The UK’s Music Venue Trust (MVT) has warned significant work is still needed to prevent a continued decline of the grassroots sector after launching its 2024 Annual Report.

Among the key trends highlighted by the charity, which represents hundreds of UK grassroots music venues (GMVs), is the huge decline in locations on the UK’s primary and secondary touring circuit over the last 30 years, with an average tour in 1994 including 22 dates and the equivalent tour in 2024 consisting of only 11 dates.

Touring in 1994 was spread across a range of 28 locations across the country. Yet in 2024, just 12 locations – all of them major cities – remained as primary and secondary touring circuit stops, acting as regular hosts to grassroots tours. Furthermore, cities and towns such as Leicester, Edinburgh, Bath, Hull, Windsor and Stoke on Trent have dropped off the primary route.

In addition, MVT’s Emergency Response Service, which offers financial, planning, licensing, noise, acoustics and legal advice to GMVs, dealt with 200 emergency response cases – up 19% year-on-year. Overall, the total number of live music shows was down 8.3% since 2023, while ticket revenues fell 13.5% in the same period.

The report also acknowledges positive developments, including the MVT’s 10th anniversary last year, and the continued success of Music Venue Properties (MVP), which has now secured freehold ownership of five GMVs, and the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) report, which backed calls to safeguard grassroots music.

Of the 835 GMVs that were operational as of 25 July 2023, meanwhile, 810 remained operational 12 months on.

“Venues, despite all the very welcome good intentions and acknowledgements they are receiving for their vital work, are still closing”

“The 2024 Annual Report recognises that after 10 years of work by MVT a very broad consensus has been built among politicians, industry, artists and the public that grassroots music venues must be protected, supported, encouraged and nurtured,” says MVT CEO Mark Davyd.

‘In 2025, we have to see that consensus bring forward positive, practical interventions in the real world. Venues, despite all the very welcome good intentions and acknowledgements they are receiving for their vital work, are still closing, still under extreme and totally unnecessary financial pressures, still failing to be recognised, as everyone agrees they should and must be, when government designs policy, taxation, and legislation.

‘It isn’t good enough to keep saying how much we all value them, we’ve got to practically do something about it. We need action not words.”

A survey of the 810 members of the Music Venues Alliance (MVA) found that they staged more than 162,000 live music events through the year to a total audience of just under 20 million, generating a total direct value to the UK economy of £526 million.

However, the MVT adds that, on average, GMVs operated on a profit margin of just 0.48% with 43.8% of them reporting a loss in the last 12 months, meaning the sector as a whole effectively subsidised live music activity by £162m.

To access the full 2024 Annual Report, click here.

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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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The UK has seen a gradual decline in the length of domestic tours across the last four decades, according to new figures from Music Venue Trust (MVT).

Artists are playing 11 shows on an average tour on the UK grassroots circuit this year, compared with 13 shows in 2014, 18 shows in 2004 and 22 in 1994, according to the findings.

“I would absolutely concur with these figures – the majority of artists we have playing grassroots and mid-level tours are playing shorter tours than ever before,” ATC Live’s Alex Bruford tells IQ.

“Touring is significantly more expensive and the four or five largest shows on the run will often cover the deficit generated from adding additional dates. The artists are often faced with the difficult choice of playing a longer tour to more people and losing money, or playing a shorter tour to fewer people but covering costs and perhaps making a profit. Many just have to choose the latter.”

With an increasing number of artists opting for shorter tours that focus on major cities, fans in regional markets are missing out on seeing their favourite artists.

As DHP Family promoter Scott Kennedy points out, this trend could have a profound impact on the diversity and accessibility of the UK’s music scene.

“The decline in grassroots touring hits working-class artists and regional working-class towns particularly hard,” he tells IQ. “With fewer shows, especially in smaller towns, it becomes much harder for working-class bands to build a following organically and reach new audiences. Rising costs and fewer gig opportunities mean that only those with financial backing can afford to take the risks involved in touring, while others are left out.

“Artists are often faced with the difficult choice of playing a longer tour to more people and losing money”

“As a result, the music scene risks becoming less diverse and more exclusive, shutting out voices that have traditionally driven the most innovative and authentic movements in music. It’s a threat to the cultural fabric of the UK music scene.”

Runway Artist’s Matt Hanner says that while MVT’s figures ring true, his agency is trying to buck the trend of shorter tours where possible.

“We believe investment in these markets can be what eventually contributes to being able to tour sustainably across the UK, even if you are not doing big numbers,” he tells IQ. “Developing a ticket and merch-buying audience in a wider range of cities and towns should be part of the big picture but of course we understand that not everyone has the financial capability to speculate to accumulate.

“Many promoters are still vary wary of pushing up ticket prices for fear of pricing out ticket-buyers, sometimes even if it’s only a couple of extra pounds, so fees remain relatively static while costs have increased. Of course, it’s a vicious cycle and after a couple of campaigns of not playing outside of London and Manchester your audience in the wider regions is likely to decline so there’s then no incentive to expand an artists’ touring.”

Associations such as LIVE have been lobbying for changes that could make touring more financially viable for artists and more accessible for music fans up and down the country.

“Touring in the UK has had to deal with post-lockdown shortages in talent and kit driving up costs, the illegal invasion of Ukraine fuelling inflation in the supply chain, and the disastrous mini-budget spiking interest rates,” LIVE CEO Jon Collins tells IQ.

“Soaring costs while the public has reduced disposable income has forced artists to focus on markets that give the best likelihood of a financial return. Inevitably that means the major cities. With a government committed to the principle of universality, LIVE is firmly of the view that a reduction in the 20% VAT rate on tickets is the quickest way to add liquidity into our market and allow artists, venues and promoters to programme more shows in more towns and cities to the delight of millions.”

