MVT announces Venues Day 10th anniversary edition
The UK’s Music Venue Trust (MVT) has announced details of the 10th anniversary edition of its annual Venues Day.
The event will take place at Woolwich Works in London on Tuesday 8 October.
MVT, which represents over 850 UK grassroots music venues (GMVs), has held Venues Day – the largest gathering of GMV professionals in the world – since 2014, with representatives attending from venues, promoters, agents, artists, government departments, funding bodies and ancillary service providers.
Headline sponsors Ticketmaster with support from Fred Perry have also allowed Venues Day 2024 to offer subsidised delegate passes and travel bursaries to ensure that venue representatives from across the UK can attend.
Eschewing a specific ‘theme’, Venues Day’s 10th anniversary will instead focus on the broader importance of artists to the sector, in addition to providing the opportunity to reflect on progress made over the previous 12 months and the ongoing challenges facing the market.
“This year we want to recognise and celebrate the artist community without whom we wouldn’t exist and for whom we continue to strive”
“As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Venues Day there is much to reflect on and much to look forward to,” says MVT COO Beverley Whitrick. “This year we want to recognise and celebrate the artist community without whom we wouldn’t exist and for whom we continue to strive and we look forward to welcoming our colleagues from grassroots music venues around the UK.
“Venues Day is always an opportunity for us all to meet old friends, share experiences and remind each other that whilst we have all had to endure some very dark days and weather some major storms in recent years we are still here, we are still strong and we remain defiant.”
Further information on speakers, panels and other activities at Venues Day 2024 will be announced in the near future.
Tickets for Venues Day 2024: The 10th Anniversary Edition are available here.
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NSW govt brings in reforms to protect small venues
The NSW government in Australia is implementing new regulations around noise complaints to protect venues as part of its efforts to rebuild Sydney’s night-time economy.
The suite of measures, which came into effect on 1 July, makes whether the licensed venue or the complainant occupied their premises first a central consideration. The party established first will be “favoured” when determining such complaints, preventing incoming residents restricting the output or operating hours of already established venues.
“The old NSW sport of moving in next to a music venue and complaining until it gets shut down, is now history,” says NSW government minister for music and the night-time economy John Graham. “That era is coming to an end.”
In addition, the government’s Venues Unlocked package will deliver grants that support new and existing venues to host more live gigs without further impacting neighbours through Soundproofing Grants and Live Performance Venue grants.
Soundproofing Grants will support 21 new and existing venues with up to A$100,000 (€62,000) to help them achieve best-practice soundproofing and sound management, while Live Performance Venue grants will support 56 venues with up to $80,000 for essential equipment, programming and marketing costs.
“We are enabling venues to expand their offerings, while also supporting new music venues to get their performance programming off the ground”
“The soundproofing and venue support will mean venues can host more live music, whilst reducing the impact on their neighbours,” adds Graham. “Bit by bit, we are rebuilding Sydney’s night-time economy, venue by venue, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.
“We made a commitment to increase the number of live music venues across NSW and through ongoing reform and the Venues Unlocked grant programmes we are enabling venues to expand their offerings, while also supporting new music venues to get their performance programming off the ground.”
It follows the recent publication of the first-of-its-kind State of the Scene report by Sound NSW, a dedicated government office committed to the growth, development and promotion of contemporary music, which illustrated the full landscape of the live music ecosystem across the state.
“We know through the recent State of the Scene report that there are 795 venues across NSW that offer live music – so this is a great start to supporting venues in a real and tangible way and to help them navigate the challenges of operating in NSW,” says Emily Collins, head of Sound NSW.
The NSW government launched its first “live music audit” last year to help revive the region’s concert scene after it was revealed the Australian state has lost half its music venues over the past decade.
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Frank Turner attempts world record with 24hr tour
Frank Turner is bidding to set the official Music Venue Trust (MVT) world record for the most concerts played in different cities within 24 hours.
