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The Grassroots Live Music Ecosystem

Music Venue Trust2025-07-04T10:02:56+01:00October 28th, 2020|

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A £10 chocolate egg lasts ten minutes, but that te A £10 chocolate egg lasts ten minutes, but that tenner on a gig ticket can stay with you for years. That money doesn’t disappear either. It pays the artist, the sound engineer, the person on the door. It keeps the lights on, the doors open, and the next generation of bands on stage. These are the rooms where music actually happens, and your life changes. Where scenes are built. Where people find something real. So if you’ve got a spare fiver or tenner this weekend, you know where it can go: MusicVenueTrust.com
Thank you to everybody who joined us at Venues Day Thank you to everybody who joined us at Venues Day 2026, and to those who helped make it happen. From start to finish it was a brilliant celebration of who we are, the work that we all do, and the passion that we share for live music. Bringing so many partners and UK grassroots music venues together for the day means so much to us. The ideas shared, the new thinking, the cogs that started to turn in real time - these kinds of things can often only come from hashing it out together IRL. In a room, or a side chat, or over a pint. Events like this, and our separate Grassroots Networking Day, act as a reminder of our strength and resilience, but also of our wins and the changing tide ahead for live music.
We’re very excited to welcome Getdown Services as We’re very excited to welcome Getdown Services as our newest MVT patrons, joining the likes of SOFT PLAY, Nova Twins, Enter Shikari, and Kate Nash. Over the last few years they’ve been strong advocates for grassroots venues, backing the sector in a real, practical way - vocally supporting their importance wherever they could. Their last tour included ticket contributions that raised over £7,500 to support the next generation of artists to perform live. As MVT patrons, they’ll be carrying that support forward and continuing to stand up for the venues that helped shape them. “It’s incredible to be working with a band like Getdown Services, who are not only one of the most exciting emerging acts right now, but already powerful advocates for grassroots music venues. With such an exciting year ahead, we’re looking forward to working together strategically to support the ecosystem that helped shape them.” - Toni, MVT Campaign & Comms Manager Getdown Services release their new single "The Radiator" TODAY, with an exciting new show announcement at Bristol Beacon that goes on sale THIS FRIDAY. More shows lined up across the summer and into next year. Getdown there.
We are deeply saddened to hear that Paul Jackson, We are deeply saddened to hear that Paul Jackson, owner of The Adelphi Club in Hull, has passed away. Paul was, quite simply, one of the finest grassroots music venue owners this country has ever known. The Adelphi Club is more than a venue. It is a lifeline for artists, a home for communities, and a cornerstone of the UK’s live music ecosystem. That is Paul’s legacy. For decades, he dedicated himself to giving artists a stage, often long before the rest of the UK was paying attention. Generations of musicians found their footing in his venue. Countless fans found belonging there. He held a space that mattered. In 2019, Paul was recognised with Music Venue Trust’s Outstanding Achievement Award at Venues Day, presented by KT Tunstall and Steve Lamacq. It was a moment that captured what so many already knew. His contribution to grassroots music venues was profound, unwavering, and deeply felt across the entire sector. This is a loss that will be felt deeply by all of us at Music Venue Trust who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside him. There are very few people who shape culture in the consistent way Paul did. His impact can be measured by the thousands of lives he changed, the scenes he nurtured, and the music he made possible. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and everyone connected to The Adelphi Club. Rest in peace, Paul. Your work will continue to echo from every stage you helped to build.
Huge love to The Lughole in Sheffield, whose commu Huge love to The Lughole in Sheffield, whose community came together in a matter of hours to help the venue hit its fundraising target. The venue have shared: “Everyone at The Lughole would like to give a massive thanks for the overwhelming response we’ve had to our recent fund raiser. The goal we set was smashed in under 5 hours! The punk community we belong to is like no other and we appreciate every one of you. We shall march on together despite the systematic failures that try to keep us down. See you in the pit.” The Lughole is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run venue that’s been supporting Sheffield’s DIY and creative community since opening in 2022. Like many grassroots spaces, it’s now dealing with the real-world impact of how business rates are applied. A backdated valuation left the venue facing several years of charges in one go, including periods before it had even opened. With limited options for relief, the situation escalated to enforcement action, forcing immediate payments that drained reserves and put the venue under serious strain. Their community stepped up, acted fast, and made sure a vital venue could keep its doors open.
