Tunbridge Wells Forum, a 250-capacity music venue, has become the first venue in the UK to introduce a grassroots ticket levy. Throughout May, the Forum will be including a levy of £1 on all tickets sold, and the total will be donated to the Music Venue Trust’s Pipeline Fund. Customers will not be required to pay for the levy, as it will be managed within the price of the ticket. The venue wrote in an Instagram post that “if a grassroots venue has the ability to make this work and give back to other venues in the UK, then the larger venues, arenas, stadiums and festivals can also do their bit for the cause.”
The move follows in the footsteps of other companies, such as Enter Shikari and Skiddle, who have launched similar initiatives in the past year. Ticketmaster has also introduced a Music Venue Trust charity upsell option, enabling fans to make direct contributions to MVT when purchasing tickets. Last month, artists and industry figures went to Parliament to make the case for a mandatory £1 ticket levy on all arenas and above in order to secure the future of grassroots venues and artists.
Earlier this year, the Music Venue Trust delivered their full report into the state of the sector for 2023, which revealed that grassroots venues in the UK were heading for “disaster” without intervention, with around two venues closing per week. The MVT has emphasised the importance of major labels and companies investing back into the grassroots music scene, and “the big companies are now going to have to answer for this”.
Alien Ant Farm and CKY recently became the first American band to add a £1 ticket levy to their UK tours, with the money donated to the Music Venue Trust. Halifax venue Piece Hall has also implemented a similar scheme. The reference to the “arena situation in Manchester” comes after the city’s Co-Op Live Arena faced a series of disasters over the past few weeks, including cancelling shows after air conditioning units fell from the ceiling
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