The British singer-songwriter and MVT patron has 15 shows scheduled across UK grassroots venues between 12.30pm on Saturday 4 May to 12.30pm on Sunday 5 May. The 500-mile undertaking is due to start at Liverpool’s Jacaranda and conclude at The Brook in Southampton, with all gigs to last a minimum of 20 minutes.
The attempt, which is designed to support grassroots venues and independent record stores across the country, has been timed to celebrate the release of Turner’s upcoming 10th album, Undefeated, which drops on 3 May. Several dates have already sold out.
“With nearly 3,000 shows under my belt, I’ve never been one to do things by halves or shirk a challenge – I once played all 50 American states in 50 days, for goodness sake,” says Turner. “It’s not just self-promotion either. We’re working with 13 independent record shops and 15 independent grassroots music venues for the shows, highlighting two bits of the infrastructure of the underground that I care about most. It’s going to be tough, but hopefully fun too. Come down for a show!”
“Frank will be criss-crossing the nation hitting some of the country’s finest grassroots music venues for an action-packed day”
The official record is currently held by Hunter Hayes, who performed 10 shows in 10 cities in 24 hours in 2014.
Transport between Turner’s shows is being provided by sponsor FREENOW. The taxi app launched the Ride For Music initiative in 2023, which donates £1 from every ride to the Pipeline Investment Fund (PIF) – a grant-giving fund established by MVT with the support of the Music Venues Alliance.
“We are delighted to support Frank Turner’s attempt to set the official Music Venue Trust world record for the most gigs played in 24 hours,” says MVT CEO Mark Davyd. “With the help of FREENOW black cabs, Frank will be criss-crossing the nation hitting some of the country’s finest grassroots music venues for an action-packed day which promises to set the global standard for dedication to live music.”
Turner’s full itinerary is as follows:
Saturday 4 May
12.30pm – Liverpool, Jacaranda – instore
2.30pm – Huddersfield, Parish – outstore for Vinyl Tap
4pm – Leeds, Boom – outstore for Crash
6pm – Sheffield, The Foundry – outstore for Bear Tree
7.30pm – Chesterfield, Gasoline – outstore for Tailbird
9pm – Nottingham, Saltbox – outstore for Rough Trade
10.30pm – Birmingham, RMBL – outstore for Eclipse Records
Sunday May 5
12am – Leamington Spa, Temperance – outstore for Head
2am – Leighton Buzzard, Crooked Crow Bar – outstore for Black Circle Records
4am – London, Underworld – outstore for Rough Trade
6am – Kingston, Banquet Records
7.30am – Aldershot, West End Centre – outstore for 101 Collectors
9am – Portsmouth, Staggeringly Good Brewery – outstore for Pie & Vinyl
10.30am – Winchester – The Railway – outstore for Pie & Vinyl
12pm – Southampton, The Brook – outstore for Vinilio
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Canadian live industry calls for urgent support
The Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA) is calling on the government to provide emergency support for endangered venues, festivals and events.
In advance of next month’s federal budget, the group warns that independently-operated and non-profit venues and festivals continue to endure a host of challenges – to the detriment of emerging talent.
“These stages are key to artist development and growth, and the urgency has never been greater for these small businesses and organisations as they endure ongoing impacts of the pandemic and rising inflation,” says the CLMA. “Cost of goods and services have nearly tripled, and labour shortages and supply chain issues compound to threaten the ability of many to remain operational.
“Without smaller spaces for artists to grow, the sustainability of Canada’s live music sector is uncertain. So too are the well-known benefits to tourism, job creation, private sector investment, and access to artistic performances that improve our mental and physical well-being, and change our lives.”
“The future of live music and live performance, and the careers of artists, are at great risk”
Canada’s national industry association is appealing to the federal government to increase funding through the Canada Music Fund, the Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF) and the Building Communities through Arts and Heritage (BCAH) programme as part of the 2024 budget.
