Funds

General Information

The aim of the EAÜ and ME Export Fund is to promote the cross-border distribution of Estonian music by supporting the participation of Estonian artists and music industry professionals in international showcase festivals and associated conferences, as well as other international events.

The total amount of support available in Round V is €55,000, and applications will be accepted until the funds are exhausted, but no later than the end of 2025.

The 2025 Export Fund Committee consists of:

• Karl-Ander Reismann (Chairman of the Board, EAÜ)
• Esper Linnamägi (Board Member, Music Estonia)
• Kertu Aksiim (Music Advisor, Ministry of Culture)
• Raimond Põldmaa (Industry Expert, Live Nation Estonia)
• Ingrid Kohtla (Industry Expert, Tallinn Music Week)

The fund supports:

• Participation in showcase festivals
• Participation in concerts, concert tours, and festivals
• Participation in music industry conferences
• Participation in songwriting camps

Eligible expenses are listed in the application evaluation section.

The Export Fund is financed by the Estonian Authors’ Society (EAÜ), and project management is handled by Music Estonia. The fund is coordinated by Greete Paršin, Project Manager at Music Estonia.

Grant Amount

The grant amount is based on a flat-rate system and is calculated according to the size of the artist’s travel group. In addition to the performing artists and their group, the fund supports up to five music industry professionals per event. The goal is to ensure broad-based support across the music sector.

For artists, the maximum grant per group is:

• €1,400 for events in Europe
• €1,900 for events outside Europe

The flat-rate is calculated as follows:

• Europe: Starting at €500/artist + €300 per additional person (up to €1,400)
• Outside Europe: Starting at €700/artist + €400 per additional person (up to €1,900)

The travel group may include representatives such as managers or technical staff.

For music professionals, the grant amount is:

• €500 per application for events in Europe
• €700 for events outside Europe

Up to five professionals may receive support for the same event.

A maximum of three applications per artist or professional may be approved within a calendar year.

Eligibility Requirements

Support may be applied for by:

• Estonian citizens or permanent residents (natural persons or sole proprietors)
• Legal entities registered in Estonia

Artists must be confirmed participants in a showcase festival program, and must include an official confirmation letter from the organizer in their application.

For other international events (e.g., festivals, concert tours), applicants must outline existing partners (if any) or a concrete plan describing intended music industry contacts and goals.

Applications must also state the percentage of foreign royalties received in the past year and explain how the project will help increase that percentage. A follow-up analysis on royalty growth may be conducted every two years for selected recipients.

For music professionals, priority is given to applicants with clearly defined goals and planned activities for their trip.

All applicants must submit a comprehensive project budget (expenses and income), including at least 20% co-financing.
Applicants and related legal entities must not have any outstanding debts to EAÜ, including reporting obligations from previous rounds (including this fund).

“Related legal entities” include situations where an individual applicant is associated with a company that has outstanding obligations to EAÜ.

Application Evaluation, Funding Decisions, and Reporting

For artist applications, the committee evaluates:

• The significance of the event for the artist’s career development
• The stated goals and outcomes of participation
• Timing and readiness of the artist
• Realistic and measurable results in the communication plan
• Clarity of the application and soundness of the budget
• Potential impact on the increase of foreign royalty income

For other international events, the evaluation includes:

• Existing partners and/or an action plan for successful networking and contact expansion

Eligible costs include:

• Delegate passes
• Travel and accommodation (including visas)
• Production costs (including justified external services)
• PR and marketing

Ineligible costs include:

• Per diems
• Food
• Labor costs
• Unrelated project expenses

Automatic support is granted to artists officially invited to perform at any of the following five festivals:

• Eurosonic Noordeslag
• jazzahead!
• Classical:NEXT
• Reeperbahn Festival
• WOMEX

For professionals, the committee evaluates:

• Past activities in the music field
• Relevance and timing of participation
• Defined goals
• Clarity and budget logic
• Prior impact (if applying for a repeated visit)

Eligible costs for professionals include:

• Delegate passes
• Travel and accommodation (including visas)

Ineligible costs are the same as for artists.

General Evaluation Criteria

• Applications submitted by the end of each month will be reviewed in the second week of the following month.
• Applications must be submitted at least one month before the event starts.
• The content check is conducted by the round coordinator at Music Estonia.
• EAÜ will verify whether applicants have any outstanding obligations.
• Support decisions are made by the committee jointly, by vote if necessary.
• If more than five professionals apply to the same event, preference is given to those with better-justified applications
• 20% co-financing of total project costs is mandatory.
• Maximum of three supported applications per person or group per year.
• The fund aims to support a diverse range of professionals.

Support is paid out within 10 working days of signing the agreement by both parties.

Recipients must submit a content and cost report, including an activity summary, result analysis, and expense documentation, no later than one month after the supported activity. A financial report on the prescribed form is also required.

How to Apply

Applications are processed through Music Estonia.
Submit additional questions to: greete@musicestonia.eu.

Please find all the forms HERE (in Estonian). 

Previously approved applications can be viewed on the Estonian Authors’ Society website.

 

Overview: 

The 5th round had a budget of €55,000 (approximately €69,000 including income tax). A total of 110 applications were submitted, of which 65 came from artists and 45 from music industry professionals. 49 applications were approved, including 9 automatically and 40 by committee decision.

The 4th round had a budget of €45,000 (approximately €55,300 including income tax). Applications were open from March to December 2024. A total of 82 applications were submitted, of which 50 came from artists and 32 from music industry professionals. 67 applications were approved, including 7 automatically and 60 by committee decision. From the remaining funds of the previous round, 12 applications were supported with €10,500.

The 3rd round had a budget of €45,000 (approximately €55,800 including income tax), and applications were open from 22 March 2023 to 31 December 2023 or until the funds were exhausted. A total of 66 applications were submitted, of which 28 came from artists and 38 from music industry professionals. 45 applications were approved, including 2 automatically and 43 by committee decision. In the 2023 round of the Export Fund, support was primarily intended for four festivals attended by the Music Estonia delegation (Reeperbahn, WOMEX, Eurosonic Noorderslag and jazzahead!), but well-justified applications for other recognized showcase festivals were also welcome. In addition to the increased fund volume, the maximum grant limits were raised.

The 2nd round had a budget of €24,000 (approximately €30,000 including income tax), and applications were open from 16 September 2022 to 31 August 2023 or until the funds were exhausted. A total of 37 applications were submitted, of which 18 came from artists and 13 from music industry professionals. 34 applications were approved, including 7 automatically and 27 by committee decision. In the 2022/2023 round of the Export Fund, support was primarily intended for four festivals attended by the Music Estonia delegation (Reeperbahn, WOMEX, Eurosonic Noorderslag and jazzahead!), but well-justified applications for other recognized showcase festivals were also welcome.

The pilot round (1st round) had a budget of €16,000 (approximately €20,000 including income tax), and applications were open from 8 October 2021 to 30 September 2022 or until the pilot programme funds were exhausted. A total of 31 applications were submitted, of which 16 came from artists and 15 from music industry professionals. 27 applications were approved, including 12 automatically and 15 by committee decision. Within the limited pilot programme, support was primarily intended for four festivals attended by the Music Estonia delegation (WOMEX, Eurosonic Noorderslag, jazzahead! and Classical:NEXT), but well-justified applications for other recognized showcase festivals were also welcome.