“Soaring costs have forced artists to focus on markets that give the best likelihood of a financial return”

While the decline in touring has been mapped in smaller venues, the figures also “reflect what we’re hearing about the mid-capacity and arena level tours,” adds Collins.

The decline at GMV level is further evidenced by the 18.7% decrease in ticket sales in the last two years, per MVT’s research. Ticket sales per GMV in 2022 averaged 22,547, then increased in 2023 to 23,796, before dropping in 2024 to 18,331.

The sharp downturn in ticket sales has resulted in 14.1% decline in gross ticket income from live music 2023 (£134,123,094) to 2024 (£115,206,209).

Meanwhile, the cost of presenting live music at UK GMVs has increased by 11.1% year on year, from £248,936,880 in 2023 to £277,267,285 in 2024.

In more positive news the number of GMVs in the UK remained broadly steady in the last 12 months, where previous years had seen significant falls.

Some artists have vowed to do their part to support the sector, with Coldplay recently pledging to donate 10% of the proceeds from their Wembley and Hull shows to the Music Venue Trust. Last year, Enter Shikari donated a portion of ticket sales from their UK arena tour to MVT.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy told the Beyond the Music conference in Manchester on Friday that the government is “deeply concerned about the closure of live music venues and the huge challenges that face existing venues right now”, and said the issue is “absolutely at the top of our agenda”.

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Australian Venue Co (AVC) has announced plans to invest more than AUD$30 million (€17.5m) across its portfolio of venues in a bid to bring more live music to regional towns in Australia.

It comes after the firm, which owns and operates over 200 pubs, bars and event spaces across the country, was bought for around $1.4 billion by private equity firm PAG Asia Capital in August last year.

Now, AVC plans to grow its investment in these venues to “mid-$30 million” (up from $27 million in the last financial year) for both ticketed and non-ticketed entertainment.

The firm says the investment will go towards infrastructure that will make their spaces ‘gig-ready’ and make it “more viable for bands to tour around the country, and to expose themselves to more audiences”.

AVC also wants to increase its venues’ ticketed shows by 135% from 850 shows last year to 2,000 before July next year, with close to 80% of its venues hosting live music.

“As the economic environment gets tougher, people are going to want to go out in an affordable way”

“I think as the economic environment gets tougher, people are going to want to go out and have time with their mates in an affordable way,” AVC’s CEO Paul Waterson told The Music Network. “And that’s where I think pubs can step in.”

The new nationwide music strategy will also see AVC add to its portfolio, which includes venues such as Auburn Hotel, Birallee Tavern and BrewDog Perth.

Australia’s live music market has been grappling with an ‘existential crisis’ with widespread closures among venues and festivals.

More than 1,300 venues have closed permanently since the start of the pandemic, according to a 2023 report from collection society APRA AMCOS’ 2022/23 Year in Review.

In a recent government inquiry into the trouble scene, stakeholders called for a voluntary levy on arena and stadium concert tickets to safeguard the country’s music venues.

Kris Stewart, CEO of Queensland music industry development association QMusic, said the introduction of a small levy would have a “transformational effect” on the local industry in Australia.

Stewart also suggested that Australian support acts should be mandatory for international tours, per Michael’s Rule.

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The Music Venue Trust (MVT) has published a report entitled, ‘A Manifesto for Grassroots Music’ ahead of the UK General Election on 4 July.

The report, which can be found here, outlines the steps the charity says are required in order to stem the closures of grassroots music venues (GMVs) and bring stability to the sector.

Calling it “a once in a generation opportunity to save the UK’s grassroots music venues”, the report emphasises the need to implement the recent Culture Media & Sport Select Committee recommendations for the wider live music industry to invest in the future of grassroots music via a £1 contribution from every arena and stadium ticket sold for events over 5,000 capacity.

“The manifesto is being delivered to every prospective MP in the country with the request that they come out in support of it as part of their campaign to be elected,” says Sophie Brownlee, the MVT’s external affairs manager. “Music communities across the country will also be asking the candidates where they stand on the future of live music in our towns and cities. The time to act is now.”

“We have a chance to save UK grassroots music venues from the crisis they currently face and we should not let it slip”

The other key areas highlighted in the report are for a fan-led review to fully examine the long-term challenges to the live music ecosystem and the agent of change principle in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to be put on a statutory footing at the earliest opportunity.

In addition, it is calling for a reduction in VAT on cultural ticketing in GMVs to 0% and reduce VAT on cultural ticketing in the live music industry to the European average (5-7%), as well as the creation of a specific business rates premises definition for GMVs and the removal of properties satisfying that definition from the requirement to pay business rates.

“In 2023, of the 366 small music venues Ed Sheeran played while learning his trade, at least 150 are now closed,” says MVT CEO Mark Davyd. “Another 72 grassroots music venues significantly reduced or ended their live music offer. 38% of GMVs in the UK made a loss in the last 12 months. The sector operated on a 0.5% profit margin overall while running live music events at a £115 million loss.

“All of this can be changed if the next government delivers the five simple steps we have set out in this report. We therefore call on all political representatives, from all parties, to seize the moment and drive forward this change. We have a chance to save UK grassroots music venues from the crisis they currently face and we should not let it slip.”

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The Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee has backed calls for a new arena and stadium ticket levy, plus tax relief, to safeguard UK grassroots music venues (GMVs).

The recommendations feature in a new report from the cross-party committee, which launched the inquiry at the Music Venue Trust’s (MVT) Venues Day in October 2023 and heard about the “cost of touring crisis” facing the sector, against a backdrop of small venues closing at a rate of two per week.

