London Mayor Sadiq Khan has revealed a re-design of the city’s iconic tube map, which champions all the grassroots music venues throughout the capital.
The Mayor of London has collaborated with Music Venue Trust, Featured Artists Coalition, Outernet, the Metro and Universal Music in an effort to shed a light on the music venues and artists from the city.
The City Hall released numbers to highlight the cultural relevance and importance of independent venues within London. There are currently 179 grassroots venues in the capital which welcomed a total of 4.2 million visitors in 2024 alone, with an incredible 328,000 artists performing.
Not only are they important culturally, but also economically, with these businesses employing close to 7,000 people and contributing £313 million to the economy.
This campaign is another step in the right direction as the desire to save grassroots venues continues to grow throughout the UK. Groups such as Music Venue Trust and Featured Artists Coalition have been working endlessly to promote the problems facing independent music spaces up and down the country.
Although there is still lots of work to be done, the message is seemingly beginning to get across to the British population. In a recent survey conducted by ‘Music Fans’ Voice’, an overwhelming 94% of respondents agreed that legislation must be bought in to give music venues and nightclubs some form of protected status.
The pendulum continues to swing in favour of independent venues, with this new London-based campaign being a further example of acknowledgement that change is needed. However, many still argue that the words are not being transferred into actions.
Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn recently called out the government for not implementing a recommended £1 ticket levy on large venues, saying: “Almost a year ago, the parliamentary DCMS committee vindicated this approach… which was subsequently acknowledged by the government as a viable option.
“But a year on, we continue to lose grassroots music venues at a truly alarming rate.” Corbyn said as he launched a new campaign, ‘A Summer To Save Live Music’. Check out mxdwn coverage on the series of gigs which aim to raise awareness for these struggling venues.
The reimagined tube map was published in the Metro newspaper today (May 13) and will be displayed on screens at Outernet London on Denmark Street for the next month.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, pointed out the importance of the grassroots scene in London, whilst also stating just how crucial the survival of it is, saying: “From providing opportunites for talented aspiring artists to develop their trade, to giving Londoners a great night out, our venues are an essential part of our life at night and provide a huge boost to our economy.
“This special edition Tube map is a great way to highlight what a huge impact the scene has on our capital, as we continue to do all we can to support venues and build a more prosperous London for everyone.”
Although the sentiment will be appreciated, independent venues up-and-down the country will be hoping to see true legislation and change bought in sooner rather than later.
It was reported in 2024 how 10 nightclubs were closing every week on average, something that can only be prevented by legislation and protection.
