This help comes after the Music Venue Trust have been campaigning for a £1 levy on every ticket sold to a concert at arenas and stadiums to go back into grassroots. The grassroots music industry helps emerging artists as well as employing more than 28,000 people.

In an interview with NME, Chris Martin shared his thoughts on how the band were very lucky to “grow up in a place where there was a lot of opportunity for unknown people to become known or to get experience.”, highlighting the importance of wanting to help grassroots venues to give emerging artists and opportunity to get experience.

Mark Davyd, CEO of MVT, praised Coldplay for their initiative. He described them as “the perfect example of a UK band who came through the grassroots circuit on their way to worldwide stadium-filling success.” He also said that they are “recognising the artists and promoters that are struggling more than ever to build their own careers.” by going beyond the £1 levy and helping the grassroots venues that helped them in their journey to selling out stadiums.

In 2023, 125 grassroots venues permanently closed, which represents the loss of 4,000 jobs, over 14,000 events, and over 190,000 opportunities for emerging musicians to perform, so the support from this will help stop grassroots venues closing which will allow more people to access live music.

Coldplay are known for supporting initiatives with their shows running on renewable energy as well. Their shows on this tour are a world first when it comes to stadium shows as they use solar, wind, and kinetic energy to power the shows. In addition, a satellite stage is used at each show which is powered by members of the audience dancing on kinetic flooring and using power bikes.

In support of Coldplays’ 10th album ‘Moon Music‘, the band kicked off their run of 12 stadium shows last night in Hull.

Coldplay will also become the first act to ever play 10 nights at Wembley Stadium, breaking the records of Taylor Swift and Take That.

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Over 8,000 people ranging from 18 to over 55 years-old took part in the survey which was commissioned by local authorities in eight UK cities such as The Mayor of London, Cardiff City Council and Glasgow Music City. The report has been described as a “chance for audiences to have a say in the future of live music.”

The findings are sure to give a sense of optimism to those within the music industry with an overwhelming majority agreeing on bringing in certain rules and legislation to support musicians and venues.

The first findings in the report show just how important music is to people within this country, with over 99% agreeing that live music events are an important part of UK culture and 95% saying they are important to the UKs international reputation.

mxdwn.co.uk covered how the music industry contributed £7.6 Billion to the UK economy last year, with very little of that trickling down to support venues or musicians.

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Perhaps the most important part of the survey is the massive support for independent venues. The constant problems for grassroots sites has been evidently growing since the Covid pandemic.

Last year the ‘Music Venue Trust’ (MVT) discovered that a ‘disaster’ had hit independent venues. They revealed that in 2023, 125 UK venues had abandoned live music, with over half of them shutting their doors for good. Since Covid lockdowns, over 37% of all clubs throughout the country had permanently closed down, if this trend continues there would be ZERO night time venues left in the UK by New Years Day 2030.

These issues have been covered by mxdwn.co.uk – read here about how 10 nightclubs on average were closing down per week in 2024.

These worrying numbers are now starting to be noticed by people up and down the country. Of the 8,000 surveyed, 58% have witnessed the closure of a locally important venue since 2020, and the people have had enough.

94% of the respondents agree with bringing in laws to give music venues and nightclubs some form of protected status, with 85% saying that it is not right that venues are being shut down because of noise complaints made by newly moved-in neighbours.

 

 

 

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One of the most promising findings is the overwhelming support for the proposed ‘Premier League style’ £1 ticket levy – which would see arena-sized venues and above “paying back into the ecosystem to help the talent pipeline flow”.

A staggering 93% strongly agree with bringing in this levy which has been backed by the likes of Coldplay, Sam Fender and Katy Perry.

It is not only venues that need all the help they can get, as up-and-coming musicians are also struggling to make a living in the current economic climate.

A group called the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) is attempting to tackle this by running the ‘100% Venues’ scheme . This campaign gives venues the opportunity to sign up to give artists 100% of their merch sales, tackling the growing problem of musicians missing out on well-earned money.

David Martin, CEO of FAC, has backed the recent survey, saying: “ The results of the Music Fans’ Voice survey has one overriding message: the relationship between artists and fans provides the beating heart of live music. It’s their shared passion which drives music discovery, ticket sales, attendances, and in-venue spending.”

 

 

 

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The hope within the industry is that these new findings will make the Government act by bringing in laws and legislation, something which the previous Government failed to do. MP Chris Bryant told NME recently: “We’re not asking whether to act, we’re asking how to act and what action to take.”