It says that a voluntary levy on arena and stadium concert tickets – as lobbied for by the MVT – would be the most feasible way to have an immediate impact on the business, creating a support fund for venues, artists and promoters, administered by a trust led by a sector umbrella body, and is appealing for the industry to ensure the levy cost is not passed on to music fans. In addition, it is calling for a temporary VAT cut based on venue capacity.

The conclusions have been warmly welcomed by bodies including the MVT, along with trade bodies LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment), UK Music, the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and Featured Artists Coalition (FAC).

“These recommendations provide a clear pathway forward to a positive future for the UK’s grassroots music venues, a set of actions that are deliverable, affordable, and will genuinely have a positive impact on live music in communities right across the country,” says MVT CEO Mark Davyd. “We look forward to working with the music industry and with the government to deliver on these recommendations as swiftly as possible.”

Davyd owns Tunbridge Wells Forum in Kent, which recently pledged to become the first venue in the UK to introduce a grassroots ticket levy. Throughout this month, £1 from every ticket sold will be donated to the Music Venue Trust’s (MVT) Pipeline Fund at no additional expense to customers.

The MVT has described 2023 as the most challenging year for the sector since the trust was founded in 2014, as the number of GMVs falling from 960 to 835.

“It’s clear that the committee has recognised the many challenges faced by venues, promoters, events and artists at the grassroots level, and the steps required to address them”

“We would like to thank all the thousands of music fans that have supported our work across the last 10 years,” adds Davyd. “It has taken much longer than any of us would have liked to get the positive change we all wanted to see, but we could not have achieved this fantastic outcome without your continued support for your local live music venue.”

If there is no agreement by September, or if it fails to collect enough income to support the sector, the report says the government should step in an introduce a statutory levy.

“It’s clear that the committee has recognised the many challenges faced by venues, promoters, events and artists at the grassroots level, and the steps required to address them,” says LIVE CEO Jon Collins. “LIVE set out to the committee the actions we believe that the government needs to take to help unleash the economic potential of the sector, such as a reduction in the damaging and uncompetitive rate of VAT on tickets, as well as the actions that sit with us as an industry, notably the creation of a charitable arm, the LIVE Trust.

“We are pleased that the committee’s report addresses both of these matters positively and has entrusted our sector to implement the industry-led solution of a voluntary levy on arena and stadium tickets, gathering and distributing funding that will benefit the whole grassroots music ecosystem. We look forward to working with government on the review of VAT and regularly updating on our progress on the LIVE Trust.”

“Grassroots music venues are a crucial part of the music industry’s ecosystem and have been faced with a series of unprecedented threats for a number of years,” adds UK Music interim chief executive Tom Kiehl. “We welcome the House of Commons CMS Committee taking the opportunity to consider the challenges these venues and the artists that tour in them face.”

Artists and managers previously spoke out in favour of the MVT’s calls for a compulsory £1 levy on tickets sold for UK live music events above 5,000-cap during evidence sessions held in March.

“As the organisations representing artists and managers, we wholeheartedly endorse all the committee’s recommendations,” says a joint statement by FAC CEO David Martin and MMF chief executive Annabella Coldrick. “Most important is their recognition of the ‘cost of touring crisis’, and that the benefits of a ticket levy must flow down to artists, managers, and independent promoters – as well as to grassroots music venues. The entire ecosystem needs support. While we still believe this mechanism should be mandatory, the clock is now ticking to get a process in place before September 2024.”

“The ongoing wave of closures is not just a disaster for music, performers and supporters in local communities up and down the country, but also puts at risk the entire live music ecosystem”

Among the report’s other recommendations are for the government and Arts Council to make it easier for the live music sector to apply for public funding and for stakeholders across the industry to continue to support the FAC’s campaign to end punitive fees on artists’ merchandise.

“We are also delighted to see the committee endorse the 100% Venues campaign, and hope this will trigger action from the UK’s largest live music venues to overhaul outdated practices on merchandise commissions,” continue Martin and Coldrick. “The sale of T-shirts, vinyl and other physical products represent a crucial income stream for artists. It is only fair that they should retain the bulk of that revenue.”

In closing, the report also calls for a comprehensive fan-led review to be set be set up this summer to examine the long-term challenges to the wider live music ecosystem.

“We are grateful to the many dedicated local venues who gave up their time to take part in our inquiry,” says Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, chair of the CMS Committee. “They delivered the message loud and clear that grassroots music venues are in crisis. The ongoing wave of closures is not just a disaster for music, performers and supporters in local communities up and down the country, but also puts at risk the entire live music ecosystem.

“If the grassroots, where musicians, technicians, tour managers and promoters hone their craft, are allowed to wither and die, the UK’s position as a music powerhouse faces a bleak future. To stem the overwhelming ongoing tide of closures, we urgently need a levy on arena and stadium concert tickets to fund financial support for the sector, alongside a VAT cut to help get more shows into venues.

“While the current focus is on the many grassroots music venues falling silent, those working in the live music sector across the board are also under extraordinary strain. It is time that the government brought together everyone with a stake in the industry’s success, including music fans, to address the long-term challenges and ensure live music can thrive into the future.”

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Music Venue Trust (MVT) has announced a second acquisition by Music Venue Properties (MVP) under its Own Our Venues scheme.

The Ferret in Preston, a 200-capacity venue which has hosted artists such as Ed Sheeran, IDLES, Alt-J, Royal Blood and many more, will now be placed into permanent protected status.

Following the purchase, The Ferret’s operators have signed a cultural lease with MVP, an “innovative agreement” specifically created by MVP to guarantee that, as long as The Ferret operates as a space for grassroots live music for their local community, they can enjoy the use of the building.

“This one was a very complicated and challenging process, but that’s good because it tested what we’re doing,” MVT chief Mark Davyd tells IQ.

