“Grassroots music venues cannot keep being expected to survive on goodwill and admiration alone. Our goal is clear; don’t just fund problems, fix them”: Music Venue Trust launches programme of small venue upgrades

You may have wondering what the Music Venue Trust has been doing with all those £1s it's been saving up from the levy some arena and stadium artists have been placing on their shows.

Well, good as its word, it's announced that it'll be putting the money to good use. Yesterday (27 April) it launched a coordinated programme of infrastructure upgrades for small venues across the country.

The first of what it's promising will be a number of campaigns is the Raise The Standard project, which is focused on improving the essentials that every working venue needs: sound systems, lighting rigs, backline and microphones (ie, the things that actually make a gig work).

In a statement, Beverley Whitrick, Strategic Director of Music Venue Trust, said: “Grassroots music venues cannot keep being expected to survive on goodwill and admiration alone. If the UK music industry is serious about protecting the talent pipeline, then it has to get serious about the economics that underpin it.

“This funding and the initiatives we are delivering are about practical change, lowering costs, improving infrastructure, rebuilding touring and creating a sector that is more resilient, more investable and fit for the future. Our goal is clear; don’t just fund problems, fix them.”

Other initiatives, it says, are in the pipeline. There is Stay The Night, which is designed to make it easier for artists to tour by providing accommodation for them. Announcing this via social media, the MVT said: “ This is about fixing some basic problems. Hotel costs are rising. Touring margins are shrinking. Bands are playing less shows per tour. Too many artists are out there trying to make it work without proper rest or support.”

Meanwhile, there is the Off The Grid programme, which the MVT hopes will ease and ultimately eliminate the long-term energy costs that many small venues face. As well as all this there is the Emergency Response Hardship Fund which targets small venues that are in immediate financial distress.

Last year only 8.8% of arena and stadium shows were signed up to providing the levy, the main refusenik thus far being Live Nation, who as we know is the dominant commercial force in live music all over the world.

The UK government has so far waited for the music industry to do the right thing regarding the levy. With a new King’s Speech due next month, it will interesting to see if it feels the time is finally right to legislate to make it compulsory...