The EPIC Working Group has issued a statement welcoming the announcement of supports for the live music industry, by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, the Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin.

"The EPIC WG welcomes today's announcement by Minister Martin,” the statement said, "bringing forward the €25M Live Performance Support Scheme, along with a further €25M of new and previously announced supports, to stimulate the live event sector, providing much needed employment for crew, artists, and work for suppliers. As with previous schemes, the success will depend on the details of the criteria set, and the speed of the implementation.
"The EPIC WG look forward to continued engagement with Minister Martin and her department, when setting the criteria.”

However, the response of the Working Group is not without caveats, with the lack of government support for SMEs in the sector being seen as a drawback.

"Unfortunately we still remain disappointed,” the Working Group's statement added, "by the lack of supports for live events SME’s and await further engagement from the Dept. of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, regarding realistic and ongoing supports for these businesses that are crucial to our industry, but which are outside the remit of this announcement today."

Overall, however, the response to Minister Martin’s package is positive.

"The LPSS pilot was very successful,” the EPIC working group noted, "at getting people back to meaningful work, providing both financial and mental stimulation to the workers in the sector. EPIC are happy to see the continuation of the pilot into a full round of funding to get workers back to creative engagements."