“We had to make our way through a lot of legal complications and work out different bits of ownership law. But the important thing is, The Ferret is a highly valued and treasured space in this area. It has grown organically out of a music community here and has a fantastic team running it. It came under threat and not only has that threat gone, but the venue will be here forever.”

“The Own Our Venues programme is escalating”

The purchase of The Ferret follows the October 2023 acquisition of The Snug in Atherton, Greater Manchester.

A further seven venues across the country have been identified for purchase in this initial phase and Davyd reveals to IQ that MVT/MVP currently have offers on three of those venues.

“We would expect to announce at least two of those venues in no more than a month,” he adds. “The Own Our Venues programme is escalating and we’re still keen to get more people invested because it’s really transforming the future of these venues.”

Own Our Venues was originally launched as a Community Share Offer in 2022. To date, almost £2.6m has been raised from over 1,200 individual investors. Funding was matched with a £500k investment from Arts Council England, and the figure includes loans of £150k from Preston City Council and £500k from Arts & Culture Impact Fund.

According to MVT, 93% of GMVs are tenants with the typical operator only having 18 months left on their tenancy.

The issue of ownership underpins almost every other challenge that GMVs have faced during the last twenty years, says MVT, including gentrification, noise complaints, under-investment, poor economic models, and an inability to plan for the future.

In other MVT news, the organisation has appointed three key hires, with Sophie Brownlee joining as external affairs manager and Kimberley Goddard taking on the role of fundraising manager in a part-time capacity.

In addition, Sophie Asquith has been promoted to be the new venue support team manager, overseeing the work of the UK’s venue coordinators and heading up MVT’s Emergency Response Service.

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Across the globe, in almost every town and city, hidden gems pulsate with the raw, unbridled energy of live music.

Often tucked away off the beaten track, these intimate spaces carry a profound significance that transcends mere bricks and mortar. They are sanctuaries where local music scenes breathe and evolve, providing a stage for emerging artists to share their stories – cultural beacons where community, authenticity, and resilience truly take precedence.

In an era of endless mass production, these venues stand as a testament to the enduring power of music and fans’ unwavering passion, where that intimate connection between artist and audience is not only appreciated but revered. They are the very lifeblood of musical culture. But such grassroots music venues are facing existential threats.

2023 was the toughest year yet for them, something that becomes crystal clear perusing news stories on the topic. “Brutal,” “A dire crisis,” and “Devasting” scream the headlines – and with, on average, more than one venue closing every week, the topic is now routinely reported on by the mainstream media.

In the UK, the perfect storm of Brexit, Covid, the cost-of-living crisis, inflation, and the knock-on effects of wars and global instability has pushed many venues to the brink; government intransigence and ignorance often impede even the most basic common-sense efforts to help.

“These are places that make people go out and that get people inspired”

Yet the fight for their survival is not without hope. Last year marked the tenth anniversary of the Music Venue Trust, a ground-breaking charity that does vital work developing solutions, lobbying for change, and ensuring the music industry, politicians, and the wider public remain cognisant of the seriousness of this issue. Their achievements over the last decade have been notable, with their work inspiring dozens of similar organisations and impassioned individuals the world over; progress, albeit slowly, is being made.

Reflecting on this milestone, though, and taking stock of where the fault lines lie in this battle, it remains clear that there is much to be done – and quickly – if catastrophe is to be avoided. “These are places that make people go out and that get people inspired,” MVT CEO Mark Davyd said on a trip to Parliament this time last year. “[But] we’re not near the edge, we’re over the edge, and we’re tumbling down. You need to throw a lifeline down.”

Rising up, back on the street
The Music Venue Trust was created to promote a simple yet clear idea. “Ownership of the physical buildings was the key issue,” Davyd tells IQ, “and the trust was created with that name specifically as a reference to the concept of a National Trust for Music Venues – a model of benevolent ownership that would support the sector against all the other challenges it faced.”

The idea came to Davyd after the financial crisis of the late 2000s, and specifically, the closure of London’s Astoria in 2009. “That was the moment I realised no one seemed to care about the live music ecosystem,” he says. “There was a definite feeling for a number of years that things were so bad that obviously somebody would step in and do something. But finally, in 2013, we realised nobody was going to – we would have to do it ourselves.”

“We are focused on advocating for cultural politices that can safeguard these spaces for continuous improvement”

And while that remains one of MVT’s goals – “It took us nine years to finally deliver that ownership model,” says Davyd; they purchased The Snug in Atherton in 2023 – a far greater scope of activities, services, and other problems have presented themselves over the years. In the same vein, differing legislative and economic realities in other territories, coupled with much later start dates, means that similar organisations in other parts of the world have often focused on more immediate practical measures.

Face to face, out in the heat
“We have secured direct support for programming and infrastructure in the venues,” says Carmen Zapata Corbalán, manager of Associació de Salas de Conciertos de Catalunya (the association of concert halls in Catalonia – ASACC), “and our ongoing efforts are focused on advocating for cultural policies that can safeguard these spaces for continuous improvement, even amidst changes in political leadership.”

Formed when it was realised that the live music sector required a spokesperson to advocate for smaller venues, ASACC has advocated for such spaces to be considered “cultural assets” alongside requests for the regulation of music venues to fall under the jurisdiction of the Departure of Culture, instead of its current position under the Department of Security and Police. To do so, they document the closure or cessation of concerts in venues – including a campaign called “The Last Concert?”, whereby the facades of venues were painted as obituaries – and lobby for new entertainment laws that acknowledge and support venues as cultural activities.

To date, their most notable achievement is ensuring that individuals under 18 years of age could attend concerts accompanied by parents or legal guardians, but, adds Corbalán, growth in the number of ASACC’s associated venues in recent years, from 39 to over 90, “is a clear indication of its utility and impact. This growth demonstrates that it has been successful in achieving its goal and has made a positive impact on the community it serves.”

