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The crisis is well-documented, with the main issues remaining: the years of funding cuts that have hit the arts sector hard, and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis that sent bills spiraling. Statistics published as part of the campaign paint a bleak picture, with 41% of grassroots youth music projects are now at risk, a 17% increase from 2024, and half of Youth Music-funded spaces have waiting lists due to a lack of resources.  

Another disturbing figure is that Youth Music can currently only fund 18% of all applications for help they receive, which leaves an estimated 260,000 young people without access to music spaces within their communities. The need for the urgent fundraising is paramount, with over a quarter of those lucky enough to receive funding from Youth Music still facing uncertainty over their future.

 

 

 

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In their own words, the ‘Rescue the Roots’ campaign is Youth Music prepared to seek a solution rather than just raising the alarm. As part of the effort, the organisation will also match every pound donated up to £1 million, taking the total fund up to £2 million. Youth Music estimates that this amount will provide support to over 18,000 young people. 

Jordan Stephens, one half of Rizzle Kicks, has lent his support to the cause, even getting “Rescue the Roots” tattooed on his arm. Stephens was awarded the Youth Music Awards Grassroots Hero in 2024, and as a rallying cry, said, “Rescue the Roots isn’t just a phrase, it’s a call to arms and a plea for fundraising support – it is the most important thing we can do to safeguard the next generation of musical talent. If we don’t, there will be no new artists, no fresh sounds, no future for UK music.”

As working class young people strive to succeed in music and the wider creative industries, it is essential to retain other routes for talent development.

That’s why we are backing @YouthMusic‘s #RescueTheRoots with @jordanfstephens
Watch the documentary: https://t.co/Rm0D3hBorh

— The FAC (@FeaturedArtists) March 11, 2025

 Back in November, Youth Music teamed up with music streaming platform Spotify to help save 15 youth spaces up and down the UK that were facing closure. On the partnership, Spotify’s Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Impact, Dina Gabriel said “By working with Youth Music, we can safeguard these spaces and the opportunities they create.”

The Music Venue Trust is another organisation fighting hard in this space, and has become one of the biggest voices for music venues. They were invited to Parliament to launch their 2024 report, with Kate Nash performing at the event, and shortly after being named as a patron of the trust. In December, MVT secured £60,000 through a partnership with Ticketmaster which supported the Pipeline Investment Fund.

The need for systemic change is obvious. Temporary measures can only paper over the cracks, but the ‘Rescue the Roots’ front-foot approach could be the catalyst for change that grassroots music spaces and venues so desperately need.

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Nash announced the news to her fans on Instagram, posting a story and writing, “Proud to be a new MVT Patron. The work I have been doing aligns with theirs. I’m ready to make bigger & better changes to my industry.” Nash and Berry were joined by music industry figures Summer Marshall, Robert Kilpatrick, Neal Thompson, and Colin Newman.  

Nash’s appointment comes as grassroots venues are in crisis, struggling to keep their doors open and closing at an alarming rate. According to the MVT 2024 report, a UK venue shuts down every two weeks, and a quarter of all venues face risk the of permanent closure. Even with pledges and donations, experts warn that there needs to be a holistic approach to the issue rather than short-term solutions that focus on immediate survival. 

Did you know one-third of Music Venue Alliance members are now not-for-profit? That’s a massive 29% rise in just a year! [image or embed] — Music Venue Trust (@musicvenuetrust.bsky.social) 5 February 2025 at 19:09

The ‘Foundations’ singer has been vocal about these issues, teaming up with Save Our Scene in November. Paraded around London on a converted fire truck, Nash used a megaphone to drum up support for venues and artists alike, as well as visiting the UK headquarters of Live Nation and Spotify to denounce the companies for failing the music industry.

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She also made headlines in December when she joined OnlyFans in order to raise funds that would support her tour. Named ‘Butts for Buses’, Nash used the opportunity to grab headlines and make the wider public aware of the costs of being a musician.  

Nash’s visit to the Palace of Westminster on January 27 put her in front of the people capable of making a real difference. As the singer said on her Instagram, “This gives me the chance to meet MPs & advocate for live music & artists in the UK.” Her visit coincided with the release of the MVT Annual Report.

