Music Venue Trust (MVT) has launched a new campaign to encourage artists to support grassroots music when they reach arena-selling levels. The “Artist Pledge” scheme was announced on May 21st and asks artists to commit to helping grassroots venues, artists, and promoters by pledging to a ticket levy on arena-sized gigs. According to Music Venue Trust, the concept behind the pledge is that the levy paid by fans attending these events would be used to support grassroots music, which has been negatively impacted by the ongoing pandemic crisis.
As stated in Music Venue Trust’s latest report on the state of the UK’s music industry, grassroots music is currently facing a “disaster”. It revealed that the UK had lost five clubs every week through 2024. The Artist Pledge campaign already has 45 artists who have pledged their support for the initiative. These include Frank Turner, The Luka State, The K’s, and Enter Shikari, who have also donated £1 from every ticket sold during their recent arena tour.
As experts have suggested, in an effort to support grassroots music, an initiative could be introduced for a £1 ticket levy on stadium and arena gigs for music events. The UK live music industry is currently at breaking point after suffering a year without events or festivals due to the pandemic. The industry had started to recover in early 2021, but the recent surge of infections coupled with the slow rollout of vaccines has again left organizers and performers with no choice but to cancel events.
The Artist Pledge campaign is one way to support the UK’s live music industry and keep it alive during these difficult times. With more artists coming forward to pledge support, a positive impact can be made and the grassroots music industry can start to recover from the pandemic. As the music industry faces its greatest crisis, it is the responsibility of everyone to take action and support the campaign
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