“If people really fundamentally understood how access to live music makes us healthier, government may be more willing to wrap their heads around the kind of policymaking that’s required”

The Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) is also currently celebrating its tenth anniversary. An organisation whose mission is to entrench live music’s economic, social, and cultural value in both the public and private sectors. “What we’re attempting to do is influence public policymaking,” says Erin Benjamin, president and CEO, “and the education of government, along with our storytelling, has been fundamental.”

The “story” is getting through, too. “Canada saw over $70m in designated money for live music in a historic budget during Covid – never had the words ‘live music venues’ appeared in a federal budget, ever,” she says. “That was monumental and something that we return to government to remind them of today.”

And the CLMA is keen to take a holistic view of such venues and the benefits they bring beyond money – much of their effort is directed towards their social and cultural impact, too. “If people really fundamentally understood how access to live music makes us healthier, mentally and physically, government and others may be more willing to wrap their heads around the kind of policymaking, economic or otherwise, that’s required to ensure the sustainability of these types of businesses,” says Benjamin.

In Austin, Texas, Rebecca Reynolds – president and founder of the Music Venue Alliance Austin (MVAA) – found “a patchwork of regulatory agencies and requirements that made it nearly impossible for venues to be in constant compliance.” Focused support was their answer; to start with, it was issues like sound complaints and parking, she says, whereas more recently, they’ve been “spending a lot of time on disaster relief, liquor taxes, and insurance.”

“These businesses are critical to culture and economy at the local level”

She notes that while property ownership for all venues would be ideal, “I am not sure that is everyone’s goal. We do need a regulatory environment that honours the fact that these are tax-paying businesses that do not benefit from philanthropic support but are critical to culture and economy at the local level and throughout the spectrum of the music industry.”

Directed conversations with lawmakers, building trust among the venue community, and working with those in position to implement the MVAA’s goals have paid dividends. “After lobbying our state legislature for three legislative sessions, we established a fund that will reimburse businesses up to $100k in alcohol taxes per year, to be put back into the production of live music in their spaces,” she says. “We also successfully lobbied the City of Austin to create a new fund, supported by hotel occupancy tax revenue, to provide grants for commercial music businesses.”

Reynold’s success in Texas directly influenced and inspired Chris Cobb, one of the founders of the Music Venue Alliance Nashville (MVAN). A volunteer-led organisation since its foundation in 2017, the MVAN has nonetheless proved influential thanks to what Cobb describes as “unbelievable grit and determination.” Again, legislative change around funding and tax are big goals – a venue grant fund and an alcohol tax refund are the current initiatives they are advocating for – and they scored some major successes in fundraising and preventing closures during Covid.

“Tax breaks,” says Cobb when asked about their main goals. “Taxes collected from independent venues make up an inconsequential percentage of total tax collected but are a significant cost to venues. Whether it be beer, liquor, or others, we must see a change in venue tax.”

“Now we are an organisation that promotes the interests of all cultural organisers, not just live music”

To this end, Cobb and MVAN are determined to “remind people – the right people – why venues are so important. But we have to be focused and more strategic, so we’ve just hired our first lobbyist, which is very exciting.” That cost is being split with the recently launched the Tennessee chapter of the National Independent Venue Association, and MVAN has also partnered with a local charitable organisation, their musicians’ union, the Musicians Association, and Belmont University on a music census to identify challenges and provide policy recommendations.

Norway’s Norske Kulturarrangører (NKA) has a little more history fighting for the arts – it started life back in 1982, working to promote the interest of volunteer-based rock clubs in Norway. “But now we are an organisation that promotes the interests of all cultural organisers, not just live music. So our approximately 500 members range from Live Nation, lots of rock and concert halls, and rock/blues clubs, whether public, volunteer, commercial, or global,” says Anders Tangan, the organisation’s senior advisor.

In Norway, gentrification is a major threat to grassroots venues, says Tangan, so much of NKA’s work revolves around protecting them from eviction. But the spectre of tax also looms large here. “In 2009, we managed to halt the proposal to put VAT on culture – we still have 0% VAT to this date, but the debate goes on,” says Tangan. “And in 2019, we managed to stop the taxation of volunteer work at venues and festivals.”

Overall, they’ve found that collaboration is key to achieving the required changes. “Historically, it’s been difficult coming together and speaking with one voice,” he says. “During Covid, this changed, and we could see that different organisations united, and real change was made. I think that will be important in the future – to unite and try to speak as one across the culture sector.”

“We are working to expand our reach and influence to ensure independent stages have a seat at the decision-making table”

Of course, new organisations and associations continue to pop up all over the world, united by the urgency of the fight and inspired by the precedent the Music Venue Trust has set. Australia’s Independent Live Venues Alliance (ILVA) is not even a year old yet but has already succeeded in getting grassroots venues “on the agenda,” as Jade Flavell, one of the founders, put it, and in “changing the language and thinking in media and political circles.”

Direct lobbying and coming to the table with practical and constructive ‘solutions’ that make it easy for those in power to say ‘yes,’ are one way that ILVA – the first organisation of its kind in Australia – plans to keep “chipping away” at the issue, says Flavell; ditto launching public awareness campaigns and calls to arms. And these are already bearing fruit; a few days after our initial interview, another Flavell, emails with news of a significant victory.

“The State Government of South Australia just announced a new programme to support small-medium dedicated live music venues with grants of up to $60,000 over 12 months towards costs associated with presenting original live music,” she writes. “ILVA worked closely on this programme with the minister for arts/small business Andrea Michaels – an engaged and sympathetic minister – and we were instrumental in securing this funding and ensuring it was targeted to dedicated original live music venues.”

