LONDON (CelebrityAccess) — The Music Venue Trust, a UK-based charity that represents more than 900 independent live music venues in the UK, lauded a plan by the UK government to invest £5million into the indie sector.
The funding, announced by Secretary of State for Culture Lucy Frazer, will be made available over the next two years through the Supporting Grassroots Live Music Fund administered by Arts Council England.
The increase in funding to support the grassroots live industry comes amid economic challenges. Following industry wide shutdowns during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, grassroots venue operators are facing increased costs for rent, energy bills and staff salaries which has led to a marked increase in shows at small, independent venues.
According to the Music Venue Trust, shows taking place at grassroots level fell by 16.9% in 2022, endangering the pipeline that played a key role in the development of British music artists such as Adele, Coldplay, The 1975 and Ed Sheeran.
“There is a well-documented and evidenced crisis at grassroots level. 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 £5million 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,” stated Rebecca Walker, Live Projects Coordinator for the MVT.
“This additional £5million is a fantastic response from the Government, recognizing that we have a crisis at grassroots level which threatens the talent pipeline and the future prosperity of the entire live music industry. 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,” added Mark Davyd, CEO, MVT.
