A Welsh Government agency that supported music venues in Aberystwyth and Blaenau Ffestiniog last year has announced a new round of its Music Capital Fund.

The Creative Wales fund, open until midday on 26 June, welcomes applications from small and medium-sized music businesses for grants between £10,000-£40,000.

Businesses should identify areas of their establishment and operations in need of capital investment and put the funding towards improving and increasing their commercial outlook and sustainability, in turn benefiting the music industry in Wales.

Last year 17 music businesses received over £715,000 in funding, including Blaenau Ffestiniog’s CELLB and Aberystwyth’s Bank Vault. The latter spent their funding on construction work.

Owner Zac Marsden said: “The grant funding proved vital to us. Creative Wales’ support helped us make improvements to the venue, which helped improve its long-term viability as both a business, and as importantly, an independent music venue in Aberystwyth that brings people together and gives artists a vital platform.”

Creative Wales is an internal Welsh Government economic development agency established to promote and grow the creative industries in Wales.

It offers funding, support, and guidance across a range of sectors from TV and film, animation – including Immersive Tech, AR/VR – through to games, music, and publishing - positioning Wales as one of the best places in the world for creative businesses to thrive. It aspires to create opportunities for people in the industry, whether that’s entry-level training or developing and upskilling people already working in creative sectors.

Whether supporting home-grown talent or working to attract international creative projects to Wales, the aim is always to strengthen the industry for the long term and create exciting and rewarding opportunities for future generations.

For more information about this fund and the other support given to the creative sectors in Wales, visit www.creative.wales/funding-support.