The Music Venue Trust (MVT) is calling on politicians to support its new Manifesto for Grassroots Music in an effort to save the struggling live music industry. The recommendations come after the worst-ever year for venue closures in 2023 and the ongoing closure of up to five grassroots music venues per week in 2024. The report emphasises the importance of implementing the Culture Media & Sport Select Committee recommendations for the wider live music industry to invest in the future of grassroots music.
The Manifesto calls on politicians to implement recommendations to halt the closures of GMVs across the country. It advocates for a £1 grassroots investment contribution from every arena and stadium ticket sold, as well as a reduction in VAT on cultural ticketing in GMVs to 0% and a reduction in VAT on cultural ticketing in the wider live music industry to the European average (5-7%). The Manifesto also proposes a fan-led review that will examine the long-term challenges facing live music.
Mark Davyd, CEO of MVT, warns that 38% of GMVs have made a loss in the last 12 months and that the sector is running live music events at a £115 million loss overall, adding that “All of this can be changed if the next government delivers the five simple steps we have set out in this report. We therefore call on all political representatives, from all parties, to seize the moment and drive forward this change.” The report also seeks to make GMVs exempt from business rates, while the agent of change principle in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) should be put on a statutory footing at the earliest opportunity.
To further boost the industry, grassroots artists have also launched a campaign titled “The Artist Pledge” that calls on arena-selling artists to support grassroots music. The Manifesto concludes with a call to arms for politicians to act now and save the country’s grassroots music heritage. To read the full report, click here
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