“By taking action today, the federal government can help to ensure our sector can continue to help support artists – especially emerging artists – provide places for musicians to perform, create transformative experiences for audiences, and confidently impact all Canadians – economically, socially and culturally,” adds the organisation.
“The future of live music and live performance, and the careers of artists, are at great risk. The CLMA cannot stress enough. Now is the time for this government to address these three vital programmes with permanent funding increases.”
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The move to protective ownership is a revolution
The Snug is a grassroots music venue hidden away in the heart of Atherton, Greater Manchester [UK], and for years, we have championed new and emerging artists.
We created a place that welcomes everybody, and we cater for all. Our 100-capacity, distinctively cosy living-room-style space invites the world to come in, grab a brew or a beer and relax whilst appreciating those future up-and-coming household names.
Unfortunately, our landlord put the building up for sale, and with the impact of Covid, [it sadly] meant we weren’t in a position to purchase our beloved Snug, so we turned to Music Venue Trust for advice. This was fortunate, as they were just about to launch the Own Our Venues project. We were then accepted into their pilot scheme along with eight other shortlisted venues all at risk of closure. The number of venues that applied to be part of the pilot scheme highlights how real the problems are in the grassroots music venue community.
We are overjoyed that The Snug has become the first of many grassroots music venues to be put into a protective trust with Music Venue Properties [MVP]. Delightfully, the news went viral, and we cannot express the positive impact this development has had in the local area and beyond. As further venues come under the protection of the Music Venue Trust, they will hopefully also achieve the same results and positive impact in their areas.
The protection of grassroots music venues like The Snug, offers the space to nurture local talent but also provides a platform for varied work experience for local young people interested in the music industry. The security this provides us furthers our sense of community, and the pride of ownership in our venue is immeasurable.
“Who will headline festivals when the Rolling Stones have left the planet? Let’s not forget, the Rolling Stones started in grassroots music venues”
The MVP model needs to be adopted in every country in the world. It’s heartbreaking to read how many venues have already closed and how many more are in immediate danger of closing, being lost forever. The move to protective ownership is nothing short of a revolution; a real-life story of what can be achieved when a community rallies behind its cultural treasures.
Other communities and cities can look at MVP and see a model worth building and investing in. The message is clear: grassroots music venues are not for sale to greedy commercial landlords who don’t care what the business is, as long as they can squeeze more rent from tenants while spending little to no money on maintaining or improving the buildings.
We have to ‘own our venues,’ they are the research and development departments for the future of music. They are cultural treasures for everyone. For creative people to flourish and spaces for musicians to hone their craft, obtain feedback from audiences, network with other local musicians, make new friends, or even sell merchandise to fund recording-studio time.
Grassroots music venues are essential to a thriving ecosystem of the music industry. Without these venues, there will be no more stars of tomorrow. Who will be playing the arenas in 30 years’ time? Who will be the future stars to inspire the younger generations? Who will headline festivals when the Rolling Stones have left the planet? Let’s not forget, the Rolling Stones started in grassroots music venues.
Imagine a world without music, where the next generation of musical talent has nowhere to grow and develop. This is what will happen if our grassroots music venues are not protected. The world can learn from The Snug’s journey, by realising that cultural preservation is a collective responsibility and that grassroots music venues deserve to stand the test of time.
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Ticketmaster to launch upsell option for MVT
Ticketmaster is launching a charity upsell option for the UK’s Music Venue Trust (MVT) to coincide with its sponsorship of this month’s Venues Day.
The upsell, which will launch on Venues Day (17 October) and run for an entire month, means that anyone purchasing a ticket on Ticketmaster will be given the option to make a donation directly to MVT.
The initiative will run annually, with Ticketmaster pledging to match all donations received.
“This upsell provides a practical method for fans to support grassroots music venues, and we are incredibly grateful to the Ticketmaster team for putting it in place,” MVT CEO Mark Davyd tells IQ. “Ticketmaster matching all fan donations is a powerful message for the whole industry about the support our sector needs and the will of the music community to provide it.”
