The FAC’s UK Artist Touring fund doubles its support for live music
The FAC is delighted to announce a second wave of beneficiaries from our UK Artist Touring Fund (UKAT fund).
In total, 49 artists from across the UK - including A Certain Ratio, Amelia Coburn, Bel Cobain, Caoilfhionn Rose, Gen and the Degenerates, Girls Of The Internet, Ivo Neame, Katie Gregson-Macleod, Lauren Auder, Liz Lawrence, Split Chain, Tara Lily, The Nightingales, Tom A. Smith, VENUS GRRRLS and unpeople - will receive top-up tour support of up to £8,000 from the proceeds of £300,000 collected by the LIVE Trust, as part of a voluntary ticket contribution donated from arena and stadium shows.
The full list of awardees can be found here.
UKAT was launched this year in partnership with the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and Musicians’ Union (MU) to address the “cost of touring crisis”, where the fixed costs for artists to perform in small and medium-sized venues outweigh the income received through ticket sales or guarantees.
With artists being the biggest employers in live music, these financial pressures are inevitably reaching a point of unsustainability. They are also impacting the livelihoods of musicians, managers, booking agents, promoters, venues and others in the live music sector.
UKAT looks to address this challenge at source, with today’s investment helping supplement touring costs for almost 400 live shows taking place between September 2026 and April 2027- ensuring “pencilled” tour dates go ahead, providing additional support to individuals with access or childcare requirements, and ensuring fair payment for artists, managers, musicians and crew.
Some key takeaways from UKAT’s Phase Two distribution.
We were able to fund less than 20% of the completed applications, despite increased funding available. A financial shortfall of over £2m.
Our 49 awardees represent a wide diversity of career backgrounds - from early-stage to established - and perform in a wide variety of genres.
They come from all four UK nations. 80% are currently based outside London.
There was a notable increase in additional support for access or childcare costs
80% of UKAT-supported tours will reach underserved regions or locations where artists have not previously played - from Shetland and the Isle of Skye to Torquay and Totnes.
1 in 5 tours include a combination of headline shows, support slots or festival appearances.
20% of awardees applied for tours with “pencilled” shows, which were subsequently confirmed ahead of awards being made.
In total, 75 artists have now received funding since UKAT was launched in March 2026, supporting more than 600 live shows around the UK.
David Martin, CEO, Featured Artists Coalition:
“Having established the UKAT fund earlier this year, this is now the second distribution we’ve made directly to artists to support their touring activity. We’re a long way from meeting demand and there’s more we can achieve, but it’s already clear how this type of targeted intervention is setting a template for the future - helping artists build financial resilience, ensuring pencilled shows take place, and that everyone involved in making a live show happen can get paid. Quite simply, it’s an investment benefitting all in the UK music business.
“For that reason, we’re incredibly grateful for the continued support of the LIVE Trust, and hope today’s announcement will encourage even more artists, promoters and venues to embrace the logic of a voluntary £1 per-ticket contribution at arena and stadium shows. Their help and generosity can go a long way to securing the future of live music in the UK.”
A Certain Ratio:
“The financial support we received from UKAT has allowed us to pay the band members a living wage for rehearsals and to pay all the band and crew for travel days, which we have never been in a position to do before. It also freed up resources, meaning we're in a better position to finance a new album next year. Support like this has made our tour financially possible, has meant we're able to better support younger members of our touring party, and has helped us share our music with everyone who attended."
Bel Cobain:
“UKAT support has meant that our music hasn’t been undervalued. Live music inspires and reminds humans of our vulnerability. Being able to pay all my band and touring party fairly means we can put our best foot forward and bring the best music possible around the UK.”
Girls Of The Internet:
“This is our second year touring the UK as a band, and UKAT has helped us make the move from festival bookings to headlining our own shows independently - something we have been working toward for years. It's allowed us to take our live show across the country without the worry of losing money.”
VENUS GRRRLS:
"With the rapidly rising costs of playing live we would have struggled to make this tour happen without UKAT support. We massively feel the difference in being able to secure safe accommodation and team members to support us with the demands of touring. With a system that feels like it's set up to make things as difficult as possible for smaller artists, initiatives like UKAT give musicians like us a fighting chance."
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Creative Industries Minister, Ian Murray:
“From pubs and community venues, to packed out arenas and stadiums, live music has been part of our national identity for decades.
“We are proud to support this industry-led initiative, which is helping artists from all over the UK take their music to new audiences. I now urge all artists, venues, promoters and others across the industry to get behind it, so that even more artists can benefit.”
Importantly, among today’s awardees are nine artists from the North East, Tees Valley and West Yorkshire, co-funded as the result of a partnership between the FAC and the Northern Music Export Office (NMEO).
They are: Amelia Coburn, EEVAH, Finn Forster, IRKED, Marketplace, Smith & Liddle, THE HOWLING, Tom A. Smith and VENUS GRRRLS.
This expansion of the UKAT fund has been coordinated by Generator, the North’s leading music development organisation.
Mick Ross, CEO, Generator/Northern Music Export Office:
“This is a milestone achievement for the Northern Music Export Office and a significant step towards delivering the ambition we set out to achieve when establishing the office.
“Seeing nine artists from the North East, Tees Valley and West Yorkshire benefit from UKAT funding through this co-investment is hugely positive. Through this initiative, we have been able to double the level of investment available through the Northern Music Export Office, alongside a 350% increase in the number of Northern artists successfully securing touring funding. This is a significant step forward in ensuring more Northern artists can access the support they need to develop and grow their careers.
“This support will help more Northern artists reach national audiences, build their live careers and gain the experience, confidence and opportunities they need to become export-ready.”
“Crucially, it will also help artists develop their careers in a way that supports more sustainable touring, ensuring they can grow and succeed without compromising the financial viability or conditions of their tours."
Jon Collins, CEO, LIVE Trust
“LIVE Trust has made huge progress in delivering on its commitment to protect, expand and support the UK's grassroots live music ecosystem. It is fantastic to see the UK Artist Touring fund continuing to build on the success of its first distribution phase and to see its reach extend to artist support in the North East, Tees Valley and West Yorkshire through the Northern Music Export Office.
“Like our other partner programmes, working with UKAT shows the value of placing money with industry experts who understand the nuances of their sector. As more of the industry gets behind LIVE Trust, we'll be able to support even more programmes like UKAT to keep our grassroots music ecosystem thriving.”