DON’T STOP THE MUSIC: venues still “operating on razor thin margins”

Music Venue Trust is calling on the UK Government, and the wider music industry to provide more support to the grassroots events sector

An annual report conducted by the Music Venue Trust (MVT) has revealed that events hosted by its members are down by 16.7% compared to pre-pandemic levels. Spiralling energy bills, sky-high rent, excessive business rates, and the daily pressures of the cost-of-living crisis, are all contributing factors.?

In case you don’t know, MVT represents and fights for almost 1,000 grassroots venues across the UK. In addition to its report, the trust also unveiled data showing that the number of events hosted per week fell from 4.2 in 2019 to 3.5 in 2022, with only 1.97 being ticketed live music shows. The income from those events was over ￡500m (€570m/$617m), but venues reported an unsustainable average profit margin of 0.2%.

“Obviously we are pleased to highlight that grassroots music venues contribute over half a billion pounds to the UK economy”, said Mark Davyd, chief executive of Music Venue Trust. And, while it’s essential to recognise the “enormous impact” that has on the country’s live music culture, it’s important to acknowledge the “precarious financial position” the sector is in.

So, what needs to be done? “A long-term economic plan is needed”, says Davyd, not only to recognise how important small, independently run venues are to the community and artists, but also to keep them alive. This will require collaboration. We’re in. Are you?

To ensure that the grassroots primordial soup continues to produce the dearth of talent it does, bodies like Music Venue Trust are vital. If you host your gigs with Ticketpass, we’ll donate to MVT every single time you sell a ticket. If you love the UK’s independent scene, why wait???