From ABIDs to Venue BIDs
Interested to see the idea of a ticket levy on venues is moving closer. First (I think) mooted by the Music Venue Trust (an organization of promoters rather than venues), and brought up during the Night and Day saga in Manchester, the suggestion is that levies on concert tickets will be put into a pot to, somehow, support smaller venues. Andy Burnham has expressed support for the idea and Bristol is now seriously looking at it.
The problem is the one we came up against when looking at the Manchester ABID; there’s no mechanism for putting this in place. Although Mayors have talked about local taxation, they don’t actually have the powers (bar Sadiq obviously and possibly Burnham).
So how would this be enforced? If a punter refused to pay. If a venue refused to be involved. If, and we found this to be a huge issue, a global ticket-agency like Ticketmaster just said ‘bugger off.’
The solution is to look at what I, Nick Brooks-Sykes and Paul Clement developed as the funding mechanism for the ABID---the so-called ‘tourist tax’ (which is actually nothing of the sort). Indeed, Ben Stephenson was exploring this idea in Angel a year or so ago.
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Create a BID with a clear business plan among the venues. Let them control the money and vote on the plan. Use the loophole we found in the BID regulations and have as the charging mechanism the occupancy of the venues (ie the ticket sales)—you would need to find a clear, objective, system for measuring that.
Then offer the venues a way to get the punter to pay—by a charge on the ticket. Include this in the T&Cs. It is another addition, after all the ticket charges in place, but should be fairly painless.
So the venues (or the ticket-agencies) collect the levy on behalf of the BID board. The venues don’t lose out. More importantly, they haven’t allowed a tax to be put in place on them that they can’t subsequently control---business is still in charge.
Everyone wins. Imagine how much money a ￡1 levy on West End Theatre tickets could raise…
BID CEO/Placemaking Professional + Medtech Business Consultant
4 个月Vaughan, The Poly theatre in Falmouth and Cambridge Arts Theatre both charge a small fee. The Poly charge ￡1 and it goes to the Poly Fund for all tickets booked, this is in addition to a booking fee. I am not sure what the Poly Fund means and where the funds go but I presume they have some social aims to encourage new artists etc.
Events & Culture and Placemaking Lead l Director at Beaumont Organic l Trustee at Manchester Jazz Festival l MCR Soho House Committee Member | Steering member Beyond the Music
4 个月This is not an impossible concept but I agree a complex one to implement.
Managing Director, Storecheckers
4 个月It's a great concept to support local venues but Sally Fort highlights a valid point on ticket prices. They have gone through the roof over the past decade. Sadly no longer can you see Queen at.The Palace Theatre, Manchester for ￡1.25 or Supertramp and Joan Armatrading for ￡1.75 at Leeds Uni (Guess the years).
Director of Moor Impact Ltd. Culture & Social Responsibility Consultant. Impact, Engagement, Change. Authentic lived experience advocate and practitioner - diversity & inclusion.
4 个月Have to point out how ridiculously high ticket prices already are, how much more can they realistically rise? But, that aside, feels like it would need an umbrella organiser, be it independent, local or regional authority, or a sector champion/ funder. I think the more complicated question is, how do the smaller venues access it and wht do they need to demonstrate to receive it? (As well as, how can it be done without crippling levels of bureaucracy which of course smaller venues don't have the capacity to cope with). It's an interesting conundrum for sure...
Chair | CEO | Director | Urbanist | PhD researcher | Business Improvement District (BID) specialist
4 个月Very timely and quite right that the current focus on overnight visitor charges could be extended. With the proviso, though, that ways need to be found to charge and maintain that money locally. More of this at this week's Locus Masterclass. Book at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/masterclass-what-makes-a-great-destination-tickets-1012875898077