Back in the US, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is a little older than ILVA – three years to be exact – and, according to executive director Stephen Parker, was formed with “an initial singular goal in mind – to convince Congress and local governments to invest in the recovery of independent venues, promoters, and festivals.”

“We need the whole industry to accept that it has a responsibility to make sure that aspiration and opportunity exists for new and emerging artists in every town and city”

Inspired by how Davyd and MVT had “leveraged the collective voice of grassroots venues to influence government,” their top priority is the “financial and operational sustainability of our members” and a foundation of advocacy. Having already secured what Parker calls “the largest arts investment in US history,” their approach is two-fold. “We are working to expand our reach and influence to ensure independent stages have a seat at the decision-making table, and we are building coalitions of music and event industry organisations that are active at the federal, state, and local levels,” he adds.

Rising up to the challenge of our rival
And the next goal in their sights? “The biggest thing that would have an immediate impact is comprehensive ticketing reform that finally regulates a secondary resale market that is predatory for fans, artists, and venues,” says Parker. “Fraud is rampant in the secondary resale market, and our industry deserves the consumer protections that other industries have enjoyed for decades.”

Ah, yes. Ticketing. It’s a common issue mentioned by most of the organisations IQ speaks to and is something of a personal bugbear for Mark Davyd. Determined to make the wider music industry take greater responsibility – morally and financially – for the plight of grassroots music venues, he thinks ticketing is one of the most effective, easiest ways of achieving this.

“We need the whole industry to accept that it has a responsibility to make sure that aspiration and opportunity exists for new and emerging artists in every town and city in the UK,” he says. “A simple £1 levied on each ticket at arena level, funnelled back into the grassroots, would ensure that venues across the country can continue to support the artists and crew that emerge from the grassroots sector.”

“It’s doable and it’s worthy”

He notes that football already has a version of this in place, as does the French music industry. Furthermore, he adds that the French are going even further; from May, a 1.75% tax on streaming services in the country will be paid into a central fund and then distributed to support French artists, venues, and promoters. “We should be doing that here,” he remarks pointedly.

With eight new arenas being built across the UK in the coming years, Davyd told Parliament last year, “The distribution of wealth in this industry has got to change and be sustainable for grassroots, or we are all heading down over the cliff. Not a single one of those should open unless it has a policy where every ticket sold is investing back into grassroots music venues and grassroots artists – say no to them unless there is a pipeline.”

Tax, in the form of VAT, is also an issue in the UK, he says. The current VAT rate of 20% applied to tickets is “crushing the economic viability of this sector” and, he notes, is the highest of any major music nation in Europe – second only to Lithuania in the amount charged for putting on new and emerging talent. “That is ridiculous,” he says.

Even if Parliament is dragging its feet, Davyd’s calls have not completely fallen on deaf ears; part of MVT’s success has been co-opting other businesses and organisations into their campaigns and persuading them to change their own modus operandi. Gigtix, who launched a safe ticket reseller website in 2020, adopted the £1 donation model from the beginning; the money goes directly to MVT. “Would £1 really hurt all these companies selling tickets so much?” says Stephen Lee, the company’s director.

“The majority of fans would happily pay more if it meant venues had better facilities and survived”

“It hasn’t hurt us – it’s doable and worthy.”

He also believes the general ticketing ecosystem could do with an overhaul and that venues themselves can adopt a new – and somewhat controversial for some – approach. “We believe they themselves must dynamically price their tickets to generate enough profits to survive,” he says. “It’s vital, and venues shouldn’t frown upon it – the majority of fans would happily pay more if it meant venues had better facilities and survived.”

Even Ticketmaster have joined the fight; while not going as far as adopting the mandatory £1 approach, they at least give fans the option of donating when they purchase. “This year, we’ve hit a major milestone in our collaboration by introducing the optional Music Venue Trust donation across our marketplace, giving the millions of fans who come to Ticketmaster the opportunity to help UK grassroots venues,” says Andrew Parsons, managing director of Ticketmaster UK. “It’s our way of doubling down on supporting the crucial work MVT does.”

Since 2016, Ticketmaster has been the main sponsor of Venues Day – an event established by MVT COO Beverley Whitrick for grassroots music venues in the UK. In 2021, they launched a booking fee rebate where venues receive a 50% rebate on all booking fees, and just last year, they launched an annual MVT charity upsell option across their site, with Ticketmaster matching all donations received.

Of course, some venues and entertainment groups are taking it upon themselves to implement change. Many feel it’s the least they can do. “It isn’t rocket science, and it isn’t a huge amount of effort,” says Lisa Mart, venue director at Swansea Arena, which is part of the Ambassador Theatre Group. “And it’s mutually beneficial.”

“Collaboration is key for there to be lasting change”

From October last year, the arena implemented a year-round charity upsell of a minimum of £1 on all music events announced and held at the venue, as well as announcing an annual fundraiser event – the Swansea Arena House Party – which will feature a creative industries fair and workshops; the aim is to raise £20,000 from that event alone, with all ticket proceeds going directly to MVT.

Working together with other venues and organisations and being acutely aware of how vital audience awareness is, also lends a practical edge to the arena’s efforts. “Collaboration is key for there to be lasting change,” says Mart. With lack of late-night transport in South Wales a problem, they lobbied the government for more investment; they also lobbied about the lack of available and affordable outdoor poster sites for smaller venues.

And they’re keen on even simpler solutions, like sharing facilities, equipment, parking spaces, and general knowledge or expertise. “We are all in a WhatsApp group, so they [other local grassroots venues] know they can jump in and ask for or offer help where needed,” says Mart, all part of a plan to “make the most of the people being brought into the city.”

