DEEZER AND PRS FOR MUSIC FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE JAWS AS THE WINNER OF FIRST MOMENTUM DEEZER AWARD

Today, PRS for Music Foundation and Deezer, Momentum Music Fund’s official digital music partner, announces Birmingham band JAWS as the winner of the first Momentum Deezer Award of £2,500.

In addition to their Award, Deezer will provide promotional support for JAWS’s Momentum funded debut album, due for release later this year. The first single from the album will premiere exclusively on Deezer on the 6th March for seven days, until the official release date. 

Managed by PRS for Music Foundation, Momentum’s two-year programme awards grants of £5,000-£15,000 using funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Recently funded artists include Andreya Triana, Bear’s Den, Thumpers, Darkstar and Lonely the Brave. For a full rundown of artists supported so far see here.

All artists who receive Momentum funding have the opportunity of winning the £2,500 Momentum Deezer Award on top of their grant. JAWS will take home the first Momentum Deezer Award, which encourages fans and subscribers to help their favourite acts gain streams through the Momentum Deezer app, with those boasting the highest number of plays receiving the extra funding. The Momentum Deezer Award will be handed out four times over two years.

Mark Foster, Managing Director of Deezer UK & Ireland, who is passionate about giving a platform to view exciting artists, said:

We're thrilled to present the Momentum Deezer Award to JAWS. It’s great to see how Arts Council England, PRS for Music Foundation and Deezer can work towards championing new music talent and provide a platform for the artists through digital opportunities. We are big supporters of JAWS, and it is great to be able to use the Momentum Deezer app to help them connect with new fans, and help fans discover them so they can further grow their fan base, as well as secure extra opportunities which Deezer can offer to promote their new single.”

Alongside the Award, the Momentum Deezer app was launched in December 2013, marking a significant development in the promotion of the fund and its supported artists. An advocate for new music talent, the Momentum Deezer app gives a platform to promising artists, making their music available to five million subscribers on and offline.

The Momentum Deezer App - available on the Deezer web service and mobile apps (iOS and Android) via the App Studio - encourages music fans to find out more about the fund’s supported artists through biographies, exclusive interviews and links to listen to and share music:www.deezer.com/app/momentum-music-fund. The app gives music lovers an accessible way to discover the best new music talent and exclusive content about Momentum’s alumni.

On discovering they had won the award, Connor Schofield, lead singer of JAWS, said:

"We're really excited to be putting our debut record out later this year, writing it and recording it was a great experience and we can't wait for people to hear it. A huge thanks to PRS for Music Foundation, Arts Council England and Deezer for their support!"

Vanessa Reed, Executive Director of PRS for Music Foundation said:

We work hard to get funding to the UK’s bright, young talent, and we are delighted that our partnership with Deezer is enabling us to offer extra awards and promotional opportunities to the artists we've funded through our Momentum Music Fund. We're proud that JAWS have demonstrated not just their talent but also their tenacity and ambition, using the Momentum Deezer app to significantly increase their digital audience, and so receive the first Momentum Deezer Award of £2500 – a real success story springing from Arts Council England, PRS for Music Foundation’s and Deezer’s commitment to artist development.”

Alan Davey, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said:

“The Arts Council are proud partners in the Momentum Music Fund and congratulate JAWS on being the first recipients of the first Momentum Deezer Award. It is imperative that emerging talent is given the chance to develop and these awards demonstrate the importance and necessity of utilising digital technology to accomplish this. It is fantastic that Deezer have been able to come on board as part of the Momentum Music fund partnership and to offer the artists not just additional funding, but the opportunity to increase their online audiences.”

February 27, 2014 8:39am ET by PRS for Music   Comments (0)

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