ASM Global expands partnership with MVT

ASM Global is expanding its partnership with Music Venue Trust (MVT) to support the UK’s grassroots music venues.

In the next step of the campaign, ASM Global’s UK venues such as OVO Arena Wembley, AO Arena, first direct arena, P&J Live and Utilita Arena Newcastle, will offer fans and concertgoers various opportunities to contribute.

Visitors will see examples of MVT’s work inside the venues and be able to support the cause by donating directly at bars and concourses, as well as when buying tickets via venue websites.

The funds raised will directly support MVT’s mission to safeguard grassroots music venues (GMVs).

Since announcing its commitment to MVT in 2023, ASM has provided support to GMVs through access to free health and safety, mental health and marketing training, marketing support for grassroots venues and artists, and donations of venue and stage furniture.

The venue management giant also launched the first arena donation campaign for MVT, partnering with Enter Shikari at OVO Arena Wembley to fundraise and match customer donations.

As part of Katy Perry’s upcoming UK Leg of The Lifetimes Tour, AO Arena this month confirmed it will be contributing £1 from every ticket to MVT.

“We [want] to help ensure the survival of the grassroots – the place where headliners of the future are made”

“Our industry starts with the grassroots,” says Chris Bray, president of ASM Global Europe. “As an interconnected ecosystem, these venues lay the foundation for artists to perform, fans to discover, and the industry to thrive. At ASM Global, we recognise the absolute importance of grassroots music venues, and we’re great supporters of Mark and his team at Music Venue Trust. Through this partnership, created specifically for MVT, we are able to harness the power of our venues and our fans, to help ensure the survival of the grassroots – the place where headliners of the future are made.”

Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust, adds: “ASM were the first arena operators to respond to our call for support from the live music industry to deal with the crisis engulfing grassroots music venues after the pandemic.

“Their venues may be big but they’re run by teams of true music fans, people who not only understand the grassroots and love the artists but many that actually started their careers in their local venue. Support from ASM Global is an essential part of recognising that we are all part of one great big ecosystem, and that a strong and thriving grassroots sector is vital for the future of the whole live music industry. We are delighted to be developing and expanding this partnership and look forward to continuing to develop ways we can work together.”

Last month, the UK government urged the live industry to introduce a voluntary ticket levy to support the grassroots music sector in its response to the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Select Committee’s report.

Creative Industries Minister Sir Chris Bryant said today that the government wants to see ‘tangible progress’ by the first quarter of next year to meet the timeline of a levy coming in as soon as possible for concerts in 2025.

He also announced that he will hold a ministerial roundtable before Christmas with live music representatives to drive progress.

The Committee itself has said it will hold a hearing with the sector in the middle of next year should no significant progress on a voluntary levy be made.

Chair of the CMS Committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, said: “This welcome push from the Government in response to the Committee’s concerns should help focus the minds of the big players in the music industry on the urgency of taking action to support our grassroots music sector. The ball is now very firmly in their court and we will continue to keep a very close eye on progress.”

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