The move follows Ticketmaster’s booking fee rebate launched in 2021, where venues receive a 50% rebate on all booking fees. The ticketing company has been headline sponsor of Venues Day since 2016.
“Ticketmaster has been a long-term and committed partner of MVT, and their core support has been vital in developing us as the authentic voice of grassroots venues, artists and fans,” says Davyd.
The music charity’s annual Venues Day event will take place at The Fireworks Factory in London next Tuesday 17 October. Hundreds of delegates from across the UK’s grassroots music venue (GMV) sector, representing venues throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, have already booked their places at the event.
“We need a radical intervention by everyone: the government, the music industry, artists and fans, to stop these closures”
This year’s theme, ‘Behind the Scenes’, covers workshops, discussions, presentations and networking to offer practical support to the people running venues and connect them with services that can help them.
“This year’s Venues Day is bigger than ever, with more venues attending, more delegates, more partners, and more on offer,” says Davyd. “Our goal is to match the size of the event with the size of ambitions for what is delivered on the day, and what we can bring to the sector.”
Last week saw the UK organisation announce the first acquisition under its Own Our Venues scheme. The Snug (cap. 100) in Atherton, Greater Manchester, became the first GMV to be bought by Music Venue Properties (MVP), the independent Charitable Community Benefit Society (CCBS) created by the MVT.
Own Our Venues was launched as a crowdfunded project in June 2022 as the first step in a long-term campaign to take control of the freeholds of music venue premises and bring them under a protected status of benevolent ownership.
“We believe that live music fans understand exactly how vital these venues are to the future of our whole music ecosystem and how much financial difficulty they are currently facing,” adds Davyd.
“127 grassroots music venues have closed in the last 12 months – more than one is permanently closing every week. We need a radical intervention by everyone: the government, the music industry, artists and fans, to stop these closures and turn this around.”
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Music Venue Trust seals Coca-Cola link-up
The Music Venue Trust (MVT) has announced a new partnership with Coca-Cola which will see the drinks brand support the UK grassroots community through a series of activities.
The link-up will commence with a series of gigs organised by the charity, which represents more than 900 UK venues and has secured a 13-show headline run by indie-pop singer-songwriter Casey Lowry.
The tour will kick off at Moles in Bath on 27 September and conclude on 23 October at Camden’s KOKO.
“This is the start of an incredibly important partnership with Coca-Cola which we hope will bring support to grassroots music venues right across the country,” says MVT CEO Mark Davyd. “Every local community deserves access to an excellent live music experience right on their doorstep. This project demonstrates how MVT can work with great partners to make that happen and keep music live right across the UK.”
“We recognise that the festival artists of tomorrow need to play in the grassroot venues of today”
Fans have a chance to win tickets by buying a 500ml Coke Zero or Coke Zero Cherry at any Co-op store and scanning the QR code on the in-store display by 22 August.
“Coca-Cola has a wealth of historical involvement in music and this summer has seen us give music fans a number of epic experiences at festivals across Europe,” says Paul Hiskens, associate director, partnerships & sponsorships at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB. “But we recognise that the festival artists of tomorrow need to play in the grassroot venues of today and by partnering with Music Venue Trust we will help support the venues in a number of ways moving forward.
“In our first activity we have funded a series of gigs to allow venues to raise funds, alongside giving fans of Coke Zero an unforgettable night out – and hope that they continue to support these venues ongoing, as we will.”
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MVT welcomes £5m investment in grassroots scene
The Music Venue Trust (MVT) has welcomed a new £5 million investment in grassroots music venues from the UK government.
Announced by culture secretary Lucy Frazer, the additional funding will be made available over two years through the Supporting Grassroots Live Music Fund administered by Arts Council England.
“There is a well-documented and evidenced crisis at grassroots level,” says Rebecca Walker, the MVT’s live projects coordinator. “We have new and emerging artists who want to tour, venues who are desperate to host them, audiences that
want to see them, but the financial obstacles have simply become too great.
