FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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GENERAL
How do I know if I’m eligible for MEM programs and grants?
In order to receive funding from any Music Export Memphis program you need to be a resident of Memphis. You need to have an address here, but that’s just one piece of it: your social media needs to indicate that you are based in Memphis and you need to be repping Memphis when you’re on the road. Remember that our funding comes from organizations in our city who care about how our city is promoted around the country and the world – that’s why we are mobilizing Memphis musicians to do just that! We consider Memphis to be Memphis + 25 miles – the greater Memphis area. Again, the key thing to remember is: would you consider yourself a Memphis artist? If the answer is YES, you are on your way to meeting the eligibility requirements for our grants and programs.
How long do I need to have lived in Memphis to be eligible?
There’s no rule for how long you need to have lived in Memphis to apply. Move here, apply for a grant. As long as you live in Memphis and you’re repping Memphis as a Memphis artist, you are on your way to meeting the eligibility requirements for Music Export Memphis grants and programs.
Do I need to be a full time musician to qualify? Or is it okay if I have a day job?
You don’t have to be a full-time musician! We know that a lot of people are building music careers while they are working other jobs, side hustles, day gigs, night gigs to make it happen. Hopefully, the support that we give you can be an important step in becoming a full-time musician, but it’s by no means a requirement to be eligible for our grants.
How do I apply?
To apply for any Music Export Memphis grant or program from our “always open” opportunities, like our Ambassador grants and the Merch Fund, to special opportunities like our Experiences when we go to Folk Alliance International, AmericanaFest, or NXNE, head to musicexportmemphis.org/opportunities. You will need to set up an artist profile and log in. You will be able to see all the open opportunities and apply on the last page of your profile.
Does MEM have any support for Music video or Audio recording/mixing/mastering?
We do not offer support for content creation like music videos or recording costs.
AMBASSADORS
Do the tour dates need to be booked prior to applying?
Yes. The requirements for Ambassador grants state that you need to have five or more dates booked outside the city of Memphis to apply. Most of those dates should be outside of a 100-mile radius from the city. The more dates you have, the more people in your band, and the farther you are going, the more money you will receive from the Ambassador grant. You need to have all details confirmed in order to apply – dates that are tentative or TBD will not be included in your total when your grant is considered.
Do the tour dates need to be consecutive?
They don’t! If you are a part-time musician who can only do out of town dates on the weekends, you might have a few weekends during a particular month where you are doing two or three dates each weekend. That absolutely can earn you an Ambassador grant.
When should I submit my application?
We want you to have the funding prior to the start of your tour so you should plan to submit your application well in advance of your tour. Since we review these applications on the 15th of every month you should submit a calendar month before the start of your tour. Examples: 1.) Tour starts on March 20. You should apply before February 15 or earlier. 2.) Tour starts on October 5. You should apply before September 15 or earlier.
Are Memphis show dates considered to meet my 5 minimum dates?
They are not. Your dates need to be booked outside the city of Memphis. You can include Memphis show dates in the dates you submit to us in your application just to give us the full breadth of what you are planning for your tour, but they won’t count towards your minimum total of five dates booked out of town.
Is a three day festival counted toward the five dates or is the location considered as one date?
In general, we don’t fund residencies. We would consider this on a case by case basis. Most likely, we would consider this to be one date in a single location. Keep in mind, what we really want to know is: how far are you traveling and what are the logistical costs of your tour?
How can I put together the strongest application possible?
Great question. Our funds are more and more competitive and you should be strategic when you apply. We can’t consider dates that occur before the application is reviewed and the agreement is signed. We review applications every month on the 15th, so if your dates start on March 15, you should apply for Ambassador funding no later than the February grant consideration round (by February 15). The dates that you are applying for should start no earlier than the 20th so we have time to process your grant agreement and get funds out the door and in your pocket. Music Export Memphis reviews grants, makes grant award decisions, and processes payments by ACH by the 30th of each month (no more than 2 weeks after each month’s grant deadline).
AMBASSADOR INDUSTRY SCHOLARSHIPS
Does the scholarship include housing and travel expenses?
No. Industry scholarships cover the cost of your conference badge for the music industry conference or professional development event of your choice. Music Export Memphis will purchase the badge directly from the conference on your behalf.
Do I get reimbursed for my conference badge payment?
In almost all cases the answer to this is no. We never say never, so if you’re in a situation where you’ve had to pay in advance, you should get in touch. But in general, the requirements of the industry scholarship are that you submit early enough so that we can purchase the lowest possible badge rate on your behalf. What does that mean? Most conferences have tiered rates for access. For example, if you purchase a SXSW badge the summer before the March conference and festival, you can get the early bird rate, the lowest possible price you can pay for that badge. That is when you will want to apply if you want to attend SXSW with an industry scholarship. We will then make payment directly to the conference on your behalf and purchase the badge for you.
Are there select conferences we can choose from or can it be any conference we want to attend?
It can be any conference you want to attend! The only stipulation is that it needs to be in some way related to your professional development in the music industry. That means it doesn’t necessarily have to be a music industry conference, per se, though most of our scholarships do fund access to music industry conferences. Maybe you want to attend an event to sharpen your PR skills so that you can get started on promoting your own music or begin working in publicity for other artists. That would absolutely fit the bill for an Ambassador Industry Scholarship.
