MANCHESTER, UK (CelebrityAccess) – The Music Venue Trust (MVT), representing a multitude of UK Grassroots Music Venues (GMV), has announced a partnership with the RADAR Festival (RADAR). In a groundbreaking move, RADAR Festival has committed to contributing a portion of each ticket sale to MVT’s Pipeline Investment Fund, marking the festival as the pioneer in supporting this fund. The initiative aims to provide vital assistance to grassroots music venues, and the Pipeline Investment Fund has already disbursed over £260,000 (approximately USD 338,000) to 61 UK GMV’s since its establishment in 2022.
This collaboration comes in response to renewed appeals from the Trust for a ticket levy on major stadium and arena gigs to provide support for grassroots venues. Recent data reveals a distressing trend, with 16% (125) of UK grassroots music venues lost in the past 12 months and 38% of all UK grassroots music venues reporting financial losses.
“I’ve seen the journey in my own venue of young artists playing for the first time and stepping onto a small stage that they know has previously hosted artists that they admire and want to emulate,” says RADAR Co-organizer Catherine Jackson-Smith, who also owns The Lounge Bar in Alton. “Time and again, I’ve watched these nervous artists blossom in confidence, ability, and stature within the scene, waiting to be discovered by the masses. When that happens, they know how to interact with a crowd, control a room, pace their set, and perform to the best of their abilities. These are all crafts you can only develop with a small, raw audience that the grassroots music scene cultivates every night up and down the country. If we don’t protect the smaller venues, then there isn’t a pipeline for the next headliners, and this ticking time bomb is something that the music industry can, and must, take action on.”
“Many of the crew working at RADAR – lighting and sound engineers, stage and production managers, merchandise sellers, and more – gained first-hand experience at grassroots venues,” adds RADAR co-organizer Joe James, former events manager at The Boileroom in Guildford. “As well as nurturing artists, these training grounds support the whole talent ecosystem.”
“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Radar Festival for taking this bold step as the first festival to champion the Pipeline Investment Fund,” says MVT CEO and founder Mark Davyd. “Their support is a strong commitment to the heart and soul of the UK’s music scene, nurturing its roots through the vital network of Grassroots Music Venues.”
Scheduled to unfold from July 26 to 28 at O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, this year’s RADAR promises to be an inclusive, modern, and contemporary indoor music festival. The stellar lineup includes The Midnight, Dirty Loops, Plini, VOLA, and Sungazer.
