The UK’s grassroots music venues have been fighting for their survival for years, as they face increasing pressures from rising rents, gentrification, and noise complaints. But now, there is finally some good news for the sector, as the Own Our Venues campaign has succeeded in securing the first funding for Music Venue Trust (MVT) to start buying UK grassroots gig spaces. This marks a major milestone for the grassroots music scene, which is so essential to the UK’s cultural identity and economic success. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at this exciting development and what it means for the future of music venues in the UK.
The UK’s Music Venue Trust has achieved success with its Own Our Venues campaign, allowing it to begin purchasing grassroots gig spaces around the country. Since its announcement in May 2022, the campaign has received support from artists like Ed Sheeran and raised over £2.3 million through a series of donations and investments from 1261 contributors. The Music Venue Properties board has unanimously voted to move forward with modelling the purchase of the first set of grassroots music venues, which will be owned and operated by a community-owned society. The goal of the MVT is to change the ownership structure of the UK’s grassroots music circuit to provide long-term stability for venue operators.
CEO Mark Davyd praised the MVT team and grassroots community for their success, stating that “the people who say it cannot be done should get out of the way of the people doing it.” The Music Venue Properties will send a clear purchase plan to all investors before 17 April, with the first venues set to be acquired before Summer 2023. The MVT hopes to acquire nine venues in its first phase, offering immediate rent reduction and assistance with building repairs and insurance, as well as long-term security and market-resistant rents.
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed numerous challenges for grassroots music venues, with venue owners explaining that the cost of living crisis, Brexit, cancelled shows, and last-minute decisions by music fans have created a “perfect storm” for the sector. The MVT’s 2022 annual report warned that grassroots gig spaces in the UK were “going over a cliff.” The Own Our Venues campaign aims to address some of these challenges by providing support and ownership structure to grassroots music venues.
Overall, the success of the Own Our Venues campaign is a major win for the UK’s music industry, particularly for grassroots gig spaces that have struggled in recent years. By providing long-term stability and ownership structure, the MVT is empowering venue operators and providing artists and music fans with accessible, quality venues to enjoy and appreciate live music. It remains to be seen how successful the MVT’s community-owned society will be in changing the ownership structure of the UK’s grassroots music circuit, but the success of the Own Our Venues campaign is a positive sign of progress in the industry.
