Multiple industry leaders and musicians have spoken at a Government committee exploring the state of UK grassroots music, where they have pleaded for more urgency in saving venues and new artists.
Music Venue Trust (MVT) CEO Mark Davyd and Wolf Alice guitarist Joff Oddie were among the most notable names to speak, highlighting their personal experiences in a bid to urge the government to act faster.
The main talking point among the committee seems to be the proposed £1 ticket levy on gigs at arena level and above – aiming to transfer that money back into the industry – with claims that it is not working as effectively as hoped.
Mark Davyd pointed out to the committee that at it’s current speed, a full levy covering the whole industry wouldn’t be in place until 2032, saying: “Of nearly 6 million tickets that have been released since the December 18 ministerial meeting when we all agreed that it was going to be on every ticket, 92 per cent of those tickets don’t have it.”
The levy is currently based on a system of voluntary artist-led donations, rather than a compulsory levy on every venue. This isn’t enough, claims Davyd, with the grassroots industry missing out on millions of pounds that could be instantly used.
“This year alone, there are already 22.3 million tickets on sale for gigs at arenas and stadiums in this country. That’s £22.3 million we could be spending right now.
“There are different opinions about priorities of investments. I’m going to say that with £22.3 million, every great idea we’ve got could be funded.” Davyd told the hearing.
Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, Sir Chris Bryant MP, admitted that he’d have “preferred us to have achieved a lot more by now”, but pointed out the difficulty in implementing a mandatory levy.
Speaking at the committee, Bryant stated: “We’ve said that we want it to be a voluntary levy because it’s quicker to achieve. Everything that has to require statute takes forever and a day. I don’t know when the next King’s Speech will be, so I don’t know when we’d be able to legislate.”
He pleaded to the “big players” such as Live Nation to “step up a bit more”, adding: “I just want everybody who’s considering a big tour in the UK coming up in the next year or so to sign up, then we’ll have millions of pounds going to smaller grassroots venues.”
Wolf Alice guitarist Joff Oddie also spoke at the hearing, as he warned that “one of the things we risk is that music becomes a middle and upper class sport” due to rising touring costs and less opportunities.
He told the committee: “We’re already seeing that representation decline. There are all kinds of statistics showing that’s gone down in the last 15-20 years – especially for people outside the south east of England.”
Oddie concluded with the powerful statement: “Unless we feed the pipeline, we’re just going to have people going to see US pop stars at Wembley.”
Although more clearly needs to be done in terms of financially supporting grassroots venues and artists, awareness of the issue is on the rise.
Yesterday (May 13), the Mayor of London collaborated with Music Venue Trust and Featured Artists Coalition to release a reimagined map of the London Underground, highlighting grassroots venues within the city. Only time will tell whether these types of campaigns lead to true change for the industry.