The report laid out the grim reality faced by some of the UK’s most iconic venues. Despite contributing £526 million to the UK economy, these spaces remain under significant financial strain, prompting MVT CEO Mark Davyd to call for action: “Venues are still closing, still under extreme and totally unnecessary financial pressures, still failing to be recognised when government designs policy, taxation, and legislation. We need action, not words.”  

Sian Berry has also been a voice for change in the fight to protect grassroots venues, doing so as the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion. She published a letter on her website in which she fought against a planning application that would threaten the closure of local venue, Alphabet. Speaking at the launch of the 2024 report, Berry said: “I have seen firsthand the incredible and tireless work of the Music Venue Trust. As an MP, it’s hugely reassuring to have their insights and expertise.”

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Nash and Berry are the latest to join a growing list of high-profile supporters, including Sam Fender, who has pledged £1 from every ticket of his tour to the trust. Sir Paul McCartney is also a supporter, saying, “Throughout my career I’ve been lucky enough to play in venues of all different shapes and sizes, from tiny clubs to massive stadiums all over the world. Without the grassroots clubs, pubs and music venues my career could have been very different.”

Although their efforts have very much been in the same area, the partnership between MVT and Nash, as well as Berry and the four others, will reinvigorate the movement and hopefully bring even more awareness to just how vulnerable these important venues really are.

The MVT announced the report on their twitter earlier today as well as encouraged people to write to their prospective MPs.

DOWNLOAD and read the full Manifesto for Grassroots Music: https://t.co/auSonGEoNI

SHARE this post to your social media with the hashtag #VoteForMusic.

WRITE to the prospective MPs in your constituency and ask them to commit to the Manifesto for Grassroots Music. pic.twitter.com/MK5TBDmDfv

— Music Venue Trust (@musicvenuetrust) June 11, 2024

In the report, the MVT have outlined 5 major initiatives they are urging parliament to act on including their £1 ticket levy initiative which would ensure that large arenas and stadiums would contribute at least £1 from every ticket sold towards supporting grassroots music venues, artists and promoters; an initiative that the charity proposed last month in their … report. The levy would affect all events in these venues that have a capacity over 5,000. The other items on the report are as follows; A fan-led review to fully examine the long-term challenges to the live music ecosystem which would establish a representative voice for those who live music depends on,  the agent of change principle in the ‘National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to be put on a statutory footing at the earliest opportunity’, a reduction in VAT on cultural ticketing in GMV (grassroots music venues)  to 0% for the time being until these revered but overlooked venues have stimulated enough growth to be able to stand on their feet as well as creating a ‘specific business rates premises definition’ s for GMVs and the removal of properties satisfying that definition from the requirement to pay business rates’

Following the pandemic, grassroots venue’s suffered immensely, and faced £90 million debt in 2021 as a result of increasing costs after Coronavirus. Thanks to MVT’s campaign, #SaveOurVenues, they received many donations and support, allowing the majority to survive their re-opening post-pandemic.

However, many music venues are still in a precarious situation, which they found from their annual report, leading to their new pledge. This pledge asks major music labels to pay back into grassroots venue, allowing them to survive and thrive. MVT have confirmed that over 45 artists have already signed the pledge, including: The K’s, Enter Shikari, and Frank Turner. This will ensure that artists acknowledge where their careers began, and how they’ve grown, alongside aiding smaller venues economically by paying a small amount back to these venues when they begin performing in arenas.

Enter Shikari have been particularly vocal about the importance of this, and announced that £1 from every ticket of their 2024 tour will be donated to MVT. Lou Reynolds, the four piece’s front man, told NME that “Grassroots music venues in the UK are under existential threat. Every time we lose another one we lose a vital part of our culture”.

MVT presented their requests at Parliament, and reminded listeners of the heavily demanded levy on gig ticket for events at arenas, due to the detrimental impact it is having on smaller venues. The report found that around two live music venues are closing each week, emphasising the importance of the levy and this pledg

Music Venue Trust Instagram

125 small music venues closed last year including one of the most iconic venues ‘Moles’ in Bath which had hosted the debuting shows of acts the likes of Oasis, The Killers, Wolf Alice, The Smiths and even Ed Sheeran. The George Street venue had a capacity of 220 and had been operating for 45 years before it closed down in December 2023. According to the Guardian ‘co-owner, Tom Maddicott, spoke of the reality of the grassroots music industry, noting that it is ‘no longer economically viable and we will not be the only grassroots music venue forced to close.’

