Donate to hcmf//'s COVID-19 Commissioning Fund

In response to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on music creators’ livelihoods, hcmf// is launching a Commissioning Fund campaign and an open call with the aim of providing five UK-based artists with a £1,000 commission to be presented at a future edition of the festival.

As a result of the current situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, music creators have come up against an unprecedented roadblock: where they would usually be out workshopping projects with their collaborators, seeing their work performed and perhaps even toured, they’re now at home, wondering when their music will be heard again. Their industry is at a standstill – the only thing they can do, right now, is keep making music.

Music creators do not work alone. Their work is a collaboration – when it appears at a festival, or in the concert hall, it does so with the support of an industry-wide community of workers. It is performed by an ensemble, produced by a tech team, and heard by an audience. Organisations like us – and listeners like you – have a part to play in making this possible.

At hcmf//, we see it as our role to nurture artists’ careers. As part of our wider work to support the sector during the current crisis, we’d like to offer direct support to those artists facing down cancelled events and empty schedules. If they’re making music, we can be behind them, providing the financial support they need during this indefinite period of lockdown. Through a new round of commissions, we’re seeking to establish immediate paid opportunities for music creators, so that they can continue working, and earning, while securing a commitment that their work will appear at future events.

This situation was impossible to prepare for, and has had an instant impact on our industry. We’re therefore looking to offer support that targets the problems it has created; for artists, this includes financial uncertainty, as well as a lack of platform. With an overall target of £5,000, we’re aiming to raise enough to offer five music creators a commission fee of £1,000. Selected through an open call, these artists will each create a new project, which will be presented at a future edition of hcmf//.

With this fund, we’re aiming to raise – and commission – as much as we can. If we’re successful in raising more than our initial target, we’ll increase the number of commissions on offer.

As listeners, we’re used to experiencing music as an end product; we don’t often invest in it before it’s an album we can hear, or a concert we can go to. At a time like this, it becomes clear that support matters from the moment a project starts to the moment it ends. With this campaign, we hope to show musicians the value of their work – even when it can’t leave the house.

We know that COVID-19 has impacted many people’s finances, but if you are in a position to donate, please consider making a contribution to the fund here. All donations, of whatever size, will be hugely appreciated and 100% of your donation will go directly to the selected artists, and will be vital in enabling us to provide more support for those affected by the crisis.

For more information visit https://hcmf.co.uk/campaigns/covid-19-fund/