O’Brien welcomes €50m suite of measures to support the commercial live performance sector

Local Minister Darragh O’Brien has welcomed the new €50m suite of measures to support the commercial live performance sector to assist producers, promoters, venues and musicians.
 
The funding package, which was agreed at Cabinet today, includes a significantly enhanced Live Performance Support Scheme (LPSS), a separate support - Music Entertainment Business Assistance Scheme (MEBAS) for sole traders and music businesses to pay fixed costs, a capital fund to install recording facilities and a local performance scheme this summer for village and town centres.
 
Commenting Minister O’Brien said, “As we are all aware the live entertainment sector is one of the worst affected by the pandemic. Doors have shut, performances with audiences are gone, the ability of artists to create is limited and jobs have been lost, so I was very pleased to support a proposal at Cabinet for a €50m package for the sector.
 
“The measures include a €25m Live Performance Support Scheme, a €14m new support scheme for live entertainment businesses, €5m to local authorities for outdoor live performances, €5m in capital supports for the live entertainment sector and €1m for St. Patrick’s Festival 2021.
 
“We all look to this sector for some light-hearted fun, and we know we will certainly need this once we have come through the other side of this pandemic, so we need to make sure we have an industry which can prosper again when it is safe to do so,” he concluded.