It’s been an extremely challenging decade for everyone involved in the arts, particularly grassroots music venues – not just in the UK but worldwide. Speak to people involved in the fight and they’ll tell you how frustrating the pace of change is and how reluctant those with power or influence can sometimes be to make it. “The closer we get to real long-term sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by the grassroots music ecosystem, the more defensive the music industry becomes about taking the action that is so obviously needed,” says Davyd.

“Music Venue Trust’s dogged determination and passion as advocates for grassroots venues serve as an inspiration for all of us”

But across the last decade, real strides have been made, and those campaigning for change remain filled with hope and determination – not least when they gaze upon the tireless dedication of MVT and what they’ve been able to achieve. “I’d give us a ten out of ten for determination to get things done,” says Davyd, “and I’d rate us a five or a six for getting it done quickly, but that’s the reality of trying to nudge a giant oil tanker like the music industry towards a more ethical and considered position.”

Just a man and his will to survive
Serving as an inspiration to others, what Davyd and MVT have done is best summed up by Michael Bracy, founder of the Music Policy Forum. “So much of what makes them so effective is their authenticity,” he says. “The Music Venue Trust’s dogged determination and passion as advocates for grassroots venues serve as an inspiration for all of us, and what may not be as visible is their remarkable generosity as collaborators and their eagerness to learn from others. They know they don’t have all the answers but are constantly in dialogue with other advocates and stakeholders from across the globe.”

“Mark Davyd is not just a pioneer, and he’s not just a visionary – he has changed the world with his work,” adds Erin Benjamin. “And if it weren’t for him and the Music Venue Trust, we would not be having these conversations.”

“That vision of what this network could be is achievable and could be delivered within a decade… if everyone just got behind it and did what they should be doing to make it a reality”

It’s a sentiment echoed by everyone IQ speaks to, but keenly aware of the battles – and difficulties – that lie ahead, all are focussed on creating a better, more sustainable future for grassroots venues and ensuring they don’t just survive but thrive. Music as we know it may depend upon it.

“The dream is a network of energy self-sufficient venues, benevolently owned by a not-for-profit entity, operated by a not-for-profit organisation, operating without Business Rates or VAT on tickets, housing accommodation that artists can use for free, with a fleet of electric vehicles that artists can travel in, and plugging into an excellent backline to perform on stages with the best available sound and lighting,” says Davyd of the MVT’s plans for the next decade. “That vision of what this network could be is achievable and could be delivered within a decade… if everyone just got behind it and did what they should be doing to make it a reality.”

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Artists and managers have backed the Music Venue Trust’s (MVT) calls for a compulsory £1 levy on tickets sold for UK live music events above 5,000-cap.

Music Managers Forum vice-chair Kwame Kwaten and Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) CEO David Martin both expressed their support for the proposal during evidence sessions held in parliament today by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee to explore the ongoing crisis in the grassroots music sector.

Back in January, the MVT revealed in its annual report that 2023 was the worst year for UK venue closures since its launch a decade ago, with 125 venues closing their doors – a rate of two per week – and 38% of members reporting a loss.

“The first impact we need to recognise is that is 125 communities that have lost access to live music on their doorstep, and the impact on those communities… is very traumatic,” said Davyd. “In terms of the short term economic impact, those 125 venues will have provided 16% of all the performance opportunities in the UK. About 4,000 jobs have come under threat or have been lost.

“Our proposal in the UK is £1 per ticket for arena and stadium shows that would create a sustainable fund that could be administered by ourselves, by other people concerned for promoters, for artists, and create a fund where everybody can go so they can take risks with their programming and really give artists the first step on the ladder they need.”

A proposed levy could take three forms. A statutory levy imposed by government, an industry-mandated levy on all qualifying shows (which LIVE CEO Jon Collins pointed out might fall afoul of competition law) or a voluntary levy adopted by different artists, venues or promoters.

Industry umbrella trade body LIVE is in the process of establishing a LIVE Trust as a mechanism to distribute funds to the grassroots sector, and while the concept has been lobbied for – and brought to the attention of government – by Music Venue Trust, today’s hearing saw promoters, artists and managers also stake a claim to any potential funds filtering back to the grassroots sector.

“All of my members will tell you one of their biggest concerns, frankly, is the artists cannot afford to tour,” Davyd said. “It’s not just the venues aren’t there to play in, it’s also the venues are standing empty when they could be putting on bands, because bands cannot afford to put on the show.”

“You don’t get to Ed Sheeran playing two shows last year at The O2, unless he played The Bedford in Balham”

Ferocious Management MD Kwame hailed the ticket levy proposal as a “great initiative”.

“We do support that,” he said. “This whole thing about supporting the level of one person in a show up to 1,000 is absolutely crucial, because you don’t get to Ed Sheeran playing two shows last year at The O2, unless he played The Bedford in Balham, unless he played the Queen of Hoxton with iluvlive promoting. Unless artists and managers are supported from zero to 1,000-people venues, you won’t reach that level.”

Martin said he was open-minded about the idea, which he described as a “relatively complex topic”.

“It would need to be on top of the ticket fee,” he argued. “It can’t be a downward pressure on artists or a voluntary thing, where you have some artists – potentially British artists – saying, ‘Yes, we’re very happy with the levy.’ And then you’ve got foreign artists coming to the UK saying, ‘We’re not prepared to do this.’ It creates an uneven playing field.

“With the right will, government could really help the industry coalesce about how a levy would be collected and distributed.”

But while the FAC was in favour of government intervention in a levy, John Drury, National Arenas Association chair and VP and general manager of OVO Arena Wembley, was less enthusiastic.

“The reality of £1 a ticket for us – given many of our venues are managed on behalf of private landlords, city councils charitable trusts – would be something like a 20% cut in our EBITDA, so it’s not a few grains of sand, it is quite significant,” he pointed out. “Or angle is more that this is a problem for the industry as a whole and it goes right through the live level to artists, managers, agents, promoters, venues and anybody else associated with that system. We’re all very interdependent.”