“With this additional £5 million we are going to be able to work with the sector to get artists back out across the country, producing thousands of shows that simply wouldn’t be able to take place without this funding.”
“This additional £5 million is a fantastic response from the government, recognising that we have a crisis at grassroots level”
The MVT recently announced a groundbreaking partnership with Enter Shikari, which will see £1 from every ticket sold for their arena tour in 2023 go into the organisation’s Pipeline Investment Fund, and MVT CEO Mark Davyd stresses it is continuing to press arenas and stadiums to play their part in addressing the need for financial support for the sector.
“This additional £5 million is a fantastic response from the government, recognising that we have a crisis at grassroots level which threatens the talent pipeline and the future prosperity of the entire live music industry,” says Davyd. “It’s now time for that industry to step up, take responsibility, and match this government action with its own positive response.
“At the top level, we are enjoying the greatest ever summer of live music in the UK. We need to ensure that grassroots music venues share in that financial success, and that can be achieved simply and effectively through a contribution from every ticket sold at every arena and stadium event.”
The number of shows taking place at grassroots level fell by 16.9% in 2022, representing a significant threat to the talent pipeline, compounded by rising costs including energy bills, rent and staffing, and the lack of funding to meet the increasing financial demands of touring.
“The UK’s live music sector is the envy of our friends across the globe”
The government’s Creative Industries Sector Vision, launched today, aims to grow the creative industries by an extra £50 billion while creating one million extra jobs by 2030. It describes the grassroots sector as “the lifeblood of our world-leading music sector and cornerstones of communities”.
Funding for the Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS) has also been expanded by a further £3.2 million over the next two years. The initiative, which is joint-funded by industry and government, is managed by the BPI and aims to boost UK music exports by making grants available to small-and medium-sized independent music companies to support artists’ careers in overseas markets.
Since its launch in 2014, MEGS has helped more than 300 UK artists, including Beabadoobee, Bicep, Dave, Rina Sawayama, Wolf Alice, Young Fathers, and many more across a broad range of backgrounds and genres. It has generated a return on investment of more than £13 for every £1 invested.
“The UK’s live music sector is the envy of our friends across the globe,” says Jon Collins, CEO of trade body LIVE. “However, in the face of increased energy costs, supply chain challenges, and difficulties faced by touring artists, performers and their crew, the true potential of the sector is currently being limited. The extra funding announced today to support music exports and grassroots music venues is welcome and will go some way towards helping the live music sector to bounce back to full strength.”
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UK grassroots sector facing fresh Covid crisis
The Music Venue Trust (MVT) has warned the UK’s grassroots circuit is on the brink of collapse in the wake of fresh government restrictions.
The organisation reports that small venues have been hit by a catastrophic drop in attendance, advance ticket sales and spend per head since last Wednesday’s announcement of Plan B measures to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant, placing the entire sector back on red alert for the risk of permanent closures.
As a result, the MVT is calling on culture secretary Nadine Dorries to create a ring-fenced stabilisation fund to protect the sector, stressing that significant funding from the £1.7 billion Culture Recovery Fund remains unspent and unallocated.
“This is the busiest time of the year for grassroots music venues, representing more than 20% of their annual income being raised during the party season,” says MVT strategic director Beverley Whitrick.
“Rapid declines in attendance at this time of year represent an exponential threat to the whole sector, and losses of this magnitude cannot be sustained without throwing hundreds of music venues into crisis mode and at risk of permanent closure. A ‘no show’ isn’t just lost ticket income, it’s lost bar take and excess staff costs.”
It feels like we are back exactly where we were in March 2020
The MVT says losses over the last week were close to £2 million, with 86% of venues reporting negative impacts and 61% having to cancel at least one event. The biggest causes of cancellations were a performer/member of the touring party testing positive for Covid (35.6%), private hire bookings cancelled by the organiser (31.3%) and poor sales performance (23.6%).