Only time will tell whether true change is brought in, but the obvious backing of the UK population is a big step in the right direction.

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Nash, who has been a vocal advocate for the survival of smaller venues, used her platform to stress the importance of grassroots music spaces in fostering new talent and keeping live music alive. “Thank you to all the MP’s who came to listen to all the passionate speakers about the state of the music industry. The future of UK music is in your hands (and my bum).” The singer said on her Instagram.

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Her advocacy work comes at a critical time. Over the past few years, the UK’s live music scene has seen a troubling wave of venue closures. Many venues, which often operate on slim margins, have been hit hard by rising costs, the impact of the pandemic, and a lack of government support. According to MVT, more than 35% of grassroots music venues in the UK have closed over the 20 years and the situation remains dire. The Music Venue Trust’s report highlights the urgent need for government intervention and new policies to ensure the survival of these cultural institutions.

MVT is a key partner in Independent Venue Week. Both organisations share a mission to support grassroots music venues and collaborate to amplify IVW’s impact. MVT provides resources, advocacy, and campaigns like ‘Save Our Venues’, which align with IVW’s efforts to celebrate and protect these vital spaces. Together, they raise awareness about the challenges venues face and highlight their importance to the music ecosystem.

Additionally, the ‘Foundations’ singer has turned to OnlyFans, a platform typically known for adult content but increasingly used by musicians and creators to engage with fans and generate income. Nash revealed that she had been using the platform to fund her career and creative projects.

Kate Nash is such a real one#MusicBusiness #LiveMusic #Touring pic.twitter.com/fnxtSNCnEt

— Julia Thee Junglist Historian (@Miss_Toppin) January 25, 2025

The singer’s activism and transparency about her financial struggles resonate with many other artists who are increasingly turning to crowdfunding, merchandise sales, and platforms like Patreon to fund their work. As Nash’s career continues to thrive outside the mainstream industry structure, her performance at Parliament underscored the broader issues facing independent musicians, who often rely on grassroots venues as much as they rely on independent funding to stay afloat.

The evening’s performance and advocacy brought together artists, industry leaders, and policymakers in a conversation about the future of live music and the survival of grassroots venues. Nash’s performance is a call to action for the government to do more to support these essential spaces, ensuring they continue to provide a platform for the next generation of artists.

Important piece by @CaitlinParrNews today – The Moon was a vital part of the music scene in Cardiff, and joins a list of places that have closed in the city over the last few years.

Venue closure prompts calls to protect music scene https://t.co/8wtPkyJLhb

— Dan Moffat (@Dan_Moffat1998) January 2, 2025

In an official statement, The Moon said: “Every week on average two UK grassroots live music venues close. Sadly it’s now our turn. As of today we’ve handed our keys back to our landlord and The Moon will be closed.

“Despite our best efforts to keep going during the past few years, the burden of a cost of living crisis and the mounting costs of running a business where survival always runs on a knife edge have proven too difficult for us to continue.”

This closure is part of a broader trend affecting the UK’s live music scene, with numerous venues shutting down due to financial strains. Tiger Tiger London, renowned nightclub in Piccadilly Circus, closed permanently after 26 years. The venue is set to be turned into a hotel. Revolution Bath, a popular bar in Bath that closed in November 2024, was part of a larger restructuring plan by the Revolution Bars Group, which involved closing 25 locations across the UK to avoid insolvency. Historic venues like The Prince Albert in Brighton face ongoing threats from development projects.

So, I was at The Prince Albert in Brighton the other week… pic.twitter.com/wVbY03yoTa
— PunkAndNewWave (@NewWaveAndPunk) December 17, 2023

The reasons for closures include the rise of operational costs, noise complaints and planning policies often resulting in licensing issues, gentrification, lack of funding and investment, and general shift to larger venues and festivals. But these smaller music venues are vital for supporting emerging artists and maintaining diverse cultural offerings.

Organizations like the Music Venue Trust (MVT) are campaigning for increased government support, financial aid, and protective legislation to safeguard grassroots venues. Coldplay’s recent pledge to donate 10% of profits from their UK shows to the MVT is an example of industry-led efforts to address these challenges and the MVT’s CEO, Mark Davyd, noted that such contributions could significantly prevent further closures.