Mole’s closure highlighted the need for economic support for grassroots venues, a proposal campaigned by the MVT charity since 2018, it is only after the closure of so many venues that the proposal gained wider attention. In the report from the inquiry, which you can read here, it is said that the permanent shutdown of many spots last year not only signify an erasure of the ‘cultural and economic powerhouse’ that is the UK music industry but also ‘represent a loss of as many as 30,000 shows (16% of GMV performance opportunities last year) and 4,000 jobs.’

The report detailed not only the destruction of so many great independent music venues, but similarly the ‘precarious position’ of the live music sector as a whole. The inquiry notes that ‘as of March, the sector lost 29 festivals scheduled for this year alone to postponements, cancellations or permanent closure’ underlining the affect of pandemic on the live music scene, which has seen altogether the loss of 161 festivals since 2019.

Despite this, the report notes that new, huge venues are still finding the funding to open such as the, Co-op Live Arena, albeit, not without its controversies. The venue has cost £365million and is now the UK’s largest indoor arena. However owners of such venues believe there is ‘no problem with the UK music talent pipeline’ despite the fact that many of the artists that sell out these commissioned arenas having begun their careers in venues like Moles which are being forced to close at a ‘rate of two per week’. Co-op have also proposed an additional London venue, which will be ‘the greatest’ in the world. Many MVT supporters have called projects like these the anathema of the music industry.

So what exactly is a ticket levy? A ticket levy is a small, additional charge added to the price of a ticket for these large-scale shows. Fortunately fan shouldn’t be burdened with the cost of this voluntary ticket levy as the cost will be taken from existing ticket prices at a small-scale detriment to the venue. Dayvd explained that it would have a substantial impact on the sustainability of grassroots venues and while the levy could be statutory, the scheme could be applied quickly and efficiently if enough of the industry banded together to prop up these small but vital venues.

Save the Prince Albert music venue in Brighton… @musicvenuetrust https://t.co/xzrXp9hpG8

— Fatboy Slim (@FatboySlim) October 27, 2023

Over 1200 people have already voiced their displeasure and opposition to a planning application for a commercial building to go up next door to the pub, while 14,000 have signed their names to a petition to the block the proposal. Grassroots venue locations have been a constant headline within the UK music scene of late, with many locations facing complete closure or the threat of shutdown in favour of commercial projects.

Getting his start in the Brighton club scene, Fatboy Slim played a secret show at the Prince Albert on 30 October and told the crowd, “It’s a long slow death over three or four years if the neighbours complain. In Brighton, we preserve our Grade II and Grade I listed buildings, we preserve Regency architecture because it’s part of what Brighton is. We should preserve music venues in the same way because they’re a more recent part of Brighton culture but a huge amount nonetheless.”

Grassroots music venues have been the subject of a growing political debate with many UK artists weighing in, claiming that small, often underground locations are where they have got their starts and without them, the industry would face an uncertain future. Ed Sheeran, Bring Me The Horizon and Arctic Monkeys are only a few such artists that have expressed their concern over the growing threat of a commercial takeover of these venues.

A recent report by the MVT urged urgent government action to save grassroots venues with the consequence of choking off the stream of emerging talent if action is not taken. Mark Davyd, the CEO of MVT said recently at a panel about the future of grassroots music at Beyond The Music conference this month that “127 music venues of the grassroots type have stopped programming live music or closed down entirely.”

Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook is best known for his DJ work, producing hit singles “Praise You,” “Right Here, Right Now” and “Weapon Of Choice.” His singles have often been accompanied by highly artistic, often surreal music videos directed by the likes of Spike Jones and starring prominent actors such as Christopher Walken.

The DJ has recently announced an eight-date UK tour for the summer of 2024.

