National Insurance hike ‘deeply damaging’ to creative freelancers
The tax increase will be a "double whammy" for some self employed creatives, as income support dries up in October.
Posts
Northern Ireland opens £5m recovery programme
A recovery funding programme for Northern Irish creatives has been opened by Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) and the…
Producers join forces on new company
Two creative producers have officially launched an independent production and artist development company. Charlie Bunker, who…
Guildhall School gets scholarship boost
London’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama has been awarded £637,000 to distribute as scholarships over the n…
Creative freelancers missing out on business support
After the turmoil of Covid-19, policymakers are taking interest in a new report that categorises creative freelancers based on the…
Mind the understanding gap: the value of creative freelancers
The self employed, including freelancers, make up almost a third of the creative industries workforce – double the rate acro…
Self-taped auditions must be reformed, Equity says
A new best practice guide aims to eliminate unrealistic deadlines and overly long scripts to address auditioners’ anxieties.
London’s Creative Enterprise Zones to double
City Hall is investing £3m to grow the scheme, which has supported 300 cultural organisations and 1,000 jobs through the pan…
Legislate fair payment from music streaming, inquiry says
After a nine-month-long inquiry, MPs have recommended "a complete reset" of music streaming to better compensate creator…
Creatives call for device tax to generate arts funding
A major collection society says the levy could provide up to £300m per year. What would it look like and how would it work?
Choosing care over censorship
The Jess de Wahls controversy has highlighted how tenuous arts organisations' solidarity with transgender people can…
Culture Recovery Fund missed out vital parts of the sector, inquiry finds
DCMS "must urgently consider" events insurance and other non-cash supports, MPs say, raising "big questions" a…
Two thirds of livestreaming performers expect to continue post-pandemic
A lack of infrastructure and interaction with audiences are pressing issues for artists streaming live – but monetisation&nb…
In a sector under pressure, will freelancers suffer or thrive?
Employers cannot see freelancers as the ‘always on’ source of talent and skill that can be picked up and put down at w…
Rehearsal complex to be a ‘godsend’ for freelancers
New Diorama Theatre will open a free workspace in July, welcoming up to 80,000 creatives per year: "We would be delighted if…
Free Word to close after 12 years
The first National Portfolio Organisation lost to the effects of the pandemic will close its doors next week, leaving a gap i…
‘Creators Council’ mooted to help workforce and assist recovery
A parliamentary report into writers' experience of Covid-19 says "a clear line of communication between the Government an…
Liverpool’s artist studios ‘could disappear’, report warns
Studios have been unsure about their eligibility for funding during the pandemic and don't know where to turn for advice.
ACE defends Culture Recovery Fund distribution
Serota and Henley told MPs they could not have handled the emergency funding response any better, failing to acknowledge the&…
50% of comedy workers have lost half their income, survey suggests
Comedians are making just 5% of their pre-pandemic income from streamed shows while half of off-stage workers have no live gigs bo…
Challenging the norms of dance
Grace Nicol wants to redefine how we make dance to support more risky work. The answer, she thinks, lies in greater pastoral…
Arts remain at ‘epicentre of the crisis’ a year after lockdown
Freelancers, young people, women and live performance art forms have been disproportionately affected by a year of lockdowns….
An unacceptable truth
To describe the past year as unprecedented is an understatement. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking anything has really…
Acting is an emotional assault
Wabriya King was told she had to be tough to be an actress. It’s not her who needed to change, she writes.