MERCH FUND
Can we be funded for Merch we have already ordered?
The requirements of the Merch Fund state that we need to be able to pay the vendor or provider directly on your behalf. Before you order that merch, get a quote, an estimate, an invoice, and use that in your application. We will reach out to your vendor and pay them directly on your behalf for the amount of your Merch Fund grant. You’ll be responsible for settling up the balance directly with the vendor to pick up your merch.
Do I need to already have an order placed to send in an application?
All we need for your application is that estimate, quote or invoice showing us the total amount you are going to spend on your merch with the vendor. You don’t need to have completed the order, but you can. We just need to be able to pay the vendor directly on your behalf.
Can the Merch Fund grant cover recording expenses?
Unfortunately, no. The Merch Fund is designed to fund anything you could sell at your merch table. You dream it up and you’re able to sell it there, we will fund it! That could be koozies, stickers, t-shirts, CDs, vinyl records – any type of physical merch that you are going to sell at that merch table can be produced and funded with the Merch Fund grant.
Can I use my grant for digital artwork or paying a designer?
You can definitely use your Merch Fund grant to pay a designer. It just needs to be for a final product that’s going to be a physical piece of merchandise. A great example: if you are funding a CD project, there is nowhere in Memphis right now that you can press physical CDs. But if you are paying a graphic designer to create your album artwork for your CD project and that graphic designer is local to Memphis, you can pay for that portion of your merch project with your Merch Fund grant.
How does using a preferred partner benefit me?
Merch Fund preferred partners are businesses that donate to Music Export Memphis. We love that they support our work so we will grant you a little bit of extra cash when you use a preferred partner. For example, Buff City Sports is one of our preferred partners – if you’re going to produce t shirts or tote bags or ball caps with Bluff City Sports, you are eligible to receive more than 50% of your total project cost, which is otherwise the grant cap.
Is there a list of frequently used Memphis vendors or designers I can contact for my order?
The only vendors that we promote directly are our preferred partners, but we will always try to be helpful in getting you connected with a resource that you need.
Can a Merch Fund grant cover other promotional assets like photoshoots, videos or electronic press kits?
Unfortunately, no. The Merch Fund grant is designed to provide funding for physical merchandise that you’re going to sell. Keep in mind that the idea of this grant is that it impacts your bottom line: we want to subsidize those pieces of merch that you are going to be able to sell to your fans at shows and online. When we subsidize that and make the initial merch purchase cost you less, it means you can make more at the merch table. If you remember that, it should help you to always know if something is or isn’t eligible for a Merch Fund grant.
EXPORT BANK
Is there a deadline for submitting proposals?
The nature of the Export Bank means that we receive and review proposals on a rolling basis. The Export Bank is for those massive, career-changing opportunities that come along that you simply could not take advantage of without some financial support to get you there. Here are some examples: You’ve been invited to play a major festival on a major stage. It’s not part of a tour that would qualify you for an Ambassador grant, but in order to get there you need help. You can apply for an Export Bank grant. Maybe you’ve got a major media opportunity – let’s say you’ve been invited to play late night TV but the travel costs of getting your band there are going to be prohibitive in making it happen. You can apply for an Export Bank grant. Because those opportunities come up when they come up, we will review and consider your application as soon as we receive it.
What should be included in our proposal?
Export Bank applications should include a detailed line-item budget. Be sure to include every expense you are going to incur taking advantage of this opportunity, not just the expenses you think that Music Export Memphis will cover or that your Export Bank grant will cover. We need to see all of those expenses because we base our grant amounts on the total cost to you. Include everything! In addition to that budget, you’ll also need to include a narrative. We need to understand why this opportunity is career changing for you and why it’s a must that you take advantage of it with our support. Be sure to explain every potential benefit that it’s going to have and really help us understand. Keep in mind that we have not heard of every single opportunity that’s out there in the music industry, and we may not be familiar with why this particular outlet or stage or opportunity is going to be so big for you.
Does the Export Bank offer recording, mixing, or mastering support?
Unfortunately, no. Like all Music Export Memphis programs, the Export Bank is designed to help you in getting outside of our city to showcase your work and rep Memphis. In this case it’s designed to help with those one-off opportunities that don’t fall into the buckets covered by our other traditional programs. But it still doesn’t cover any recording costs.
TO APPLY PLEASE SUBMIT A PROPOSAL TO INFO@MUSICEXPORTMEMPHIS.ORG
MARKETING FUND
Do the funds have to be used for social media marketing?
Not necessarily, the funding can be used for any kind of marketing you plan to use for your tour. Radio, email, social media or any other digital marketing.
How many tour dates do I need to receive funding?
5 tour dates outside the city of Memphis.
What do I need to prepare before I apply?
You will be asked to have an itemized budget to give MEM the full picture of your marketing plan and how much it will cost to execute this plan. If you need a template budget, we can supply one for you upon request.
PUBLICITY FUND
Do I need to be going on a tour to receive funding?
You must plan to tour with the project release you are hiring a publicist for, but the tour can still be in the planning stage.
Do I already need to have a publicist on my team?
No, you just need a proposal from your chosen publicist and any documentation of the associated costs to hire them.
Do I need a music project release?
Yes, you must have a project (EP or album) set to release prior to hiring the publicist. When you apply for this funding you will be asked to provide a release plan.