Lewis Capaldi and Shirley Manson join artists demanding more funding for arts

Chart-topper Lewis Capaldi and Garbage singer Shirley Manson have become the latest big names from the music industry to warn the Scottish First Minister that the country’s culture sector is “hanging in the balance”.

Acts including Paolo Nutini, Biffy Clyro and Franz Ferdinand have already put their name to an open letter to John Swinney, which claims cuts to arts funding will deliver a “cultural catastrophe”.

With more than 1,000 artists and music industry professionals having signed the letter, Brit Award winner Capaldi, singer Manson and singer/songwriter Nadine Shah became the latest famous faces to join the campaign.

Shirley Manson of rock band Garbage stressed the ‘arts must be protected at all costs’ (Michael Boyd/PA). PA Media

Edinburgh-born Manson declared: “The arts must be protected at all costs inside of a flailing capitalist system.

“They are fundamental to educating and fostering a healthy, joyous community and culture.”

The outcry comes in the wake of an announcement from the arts body Creative Scotland that it is closing its Open Fund for Individuals to new applications amid uncertainty over funding from the Scottish Government.

Creative Scotland had previously been forced to use £6.6 million of reserve cash to make up a budget shortfall – with Scottish Culture Secretary Angus Robertson later giving a “gold-plated commitment” that this cash would be returned.

However the artists who have signed the letter say the fund should be reopened with a £10.7 million investment, as they called for a further £25 million for cultural funding from the Scottish Government in the next financial year.

Shah said: “Music creators are too often overlooked for the direct impact they have on wider society and the economy. These funds are vital for nurturing and developing Scottish talent.”

We are urging all artists, industry professionals + music businesses to sign our open letter to the Scottish Government following critical funding closures and delays.

Your support is vital.

Sign and learn more: https://t.co/Mbuhqjoz1S

Key artist signatories include:
— Scottish Music Industry Association (@TheSMIA) August 28, 2024

The Scottish Music Industry Association is co-ordinating the campaign, and its chief executive and creative director Robert Kilpatrick said the response to the open letter “reflects just how severe this cultural crisis is”.

He added: “Scotland’s artists and wider music industry are standing together with an urgency and unity that we haven’t seen before, and this is being driven by the fact that the stakes have never been higher.

“We can’t afford to wait – the Scottish Government needs to act now before it’s too late. The future of our creative sector and the livelihoods it supports are hanging in the balance. Culture funding must be deemed essential.”

Gill Maxwell, executive director of the Scottish Music Centre – which supported Someone You Loved singer Capaldi when he was a teenager – stressed the role of public cash in nurturing new talent.

She said: “Investing in emerging artists is crucial to Scotland’s music industry: there’s no art without them.

“Successful musicians and songwriters create employment, sustain our music infrastructure and generate economic benefit, not to mention the cultural and social benefits to the Scottish nation and beyond.”

The comments came after Mr Swinney pledged the Scottish Government will be “very mindful” of funding for the arts despite the “difficult choices” facing ministers.

Speaking to the PA news agency on Thursday, the First Minister said: “I understand the concerns that have been expressed by members of the artistic community about funding for culture and the arts.

“It’s a very important part of our country that we support and nurture investment in cultural and artistic activity.

“The Government already spends over £50 million in the Creative Scotland budget, and we’re obviously facing very challenging economic and financial times at this particular moment and we obviously want to continue to invest in artistic and cultural activity.

“We’ll engage actively with the community to do all that we can to make sure that Scotland’s international reputation for cultural activity is enhanced in the years to come.

“I want to make sure that there is a high priority around cultural funding, because I realise how important it is to the wellbeing and the development of our society – it’s an important expression of who we are and it’s important for our society.

“So as the Government makes some really difficult financial choices, I will be very mindful of the importance of ensuring that we invest effectively in the artistic and cultural community within Scotland.”