Music Finland’s Promotion & PR Support facilitates promotion and PR performances that are important to an artist’s or group’s international career development. Support may be granted to a backing organisation representing an artist or group to defray the costs of such ventures.

Promotion & PR Support support covers up to 50 percent of the project’s eligible costs, and up to the unprofitable share of these costs. The amount of support granted ranges from a minimum of 300 and maximum of 5,000 euros. The committee responsible for support decisions determines the size of support based on the extent and content of the venture.

Promotion & PR Support can be sought for the following expenses:

• Purchased foreign PR office services or marketing communications services
• Marketing materials and print
• Photography and videography (not music videos)
• Language audit and translation
• Advertising space and marketing costs in social media
• Freight and transportation
• Travel tickets, transportation, accommodation when the trip is made for promotional purposes or foreign reporter or PR Agent is invited to Finland (not performance, negotiations or conference trips)
• Company’s internal salary costs which are targeted directly to the project (max 50% of the project total expenses – clarification of targeting of these costs is required)

Promotion & PR Support is distributed by Music Finland and funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Granting of Promotion & PR Support music support depends on a positive funding decision for Music Finland by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Applying for grants

Application is by this electronic form. There are four application rounds per year. Application deadlines in 2021 funding round are:

• 15 April
• 15 August
• 15 October
• 15 January 2022

Support can be applied for either as a private individual or as an organisation.

A single support application may be filed for several PR & marketing projects. Applications are processed by an independent Expert Committee set up by Music Finland’s board. Applicants are informed of its decisions as soon as possible after processing of each batch of applications.

Criteria for granting support

• The Promotion & PR project must be professionally executed and significant for the internationalisation of the artist and any possible backing organisation.
• The project must be carried out between 1 Jan 2021 and 31 May 2022

• The support recipient may be either a private individual or company.
• If the support recipient is a company, it must be registered in Finland and must be listed in the prepayment register throughout the process (including at the time of application, during the project and at the time of reporting) and be free of any tax debt.
• The support recipient commits to reporting in the directed manner on the execution and results of the project and to deliver the required materials (such as receipts, proof of payments and reports) to Music Finland.

Project evaluation criteria

• The project’s significance from the standpoint of the artist’s international career
• The project’s significance for the backing organisation’s internationalisation strategy
• The professionalism of the project, the applicant, the artist, the backing organisation and its partners
• The artist’s international experience and/or domestic success
• The applicant’s history of previous support
• The project’s domestic content

When support is granted:

Organisations or individuals who receive positive support decisions sign a contract with Music Finland agreeing on the use of the support, based on Ministry of Education and Culture guidelines. The support may only be paid to the organisation or individual to which it was originally granted.

A reporting form is sent to the support recipient by email within a week of the support decision. Reporting must be done in electronic form within 60 days of the end of the project, unless otherwise agreed. In cases where support is applied for retroactively, reporting must be done immediately after the support decision. Support will be paid retroactively after the recipient has submitted a report and settlement of accounts to Music Finland.

For companies, actual expenses must be shown in the company’s bookkeeping. Private individuals must submit copies of receipts for expenditures to Music Finland as part of their report.

Music Finland reserves the right to reconsider the amount of support if the project’s realisation (in terms of budget or execution) differs significantly from the extent specified in the support application.

Applicants are advised to contact Music Finland if they have any questions regarding applying for support, filling out the application form or the application criteria. Contact information is listed on this page.