Over 60 grassroots music venues have closed down in the UK this year, according to recent Music Venue Trust (MVT) reports, with financial obstacles presenting a significant challenge to many venues. The MVT’s Rebecca Walker has warned that the UK is set to lose 10% of grassroots music venues by the end of 2023. Although there are many new and emerging bands who want to tour, Rebecca points out that the financial obstacles involved in hosting them have become too significant for many venues to overcome.
Despite the worrying scale of the problem, there are calls for larger arenas in the UK to help support the grassroots music industry. MVT CEO Mark Davyd argues that public ownership schemes alone cannot save the music venue crisis and that it is vital for larger arenas to help support smaller venues to ensure the continued health of the wider music ecosystem.
Grassroots venues have been hit particularly hard due to the energy crisis, with venues facing energy cost increases of up to 7% in 2022. To help protect these important venues, MVT launched the ‘Own Our Venues’ initiative last May, which they describe as “the National Trust, but for venues.” Although the initiative has already raised nearly £2.5 million to bring grassroots venues under public ownership, it remains to be seen whether this scheme can save the hardest-hit venues.
Despite the many challenges faced by grassroots venues, there are glimmers of hope. In March 2023, MVT successfully concluded its funding campaign to purchase the first set of Grassroots Music Venues. Other community ownership projects, such as Sister Midnight in Lewisham, demonstrate that there is a growing push by the public to take matters into their own hands and help support these vital venues in uncertain times
Read the full article from Mixmag here: Read More