With “The UK” set to “lose 10 per cent of its grassroots music venues in 2023”, calls have been growing for the “music industry and larger venues to do more”. The Music Venue Trust has also revealed that 67 venues have closed so far this year alone and claims that “the UK is set to lose 10 per cent of its independent venues by the end of 2023.” Bands and artists alike are questioning, how can this be turned around? 

Support grassroots music venues ❤️✊ https://t.co/AAhI0sMJP9

— ENTER SHIKARI (@ENTERSHIKARI) April 23, 2023

Rou Reynolds, MVT patron and lead vocalist and keyboardist of Enter Shikari says “There are a lot of new arenas on the way, while at the same time, there is no support whatsoever for the grassroots circuit. There’s a very clear link between small venues and big venues – especially in terms of providing new artists with a space to find their way in the industry and find their audience.” He continues ruefully “We’re going to have all these new arenas without supporting the ways that artists can grow into them. It just all seems a bit silly!”

During Venues Day, an event hosted in London by The Music Venue Trust (MVT), the band spoke about their upcoming UK and Ireland arena tour. In their bid to help save grassroots venues, the band is donating £1 for every ticket sold to help save the music community. Speaking at the event they declared “We will not be replaced by another block of f*cking flats.” Demanding the industry to “make it impossible” for any more grassroots gig spaces to close.  The band, which signed a funding agreement with the MVT received the Outstanding Contribution Award for their donations to this cause. 

Enter Shikari Drummer, Rob Rolfe mentions that “Grassroots venues helped” to “cut our teeth, hone our craft, meet and be inspired by other musicians, and how to be a proper touring band,” he also added, “It was also the platform to help us reach an audience and build our own fanbase.”

Venues have struggled over the last few years, with the ongoing Covid-19 crisis and then the cost of living crisis causing rocket-high bills. As many businesses switched to online, venues suffered. Many shut their doors back in 2020 either for a short period of time or for good with the grassroots venues which have remained open relying heavily on “support from crowd-funders or fundraising efforts led, in particular, by the Music Venue Trust (MVT).” 

The ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’ European tour opens tonight in VEGA, Copenhagen

The Piece Hall have become the first major venue in the UK to offer the option to donate and directly support independent local venues at the point of purchase. This is after the Piece Hall signed a landmark agreement with the Music Venue Trust as well as with promoters Cuffe and Taylor, allowing the venue to give customers the option to donate to the MVT via Ticketmaster.

Groundbreaking deal to support Yorkshire’s independent music venues!

The funding agreement with @musicvenuetrust means that for all 2024 shows at The Piece Hall, fans can add a donation to support grassroots music venues in Calderdale.

Read more ➡️ https://t.co/4oolZyyeTh pic.twitter.com/5f2reLo2Xb

— The Piece Hall (@ThePieceHall) October 3, 2023

Music Venue Trust CEO, Mark Davyd spoke of the groundbreaking agreement via a press release, as he said: “This has been an incredibly challenging year for grassroots music venues, with more than 100 venues forced to close their doors to live music and many more at risk. It is absolutely vital that everyone in the music industry recognises the incredible strain the grassroots sector is under, and so it’s great to see The Piece Hall leading the way with a plan that will really make a genuine difference to other venues in the local area. We are extremely grateful to The Piece Hall and Cuffe and Taylor for coming together to support the whole ecosystem around them – we hope it inspires others to follow.”

Alongside this, earlier this year the Music Venue Trust had also announced a public ownership scheme under the name #SaveOurVenues, in which they have their first acquisition: The Snug in Manchester. The initiative was first announced in May after venues like Nambucca in North London and Sheffield’s Leadmill was under threat of closing, in which Nambucca unfortunately did. The scheme is built to tackle ownership issues and secure long-term futures for grass-roots venues.

These innovations are in response to the Music Venue Trust’s warnings this year that many small music venues in the country were at a knife-edge, as the trust called out for other big players in the music industry to help. Earlier in the year, MVT CEO Mark Davyd said about this: “This is the best year for live music in the UK in terms of gross receipts that there’s ever going to be. It’s not possible to make an argument that this can be accompanied by 100 venues closing down, cutting down access to live music for communities and cutting off the talent pipeline for artists that’ll never get to play.”

