Some of Scotland’s best-known music acts including Paolo Nutini, Biffy Clyro and Franz Ferdinand have warned John Swinney that the country is facing a “cultural catastrophe” due to cuts in arts funding.
In an open letter to the First Minister, more than 170 music industry figures say the closure of a Creative Scotland fund has sparked “the worst crisis that Scotland’s music and wider arts sector has ever faced”.
They have joined a chorus of discontent from the arts sector, after 130 individuals and organisations urged the Scottish Government to restore funding last week.
Creative Scotland has announced it is closing its Open Fund for Individuals to new applications as the Scottish Government has been unable to confirm if £6.6 million of funding will be released.
Other bands and artists to sign the music industry letter include The Proclaimers, Mogwai, Young Fathers, Glasvegas, Frightened Rabbit, Joesef, and The Twilight Sad.
Alex Kapranos, lead singer of Franz Ferdinand, said: “This is a disappointingly short-sighted cut which will cost exponentially more than what is saved in the short-term financially.
“The arts are how a nation knows who they are. Without them we have an identity as two dimensional as the bottom line of a balanced account.”
Rod Jones, of Idlewild, said: “Art in all forms is crucial to growth, well-being, joy and life.
“To be truly artistic, relevant and unimpaired, art is not always commercial so government support and funding is crucial to growing a healthy arts scene, nurturing and developing new and existing talents to showcase what incredible artists Scotland can and has produced.”
The campaign was organised through the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA), a non-profit trade body.
In the letter to Mr Swinney, the artists say they “write to you with deep concern” about the closure of the Open Fund and other funds for musicians.
It continues: “These decisions, resulting from the Scottish Government’s inability to confirm the release of previously allocated grant-in-aid funding, have ignited the worst crisis that Scotland’s music and wider arts sector has ever faced. A cultural catastrophe is in process.
“It will lead to both direct and consequential job losses across an already underfunded sector, one which was disproportionately crippled by the pandemic and has yet to fully recover.
“The explanation that these decisions stem from emergency spending controls may reflect broader financial pressures, but they are devastating for Scottish culture, the economy and society.”
It calls for artists and cultural freelancers to be treated with the “same respect” as workers in other sectors which have recently secured pay deals.
The musicians have called for the fund to be reopened with a £10.7 million investment and a further £25 million for cultural funding in the next financial year.
The SMIA notes the music industry was estimated to have generated £195 million for the Scottish economy in 2018.
SNP ministers have been emphasising the challenging situation the Scottish Government faces around public finances, as it battles with the impact of inflation and the pressures of public sector pay deals.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said earlier: “Following the UK Chancellor’s July statement, the Scottish Government continues to face the most challenging financial situation since devolution. As such, difficult choices are having to be made to deliver sustainable finances.
“The Scottish Government already provides significant funding to Creative Scotland each year and will continue to do so.
“The Culture Secretary is in regular contact with the sector to discuss the issues it currently faces and how to address those challenges.
“We will continue to do everything within our powers and resources to protect our world-class arts and culture sector.
“We have increased arts culture funding this year, as the first step to achieving our commitment to invest at least £100 million more annually in culture and the arts by 2028/29.”