To counteract these closures, public support through attendance, advocacy, and donations to preservation campaigns is critical.

The venue was closed for several months following a stampede outside the venue on the night of an Asake concert last December, in which two people died and major questions were asked of the security of the venue as it became known that the security had previously let those without tickets into the venue.

The decision to reinstate the venues license was made at a review hearing at Lambeth Town Hall on September 11^th and 12^th. The decision was made on the premise that 77 new conditions had to be met to ensure the safety of the venue.

Lambeth Councillor Dr Mahamed Hashi released a statement saying: “Stronger doors, new crowd management systems, more detailed risk assessments, a new ticketing system, a new centralised control and command centre as well as new security and management at the venue, were among the measures proposed by AMG at the hearing to support their aim of regaining the venue’s licence so it can reopen, and making sure we never see a tragedy again like the one there in December 2022.

AMG will now need to put in place the agreed measures to enable the reopening of this much-loved local venue, which is a key part of Brixton’s cultural heritage and has been enjoyed by millions. We’ll be working to closely monitor all licensing conditions to ensure that safety is at the forefront of the venue’s future operations.”

A timeline for the venue’s reopening has yet to be announced as well as the nature of the test events that will test the venue’s new procedures and systems.

AMG (Academy Music Group), the company that runs the venue released a statement saying: “Over the past nine months the venue’s importance to the local community and the live music scene in the UK has been made clear through first-hand professional testimony, campaigns, and petitions as well as economic assessments demonstrating the financial impact to the surrounding area caused by the closure,”

“Academy Music Group is determined to learn all appropriate lessons from the night of December 15, 2022. Working at a senior level with experts across all disciplines, AMG presented a comprehensive, multi-faceted response for the licensing authorities to support their case for the safe and secure reopening of the venue. We appreciate having had the opportunity to present these detailed proposals and revised licence conditions at the hearing and we are very grateful they met with the approval of the Licensing Sub-Committee.”

Many will be happy to hear that the historic venue is reopening, as evidenced by a petition that was launched last April called #SaveBrixtonAcademy, in which over 116,000 people signed the petition including big names like The Prodigy.

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In the recent news of 13 venues being removed from The Red List Davvyd stated, “The love shown for these venues continues to demonstrate how important they are to people and to our towns and cities. Music Venue Trust is committed to reopening every venue safely and we are going to carry on working through this crisis until that outcome is achieved.”

One of the 13 saved from the Music Venue’s Trust fundraiser was Grand Elektra in Hastings. The venue is the cities leading music venue and nightclub, hosting comedy nights, theatre and music videos as well. Paul Mandy, the owner of Grand Elektra stated, “Being part of the red list #saveourvenues has been great support for the venue and hospitality sector. It’s brought great publicity to our cause and with the support of the MVT which has been amazing throughout the whole of the pandemic crisis and helped us weather this storm so far.”

The full list of the 13 venues removed from the Red List are:

Arden Inn, Accrington
Backstage Kinross
Boulevard, Wigan
Four Horsemen, Bournemouth
Gellions, Inverness
Hootenanny, Inverness
Plot 22, Sheffield
Rossi Bar, Brighton
Strange Brew, Bristol
The Brunswick, Hove
The Grand Elektra/ The Crypt, Hastings
The Railway Inn, Winchester
Waterloo Bar, Blackpool

However, there are still venues being added to the ‘Red List’ that are in desperate need of support. These include BOOM in Leeds, The Lexington in London, The Windmill in Brixton and many more. The target for the campaign to succeed is £1,750,000 with a current £791,502 raised from 12,418 supporters.

BOOM Leeds, a renowned punk music venue, has hosted famous artists such as slowthai, Gallows and Code Orange. Yet, the beloved venue is still in dire need of donations due to the pandemics restrictions on live music. Frank Turner, lead vocalist of Million Dead and now solo singer-songwriter, performed a live-stream set in which the proceeds went to BOOM Leeds. In a social media post, the singer stated how his ‘first hard-core gig’ was at BOOM, leading to Turner and his fans raised £7000 for the venue. 

To support your favourite music venue and stop iconic live music settings closing, donate here.

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This year, more than any other, we are reminded of the words of Joe Strummer, who said ‘Without people, you’re nothing’.

