North Cork Fine Gael Councillor John Paul O’Shea is encouraging people in Cork County to apply for the 2022 strand of the Music and Entertainment Business Assistance Scheme (MEBAS).
Councillor O’Shea said, “Performers and people in the music industry such as crew, who are impacted by covid restrictions, should now prepare to apply for the Music and Entertainment Business Assistance Scheme announced by Government recently.
“€4m has been set aside for this scheme as part of the €50m in supports allocated to the Live Entertainment Sector by Government for 2022.
“Many in the music industry found themselves ineligible for the CRSS (Covid Restrictions Support Scheme), so we supported over 1,000 such people through the MEBAS Scheme in 2021.This scheme is similar to CRSS in that it provides grants of up to the value of 15% of the average monthly VAT-exclusive turnover prior to the pandemic. It is designed to support those in the music industry who have been severely impacted by covid with their overheads.
“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. Self-employed individuals and sole traders including performers such as musicians, singers, DJ’s lighting and sound crew, audio equipment suppliers will be eligible to apply.
“The MEBAS Scheme supplements the other Government schemes supporting the music and live entertainment sector including,
· €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
Cllr. O’Shea added “The Government has made this scheme simpler and easier to access. Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, has confirmed that the guidelines went live on the Department’s last week and the scheme is now open for applications. The grant will be paid for six months from 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. This will help them rebuild as we move towards reopening the economy in 2022.”
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