Metronome Arts Fund
Supporting Musicians through Micro-Grants
Every guest making a booking at Metronome or Crown Lane is invited to support emerging artists by donating towards the Metronome Arts Fund (MAF)
John Merriman, founder of Crown Lane and Metronome has long had a passion for supporting artists, ensuring they're paid correctly and given access to genuine opportunities to truly develop their career. MAF was set up as a seed-fund - where audience members invest in the next generation of artists, supporting their venture. Crown Lane then doubles the donation, and adds a whole bundle of support.
For every MAF grant, Crown Lane will:
- match fund (currently a further £100)
- gift: 1x License of Cubase recording software
- gift: 1x Sculpt - Online mixing course
- free off-peak rehearsal space
- on-going support for the artist with honest sign-posting and advice
We are clear from the start - The fund can only be used towards live studio sessions at Crown Lane. And that's for a very good reason. We've invested thousands in this unique model, designed for the very purpose of supporting emerging talent. The model allows a modest fund to go a very long way. It gives musicians full control, at potentially no/minimal cost. It's a ground-breaking concept, and we want emerging artists to benefit.
Artist Receives £100 Grant Towards Live Studio Recording Session
Crown Lane Studio invest a further Match Fund Amount (currently a further £100)
100% of Live On-Site Audience Goes to Artist - Artist Sets the Price
Live Studio Performance with Live Audience and Live Broadcast + tons of other features
FAQs
Any emerging artist may apply. We're not looking for people with thousands of followers, just musicians who have something unique. You can also have funding from other sources - in fact - we love artists who have ensured they've used every resource available to them.
To ensure the process is fair - the fund can only be used towards any filmed live studio recording.
Through this process we ensure the fund is amplified in a couple of key ways:
It also unlocks funding from our key sponsors.
It enables a live audience to attend the recording session - with 100% of ticket money going back to you the artist.
We believe live studio videos are some of the most valuable assets a musician can hold - giving huge visibility; successful reach; a true example of live performance - but with the best equipment and a controlled environment.
First step: contact info@crownlanestudio.co.uk with the subject: Metronome Arts Fund Application. We'll support you from there. It's a simple process, where we ask a few questions and ask to hear a demo recording (on your phone is preferable) of an original and a cover song - and we'll let you know immediately:
a) if there are funds available in this round
b) the outcome date (we don't like to keep people waiting too long).
When you know the outcome, you can make the booking for the session.
Uniquely, the live studio sessions have a paying audience. You'll be able to set the ticket price, and receive 100% of the ticket sales, which you can also put towards the recording costs too. If you're also Crowd Funding (which we strongly recommend), these tickets can act as high value "premium" items in the Crowd Funder - sometimes covering all costs for the filming and the recording.
There are several reasons you may be unsuccessful.
a) no funds available in this round. The fund is 100% dependent on the generosity of our audiences. As soon as funds are available, we are keen to release them back to musicians and we recommend you try again.
b) it may be felt that you need more evidence of creativity and effort in sourcing other funds (whether you've been successful or not)
c) the panel may consider that you need more support prior to the high pressure context of a live studio session.
We endeavour to always give honest feedback as to why you may not have been successful on this occasion.
We do not enter into dialogue beyond initial feedback due to the small size of the fund.