Our community has responded to this crisis with extraordinary passion and commitment.
(1/2) pic.twitter.com/lrHkXG16Fq

— Music Venue Trust (@musicvenuetrust) December 22, 2020

In an end of year statement, MVT spoke positively about the campaign, and thanked all donators for the money raised so far. “We feel it is important to take a moment to acknowledge all the remarkable work that has been done this year to shield our community from the worst possible outcome of this pandemic, and to thank all of the people who made that possible,” said the organisation.

“This year, more than any other, we are reminded of the words of Joe Strummer, who said ‘Without people, you’re nothing’. Our community has responded to this crisis with extraordinary passion and commitment. You are our people, and that means everything to us and to the venues.”

The money raised will help venues across the UK remain open despite financial issues, with venues, with the Alchemy Bar in Croydon, the Spiritual Bar in Camden and Mundell Music Backstage in Kinross being some of many venues to receive aid from the campaign. When speaking to NME, MVT CEO Mark Davyd said that the effort and hard work of communities had been a amazing feat, and a true example of ‘people power’.

MVT is an organization that represents Grassroots Music Venues across the UK and has already raised over 1.2 million with the SaveOurVenues fight throughout the last 8 months. With only 2 weeks left until the campaign deadline, the Traffic Light phase is intended to showcase the venues that are at the highest risk of closing their doors for good.

Traffic Light gets its name because of the coloured categorization of the music venues according to their needs. There are 353 green venues that will be safe without outside funding until March 31st. Amber venues are safe until March 31st if given outside help. Red venues, currently under the spotlight, are the 30 that the organization has deemed in danger of closing without funding in the next few weeks.

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The MVT has worked with audiences, local communities and councils, news and radio stations and creative communities in order to raise funds to save the venues, but it is now calling on everyone else to call their local councils and demand action and raise awareness. MVT states on their website that if music venues close, ‘they’ll never come back.’

The organization is now in partnership with Crowdfunder, a platform where the public can donate any sum they choose as a donation for the cause. The 30 venues that are on the MVT’s ‘red list’ are now available to donate to individually, so locals can choose to save their neighbourhood venues. 

If one venue receives an abundance of donations, then the extra proceeds will be used to save other venues that may not have been fortunate enough to meet their quota by the deadline. MVT and the venues are offering SaveOurVenues merchandise for the holiday seasons and will be donating the profits to the venues. 

 

 

 

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Music venues have been hit hard during the Covid-19 lockdowns, but these venues struggle hardest because they do not qualify for government furlough or business funding. Venues are an integral friend to communities, not only providing a platform for artists to grow in their careers but also playing a large role in the success of the economy and culture of the area. The impact of Grassroots Music Venues is important enough to save.

Donations for SaveOurVenues and Traffic Light campaigns can be made through MVT’s Crowdfunding site here. Holiday merchandise can be ordered now, available here. For those who wish to simply raise awareness, use this hashtag on all social media platforms. #SAVEOURVENUES #SAVETHE30

Around six months have passed since the venue was shuttered in March, and socially-distanced gigs have been officially allowed since August 15, but The Jazz Cafe has only now found a solution to safely host live music. The club, which celebrates its 30th birthday this year, will soon return to its ‘seven days a week’ schedule with a wide range of artists performing on its intimate stage.

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After 7 long months The Jazz Cafe returns from Friday 18 September with a jam-packed Autumn of exciting shows to choose from, marking the return of live music in London.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Only a limited number of 2, 3, 4 and 6-seater tables available each night.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ A big thanks to everyone who’s supported us through this difficult time – we couldn’t have done it without you!⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Link in bio to see what’s coming up.

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Ruari Frew, head booker at The Jazz Cafe, confesses that while he is grateful for the support the venue has received, its current reopening plan is not sustainable in the long-term. He said: ‘We’re still a long way off where we need to be, and it will be very difficult to operate financially, but we owe it to all the people who make the live industry tick to give this a go’. 

Frew also highlighted the importance of getting struggling artists safely back on stage: ‘Our world is largely made up of freelancers, many of whom fell through the gaps of any government support. It’s crucial that we get as many people as possible working again in a safe environment’. The Jazz Cafe has served as a launch pad for countless artists over the years; many prominent British musicians such as Amy Winehouse, Adele, and Ed Sheeran performed here before becoming global superstars. 