“The reality of £1 a ticket for us… would be something like a 20% cut in our EBITDA, so it’s not a few grains of sand, it’s quite significant”

Kilimanjaro Live boss and Concert Promoters Association vice chair Stuart Galbraith also spoke in favour of a voluntary levy and cited Enter Shikari’s efforts to donate £1 from their 2024 UK tour to grassroots music venues via the MVT’s Pipeline Investment Fund.

“I think it’s realistic to expect that within the larger music industry, any sort of charge is not going to be absorbed by the industry it will get passed on to the customer,” he said. “If you place it outside the ticket, and if the charitable trust had charitable status, there would be no VAT deduction, there would be no PRS deduction, there would be no venue share and 100% of that money would reach the actual targets.”

The hearings were marked by clear divisions across the various sectors of the business, although all participants agreed that UK government should reduce VAT on concert tickets to something in line with many other European markets, such as the 5.5% rate paid in France. An idea which committee MPs said HM Treasury was highly unlikely to adopt.

On a proposed VAT cut, the position of industry umbrella trade body LIVE was at odds with its members: A blanket 5% VAT rate on tickets has been a principle manifesto point of LIVE for several years, while Drury told MPs that arenas “didn’t need” the rate cut, and Galbraith said a reduction should only be in venues up to 1,000-capacity. Davyd, meanwhile, said that a VAT cut for small venues “still wouldn’t make grassroots venues sustainable”.

“The single biggest change the committee could recommend to make grassroots venues and the ecosystem viable would be that of VAT”

“The VAT cut during a pandemic literally made the difference between us being able to promote shows or not promote shows,” said Galbraith. “The 20% tax burden versus 5% literally meant that we could do 100 more shows that year as we came out of pandemic and we now look at those shows, and they are just not viable. They never reach past the spreadsheet.”

Anna Moulson of the Association of Independent Promoters (AIP) agreed: “Five percent [VAT rate] over lockdown was so welcome with our members because it meant that we could break even which meant we could cover costs and actually make money, which is very surprising on the grassroots level. Some of our members are now turning down grassroots shows in order that they can be below the threshold of having to be VAT registered, so that means less artists will be taken on by promoters and developed by them.”

“We are overrun with people who’ve had a hit on TikTok, desperately now trying to build the grassroots audience that gives them a sustainable career”

In response to a comment that some artists were breaking online and performing at arenas without having toured through grassroots venues, Davyd said there had been a “remarkable turnaround” over the past two to three years.

“We are overrun with people who’ve had a hit on TikTok, desperately now trying to build the grassroots audience that gives them a sustainable career,” he said. “It’s a big thing in our sector for people to now be going out on tour, having jumped forward and then realised, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t have the deep connection with my fans that I get from being in a room with 250 other people.'”

Other topics discussed during the hearing included PRS fees in small venues, with both Moulson and Davyd arguing that much of the fees collected go into a “black box” of unattributed income which is then passed to artists with the most airplay annually. “It’s a reverse Robin Hood effect where income from small venues is going back to the biggest artists”, said Davyd.

PRS for Music’s Gavin Larkins also outlined that a Tariff LP review was due to begin after the summer with a target date of being concluded by Q2 2025.

While there was consensus that the UK grassroots scene was in dire need of intervention, the precise mechanism for that support remains a divisive topic. With artists and managers also now backing the call for a levy, the findings of today’s hearings – due to be published in April – will likely see a strong recommendation for more support for the grassroots sector from the larger venues and operators in the UK. The recommendation is even more likely given that it would reduce or remove the need for the UK Government to act itself in supporting the grassroots sector.

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The duo behind Soul Mama, a new London-based music venue and restaurant, have been awarded a Guinness World Record for their fundraising efforts.

MOBO-winning British saxophonist YolanDa Brown and her manager Adetokunbo “T” Oyelola broke the record for the most money pledged worldwide for a Kickstarter restaurant project, having raised £248,148 for the new venue in just eight weeks.

The Afro-Caribbean restaurant and music venue is due to open in “early 2024” at a location to be confirmed, though an official date is yet to be announced.

Capitalising on the pair’s music expertise, the venue will regularly host local and emerging recording artists, with a strong focus on jazz, soul, gospel and reggae.

The venue will regularly host local and emerging recording artists, with a strong focus on jazz, soul, gospel and reggae

“In setting a Guinness World Records title, Soul Mama didn’t just secure funds; we wove a tapestry of dreams shared by thousands,” says Brown.

“A testament to what we can achieve when we unite and believe. This record is not just a number—it’s a promise to fill every visit with laughter, comfort, and a sense of belonging. At Soul Mama, we’re more than a music venue and restaurant; we’re a home for dreamers and believers who see the world not just as it is, but as it could be, full of joy, connection, and shared moments that linger in the heart long after the night ends. A big thank you to everyone who supported us so far and the new people who will discover us along our journey and jump on the Soul Mama Train.”

Soul Mama’s fundraiser launched last year with a selection of packages available to purchase – from tickets to YolanDa’s first concert at Soul Mama to pre-booked meals and memberships.

Brown is chair of the BPI, a Member of the Arts and Media Honours Committee and a broadcaster on BBC Radio 4. She has toured with The Temptations, Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Billy Ocean, Dave Stewart from Eurythmics, Kelly Jones from Stereophonics and Rick Astley.

Oyelola is a manager and promoter, and owns entertainment management and consultancy brand Black Grape Global.

The pair will confirm an opening date, upcoming live events and food offerings for Soul Mama during a live-streamed announcement on 15 April.

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