MVT CEO Mark Davyd likens the predicament to the early days of the pandemic.
“It feels like we are back exactly where we were in March 2020, when confusing government messaging created a ‘stealth lockdown’ – venues apparently able to open but in reality haemorrhaging money at a rate that will inevitably result in permanent closures unless the government acts quickly to prevent it,” he says.
“We have been here before. This time the government already has all the tools in place that it needs to manage this impact and prevent permanent closures in the grassroots music venue sector. The Culture Recovery Fund can be swiftly adapted to mitigate this economic impact, the money is already there and waiting, we just need the secretary of state to act quickly.
“The government previously used business rate suspension and VAT cuts to support and sustain the sector. We don’t need to spend time considering the situation; the government already knows what can be done and can choose very quickly to do it.”
MPs yesterday voted to back the government’s “Plan B” measures to tackle Omicron by introducing vaccine certificates or negative lateral flow tests to enter venues. The move was criticised by Night-Time Industries Association (NTIA) chief Michael Kill.
“We are disappointed that MPs have voted into law covid passports for nightclubs,” he says. “The NTIA have consistently opposed their introduction due to the many logistical challenges they pose for night time economy businesses and what we have seen in Scotland and Wales where they have dampened trade by 30% and 26% respectively.
“It is very disappointing that, after flip flopping on the issue twice, the government have decided to press ahead with the plans despite no evidence of their impact on transmission of the virus.”
IQ has compiled the latest live music restrictions affecting key international touring markets in Europe here, and the rest of the world here.
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Campaign to save Night & Day Cafe ramps up
The Music Venue Trust (MVT) has revealed noise complaints have been made against more than 40 venues since lockdown lifted in July, as a campaign to protect Manchester’s Night & Day Cafe reaches 50,000 signatures.
The 220-cap venue, which celebrates its 30th birthday this Saturday, was served with a noise abatement notice on 18 November by Manchester City Council (MCC) licensing after being reported by a nearby resident.
A petition launched in support of Night & Day says the council is now threatening to close the venue, alleging it is a “noise nuisance”.
“We have met the resident a number of times to explain what we do and that nothing has changed operationally to how we operated pre-lockdown and the 28 years prior to that,” says the petition. “We ask for Manchester City Council licensing to remove our noise abatement notice and for the council to address the real issue here which is that housing with ill-considered planning and construction has been approved and built next to a pre-existing live music business.
“Over the past 15 years, flats have been built or existing buildings converted to flats around us with no real thought or consideration to the pre-existing business, building and what it does.
“We also ask not to be labelled us as a ‘nuisance’. We believe we are a real cultural asset to the city of Manchester, the North West and indirectly to the UK as a whole.”
It’s time the complaints process was changed
MVT CEO Mark Davyd told NME there had been over 40 noise complaints against UK grassroots music venues since the sector reopened en masse in July.
“With the exception of one case, all relate to complaints that the venue had resumed its normal operation; no new hours, no change of music, no increase in volume,” said Davyd.
“This is one of a raft of absurd new complaints lodged by people who apparently think it’s OK to move near to venues during a pandemic and complain when they reopen. Every noise complaint costs the venue money to defend and defeat.
“It’s time the complaints process was changed so that obviously ludicrous complaints such as this, against a venue celebrating 30 years of business, can be immediately dismissed or the venue financially recompensed for being forced to prove that the cause of the ‘nuisance’ is the new resident’s decision to move next to it.”
Sacha Lord, night-time economy advisor for Greater Manchester and co-founder of Manchester’s Parklife festival and The Warehouse Project, said he would do everything within the powers to save the Night & Day, which previously won a similar battle in 2014.
“If you choose to live next to a live music venue, don’t then complain about noise,” Lord said on Twitter. “Night & Day Cafe is a true iconic gem. I am in touch with them and will do everything I can to work with all parties, to save this venue.”
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