Following this news, many nightclub and venue owners say they are on the “brink of collapse” and that the introduction will lower their numbers even further over the Christmas period, posing “a threat to the very survival of thousands of businesses and jobs”. A recent study revealed that up to 40% of punters aren’t actually showing up to shows they’ve bought tickets to.

This paired with the fact fewer people are buying fewer tickets anyway is causing some major issues for the entire live music industry. Beverley Whitrick, Strategic Director of MVT (Music Venue Trust) states, “A ‘no show’ isn’t just lost ticket income, it’s lost bar take and excess staff costs” adding, “Rapid declines in attendance at this time of year represent an exponential threat to the whole sector, and losses of this magnitude cannot be sustained without throwing hundreds of music venues into crisis mode and at risk of permanent closure.”

 “It’s now the proportionate and responsible thing to move to Plan B in England while continuing to work closely with our colleagues in the devolved administrations so we can slow the spread of the virus,” addressed Boris Johnson to the nation last week. MVT CEO Mark Davyd argued in response, “confusing government messaging had created a ‘stealth lockdown’ with venues apparently able to open but in reality, haemorrhaging money at a rate that will inevitably result in permanent closures unless the government acts quickly to prevent it.”.

 The MVT is also backing the “Revive Live Tour” headlined by Bastille, Becky Hill, and The Coral with the objective to raise money for the industry by associating with the National Lottery. See here for details.

Looking for the perfect gift this Christmas? Grab a buy-one-get-one-free ticket to The National Lottery’s #ReviveLive Tour and give the gift of an experience with some amazing artists this January at grassroots music venues!
https://t.co/wU6Yk8PE9K pic.twitter.com/yulsSoiuh1

— Music Venue Trust (@musicvenuetrust) December 14, 2021

In order to help nightlife survive, the NTIA (Night Time Industry Association, another industry acting as a union for the issue) are calling for a VAT for the sector at 12.5 per cent, additional grants unique to hospitality, and for the government to reinstate furlough for the first quarter of 2022. NTIA CEO, Michael Kill, claims, “Without this, the result is a threat to the very survival of thousands of businesses and jobs.”

In a Twitter post, lead singer Dave Bayley shared how the project came about and why the band was so keen for the collaboration:

“I’ve been eating jackpot peanut butter for years. There’s a jackpot stall in a market next to my house in Hackney, and I loved the look of the packaging to be honest…plus it had a quote from Gremlins on. So I picked up a tub. It was delicious. And that’s when I started reading the small print on the back. Each sale includes a donation to Music Venue Trust, the charity which looks after grassroots music venues…ie the venues that gave us a shot in the early days when we had no idea what we were doing…the venues that need help to survive but do an extraordinary amount for music culture.

“And then I read further and saw that the tub can be brought back and refilled!!!…eventually cut to three years, many refills, and 1,293 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches later, we turned up at our rehearsal space, and there sat four tubs of jackpot peanut butter with our names printed on and a small note saying to get in touch. We got in touch. and this is the result. Glass Animals x Jackpot Peanut Butter.”

very special announcement with @jackpotPB, can’t wait for you to sink your teeth into ithttps://t.co/Eia5hN2Mcm pic.twitter.com/mlami44rnW

— Glass Animals (@GlassAnimals) May 27, 2021

The packaging for the indie band’s edition of peanut butter may not have a Gremlins quote on it, but it does quote their 2014 single ‘Gooey,’ from their debut album ‘Zaba,’ saying “You just wanna know those pb vibes.” It also has a warning along the bottom of the design, “WARNING: as cold as an old ice cream sandwich / as focused as mr miyagi” which is a lyric from their song ‘Tangerine,’ on their 2020 ‘Dreamland’ that reached top 10 on US and UK charts.

The special edition of peanut butter is set to start shipping from 10 June for the UK and EU, and 18 June for the rest of the world. But much like purchasing tickets to a show, you can place a preorder as of yesterday 27 May. If a jar of peanut butter isn’t your thing, they will also be selling Glass Animal sweatshirts with a peanut butter pancake recipe on the back, called “Dave’s Jackpot Pancake Recipe.” You can place your order for either on Jackpot’s website here. You can also check them out live as they go on a UK tour in November.