It’s good to be back! We’re kicking off our opening weekend with firm Jazz Cafe favourite and resident groove-machine Dele Sosimi. He brings his legendary afrobeat party to Camden for two separate shows on Saturday 19 September. Tickets: https://t.co/4RkZHnwhyB pic.twitter.com/2HKmEBK6Vx

— Jazz Cafe (@TheJazzCafe) September 3, 2020

The venue is fortunate in having survived the coronavirus pandemic and being able to reopen; an estimated two thirds of British music venues remain closed due to ‘unviable’ social distancing guidelines. According to its website, The Jazz Cafe’s autumn reopening lineup is as follows:

September

18/09/20 – Sierra Band Present A Night Of Southern Soul
19/09 – Dele Sosimi & Friends
20/09 – Anime Film Scores performed by Piano & String Quintet
21/09 – Anime Film Scores performed by Piano & String Quintet
23/09 – Sierra Band presents Neil Young – After The Goldrush 50th Anniversary
24/09 – Live For Beirut
25/09 – Light of The World
26/09 – Osibisa
27/09 – Sunday Soul
28/09 – Havana Música: A Celebration of Cuban Music With The Latin Bridge
29/09 – James Copus And Joe Downard
30/09 – Cubafrobeat: Cuban-Afrobeat Explosion

October

02/10 – PBUG
03/10 – The Music Of Otis Redding with Reuben Richards And The Jezebel Sexted
04/10 – Beat Of Brazil
08/10 – Lola Young
09/10 – Tony Momrelle
10/10 – Cuban Independence Day With Sambroso Afro-Cuban All Stars
13/10 – The Howl & The Hum
14/10 – Fela Kuti’s Birthday With Bukky Leo & Black Egypt
15/10 – Balcony + Tayo Sound
16/10 – Jay Phelps’ Afro Cuban All Stars / Pyjaen Play Roy Hargrove
17/10 – Etta Bond
19/10 – A Night Of Whitney
20/10 – Loathe
21/10 – Howie Payne

You can purchase tickets to see these performances here.

Acting CEO of the music industry representative group ‘UK Music’, Tom Kiehl, said: “Grassroots music venues are the engine room of our £5.2bn music industry, contributing to our talent pipeline and providing a vital role in the lives of communities across the country.

“The music industry thanks the Government for taking this decisive action and calls for further support to be maintained when many businesses and individuals still cannot work.”

Similar praise was given by CEO of the charity ‘Music Venue Trust’, Mark Davyd, who welcomed the aid and said the funding “creates a real breathing space for under pressure venues.”

“We warmly welcome this first distribution from the Culture Recovery Fund which will ensure that the short term future of these venues is secured while we continue to work on how we can ensure their long term sustainability,” he said. “Both DCMS and Arts Council England have worked very quickly to fully understand the imminent risk of permanent closure faced by a significant number of grassroots music venues across the country.”

The grants will range in size up to £80,000 and will cover venues’ rent, utilities, and other ongoing running costs. The funding has been delivered by Arts Council England and accelerated to save grassroots venues facing insolvency during their closure over the last several months.

Some grassroots venues have taken to social media to express their thanks for the funding and its essential support to their operation.

Thank you to the Arts Council England for approving our application for the Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund. It’s a huge help towards keeping us going over the next few months. #ThankYou @DCMS @ace_national #SaveOurVenues #CultureRecoveryFund #HereForCulture pic.twitter.com/WdmIL2PnTa

— Matt and Phreds (@MattandPhreds) August 22, 2020

Thanks to @ace_national & @dcms for a very timely grant which covers our losses til the end of September.
We're currently running socially-distant, seated gigs so please come and support your local venue and artists.#saveourvenues #culturerecoveryfund #hereforculture

— Windmill Brixton (@WindmillBrixton) August 22, 2020

Arts Council England CEO Darren Henley, said: “This much-welcomed emergency investment from the government into grassroots music venues will have a profoundly positive impact on England’s music ecology, and today’s news will mean a great deal to the many artists, audiences and communities they serve across the country. I’m pleased that the Arts Council has been able to use its expertise to administer this fund, ensuring that we are supporting music venues in these challenging times.”

Among those venues receiving financial aid is The Jacaranda in Liverpool, where the Beatles played their first gig and would occasionally rehearse when starting out, and The Troubadour in London, where Adele and Ed Sheeran performed at the start of their careers.

The fund was originally set to provide only £2.25 million to struggling venues, but Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden announced last month this would be topped up by a further £1.1 million to help a greater number of venues in financial need.