer information resources, technical support, and crisis response expertise to the cultural and creative industries in the country.
The initiative, which offers response mechanisms in the culture and creative industries, also seeks to increase the accessibility of opportunities, research tools, and communiques that are available to cultural and creative industry stakeholders, within and beyond the ambit of their geographical areas of operation. The portal can be accessed here.

South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG)

SADAG is Africa’s largest mental health support and advocacy group. Individuals who suspect any mental health changes can find comprehensive mental health information and resources to help them, a family member or loved one.

The Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) secures reprieve from banks for members

SAMRO has successfully managed to request financial institutions and various stakeholders to exercise leniency towards artists and composers in relation to their financial obligations.

Programmes and services by music platforms

SoundCloud launches new distribution platform

SoundCloud has introduced a new platform that lets musicians distribute their songs through 25 major services including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and Instagram. No play count thresholds will apply. Interested artists can apply here.

Mixcloud Select programme

Mixcloud’s Select programme enables creators to earn an income directly from fans who support their channel for a small monthly contribution. The digital audio streaming platform is also waiving its fees on Select and is offering new subscribers 90-day trials for Mixcloud PRO. Additionally, the company added a live feature that allows creators to livestream content without infringing on mechanical and public performance rights on digital platforms. Interested artists can sign up for the free-trial offers on Mixcloud's official website.

Bandsintown now offering artists quicker access to earnings

US-based global events discovery and marketing platform Bandsintown is offering artists free accelerated access to Twitch's live streaming monetisation tools. The service is targeted at musicians who are unable to perform live during coronavirus (COVID-19) quarantines. Musicians interested in fast-tracking their streaming monetisation potential can sign up or learn more about the opportunity here.

Hire Artists marketplace

Hire Artists hire artists is a marketplace designed to facilitate creative exchange during an unprecedented economic crisis for the already-precarious arts and creative sector at large. Built by artists and for artists, hire artists connects buyers and supporters with experienced practitioners possessing decades of experience, for the purposes of online instruction or to help with creative and non-creative tasks. `

SoundCloud partnered with Twitch

SoundCloud has partnered with Twitch to give SoundCloud Pro, SoundCloud Premier and Repost by SoundCloud creators can start earning money from their Twitch streams by fast-tracking Affiliate status. Now, wherever you’re social distancing, you can still connect to millions of fans IRL and get paid for your work. Interested artists can apply here.

BUSQR

BUSQR (pronounced ‘busker’) provides registered artists with a simple snap QR code that can be embedded into any live stream on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. This allows fans to contribute funds to their favourite artists in real time while they perform live on social media. Interested artists can sign up with BUSQR here.

Songtradr

US-based music licensing marketplace Songtradr is is offering artists free music distribution on its platform until 30 September. More information on the free deal can be found here.

Free music apps

Music software developers Steinberg, Apple and Ableton, among others, are now offering users free versions of their software. More information on the free apps and services can be found here.