Music Export Growth Scheme

MEGS provides match-funding grant support to representatives of UK-based music acts (normally music management companies or record labels who meet SME criteria) to help deliver high-quality marketing and promotion campaigns normally linked to international tours to enable these acts to grow their international business. The scheme is targeted at artists that have achieved reasonable levels of commercial success in the UK and are now looking to break internationally. Successful recipients can claim no more than 50 per cent of eligible expenditure for their projects. No UK activity can be funded.

- Funding organisation: Department for Business and Trade and Department for Culture, Media and Sport - Location: National - Award: £5,000 to £50,000 per award; total scheme size £3.2 million - Opening date: 2025-12-01 - Closing date: 2027-04-01

Summary

MEGS provides match-funding grant support to representatives of UK-based music acts (normally music management companies or record labels who meet SME criteria) to help deliver high-quality marketing and promotion campaigns linked to international tours to enable these acts to grow their international business. The scheme is targeted at artists that have achieved reasonable levels of commercial impact in the UK and are now looking to break internationally. Successful recipients can claim no more than 50 per cent of eligible expenditure for their projects. No UK activity can be funded. When applying, applicants should provide: I. Evidence they meet SME criteria. II. Evidence of domestic sales and success levels (including touring and media support); III. Experience of the domestic repertoire owner or management team;IV. Proven interest from the target market;V. A full marketing plan for the targeted territory setting out how the Scheme Grant would be used, which might include:• launch/introduction marketing campaign (inc PR costs, physical/digital advertising, plugging into radio and TV, social media campaigns etc);• showcases and other opportunities to secure international distribution deals or licensing; • personal appearances (TV/Radio media opportunities in the country);• tour support to enable the artist to travel to and showcase/perform in the targeted market; and/or• any other plans for targeting record labels/license partners, distributors, publishers, media and concert promoters in target markets;• An indicative budget for the project; andVI. A list of the UK companies (and their contact details) working with each artist /project including: label, management, publishing company, artist, digital distribution company, merchandising company and the UK agent where applicable. Funding will be tied to the ambition of the project, measured by financial commitment, sales targets and business outputs. Expenditure to be taken into account will be external costs to the label or management, not normal running costs – Outputs will be key performance indicators for the applicants such as leads generated and pursued, deals done, media coverage.

Eligibility

1. You are a UK based music business or organisation trading from the UK.2. You are a SME that has fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than €50 million or a balance sheet total less than €43 million.3. You have not and you have not received any other contributions from public funds towards the Project.4. You can demonstrate that: i) you are selling from the UK; and ii) you are enhancing the Artist’s competitiveness and providing tangible economic benefit to the UK from this trade development activity.5. You will only promote the business, trading and brand names detailed in your Application unless you obtained express consent from the delivery partner the BPI, DBT and/or the Grants Selection Panel for a Project Change.( Excluding businesses/organisations based in the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands unless UK registered.)

Objectives

To enable UK-based music SMEs and their artists, through using government match-funding to deliver higher-quality marketing and promotional campaigns, to grow their international business through meeting key music industry contacts including record labels, publishers, agents, managers, promoters and sync agents which will lead to new business being secured and enhanced media coverage in the countries the artists tour.

Dates

We aim to open the next funding round in December 2025 and there will be further funding rounds up to 31 March 2027.

How to apply

Please apply via the website of the MEGS delivery partner, the BPI, https://www.bpi.co.uk/news-analysis/music-export-growth-scheme.

Supporting information

BPI

Apply / more information: https://www.bpi.co.uk/news-analysis/music-export-growth-scheme