BAPAM (British Association for Performing Arts Medicine) opens a free physiotherapy clinic in Glasgow for performing arts professionals and students. The BAPAM clinic provides expert, physiotherapist-led assessment and advice to meet specialist health support needs in the performing arts. Opened in October, the clinic provides free clinical assessments to the performing arts community in the…

The UK Government is consulting on proposed changes to copyright laws that could allow AI companies to use music creators’ work without permission or payment.  The consultation seeks feedback on 4 options: The Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) supports UK Music’s calls for creators and industry professionals to respond to the consultation and demand stronger…

Music Venue Trust (MVT), the charity supporting grassroots music venues (GMVs) across the UK, has announced six new patrons, including Robert Kilpatrick, our CEO and Creative Director of the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA). Joining MVT’s existing list of patrons are acclaimed musician Kate Nash, MP for Brighton Pavilion Sian Berry, live music agent Summer Marshall,…

Yesterday, Creative Scotland announced the 251 organisations who have been successful in securing Multi-Year Funding. Thanks to an uplift in Grant-in-Aid funding from the Scottish Government – unlocking the largest budget Creative Scotland has ever had – more than £200m will be invested over the next three years. This marks the most extensive portfolio of…

The Scottish Government has launched a survey examining how the culture sector is supported in Scotland and what needs to change to best meet the needs of the sector going forward.  Responses to the survey will inform the scope of the Scottish Government’s review of how the culture sector is supported in Scotland, including an…

Dear SMIA Members, As 2024 draws to a close, on behalf of the SMIA team and company board, I’d like to wish you all a relaxing festive period, and all the best for the year ahead. We’re aware that this can be a difficult time for many people. Should anyone need support, we’d encourage you…

On Wednesday this week (4 December), the Scottish Government announced their draft budget for 2025-26. It was an announcement that Scotland’s culture sector has been anxiously awaiting for months – a sector which has been hanging in the balance, and hanging on by a thread.  Hope, optimism and resilience have been increasingly hard to find…

We have united with other organisations from the cultural sector from across Scotland to launch a new campaign – #InvestInCulture – to highlight the impact and value of cultural experiences, and to call on the Scottish Government to follow through on their promise of long-term sustainable funding for the arts by increasing sector investment annually by…

Creative Scotland has released new Outcome and Transition FAQs for Multi-Year Funding applicants, covering key areas such as project timelines, guidance for successful and unsuccessful applications, and options for other funding routes. Due to a revised timeline, funding decisions are now expected by the end of January 2025, delayed from the original October date. For…

rEDOLENT ‘dinny greet’ was tonight announced as winner of The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award in Stirling’s Albert Halls. rEDOLENT took home the £20,000 first prize and a bespoke trophy as part of Scotland’s national music prize, claiming the title ahead of a Shortlist including Arab Strap, corto.alto, Rachel Sermanni and more. The…

Following Creative Scotland’s recent communication regarding the delay in announcing the application results for the Multi-Year Funding Programme (2025–28), we – along with Artlink, Craft Scotland, Culture & Business Scotland, Culture Counts, Federation of Scottish Theatre (FST), Publishing Scotland, Scottish Book Trust, Scottish Contemporary Art Network (SCAN) and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS) –…

Yesterday, as we announced the ten outstanding Scottish albums making up this year’s SAY Award Shortlist, our sector was yet again propelled into further uncertainty. 281 cultural organisations across Scotland (including us) have been anxiously awaiting decisions on Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year Funding Programme for 2025–28, which were due later this month. Unfortunately, yesterday’s announcement has…

 The Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) has today revealed the 10 Shortlisted albums now in the running for 2024’s Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award, with the winner set to gain the coveted title along with the £20,000 first prize. Plus, Martyn Bennett’s final studio album ‘Grit’ is announced as the winner of 2024’s…

Scotland’s national music prize, The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award, today reveals the 20 outstanding Scottish albums on 2024’s Longlist. Featuring 11 debut albums, previous SAY Award winners, Mercury Prize nominees and an eclectic range of genres, The SAY Award Longlist in alphabetical order is:  Afterlands We Are the Animals in the Night…

Our latest letter to the Culture Secretary, Angus Robertson, following his written response to our open letter on the culture funding crisis. (6 September 2024)