Talking with Drowned In Sound founder Sean Adams o Talking with Drowned In Sound founder Sean Adams on this week’s Last Safe Space podcast, we got into the evolving role of music press and online communities in how people discover and share music. How much of that now lives on social media? How much is marketing? How much is still word of mouth? Where do you hear about grassroots shows and emerging artists coming to your town? Let us know. If you're looking for a point in the right direction on this... We have a Gig Guide map of GMVs built into our website at MusicVenueTrust.com powered by Hearby. Go take a look, and also find all our other resources and information you need to arm yourself as a live music activist. 📸 by Georgia Penny
In this episode of The Last Safe Space, Sean Adams In this episode of The Last Safe Space, Sean Adams, founder of the pioneering online music publication Drowned in Sound, joins Toni for a conversation about the role of independent journalism in shaping grassroots music culture. From its beginnings as a late-90s newsletter to becoming one of the most influential music communities of the early internet era, Drowned in Sound helped launch artists, writers and entire scenes. 📺 Watch this episode and catch up on the whole Last Safe Space series on Music Venue Trust’s YouTube, or by following our bio 🔗
MVT welcomes the news that Hackney Council has ref MVT welcomes the news that Hackney Council has refused the first planning application that threatened the future of Moth Club - however, another planning application still looms over this beloved grassroots music venue in East London. Keith Miller from Moth Club says “We finally have some news, the planning application next door to us has been refused, we wholeheartedly welcome this news. It’s the result of a huge amount of hard work from everyone at the venue, the MVT, the NTIA, Save our Scene and all of you, our supporters. You helped make us heard, we did it together. We love you all! But… We’re not fully out of the woods yet, there’s still one adjoining application near the Moth Club we’re fighting against. If we keep pushing and that additional planning is refused, I’m envisaging the greatest party Moth has ever witnessed. Please remember, this isn’t just about Moth Club it’s about every space, in every town or city on the planet.”  MVT now awaits the decision on the other planning application that threatens Moth Club, which is for sub-standard residential units at 6 Morning Lane, backing onto the venue and again with an inadequate consideration for noise impact. MVT hopes that Hackney Council makes the right decision and refuses this one, too.
Sheffield, this is for you. We’ve published a new Sheffield, this is for you. We’ve published a new practical guide focused on grassroots music venues in the city. It looks at how the current network is operating, the pressures venues are facing day to day, and what needs to change to keep them viable. Inside, we cover everything from audience levels and programming to the financial reality of running a venue right now, including business rates, licensing, and the impact of development. It also sets out the role venues play in Sheffield’s wider culture and economy, alongside clear recommendations for local authorities and decision-makers. This is something venues can use. Whether you’re speaking to council, making the case for support, or just trying to understand the landscape you’re operating in, this gives you a solid place to start. Download via our bio 🔗, read it, and use it.
Maniffesto ar gyfer Cerddoriaeth Llawr Gwlad yng N Maniffesto ar gyfer Cerddoriaeth Llawr Gwlad yng Nghymru / A Manifesto for Grassroots Music in Wales ------------------- Ledled Cymru, lleoliadau bychain ydy sylfaen ein diwylliant cerddorol. Dyma lle mae artistiaid ifanc yn dod wyneb yn wyneb â’u cynulleidfaoedd cyntaf; lle mae technegwyr, hyrwyddwyr a rheolwyr yn meithrin a naddu eu crefft, a lle mae cymunedau’n dod ynghyd. O Wrecsam i Abertawe, o Aberteifi i Gaerdydd, y rhain sy’n cynnal economi’r hwyrnos ac enw da’r genedl ar y llwyfan ryngwladol. Bellach, mae gormod o’r rhain yn colli arian. Mae’r rhyddhad ar drethi wedi ei dorri, mae canllawiau diogelu cynllunio yn wan, cysylltiadau trafnidiaeth yn gyfyngedig, ac mae’r nawdd sydd ar gael yn aml yn methu’r union bobl sydd fwyaf ei angen. Gall y Senedd nesaf unioni’r cam hwn. Isadeiledd ydy diwylliant. Diwydiant ydy cerddoriaeth. Mae sicrhau cefnogaeth i’r sylfeini yn diogelu popeth sy’n tarddu ac yn deillio ohoni. ------------------- Across Wales, small venues are the foundation of our music culture. They are where young artists find their first audiences, where technicians, promoters and managers learn their craft, and where communities come together. From Wrexham to Swansea, from Cardigan to Cardiff, they power the night-time economy and the nation’s international reputation. Too many of these rooms are now running at a loss. Rates relief has been cut, planning protections are weak, transport links are limited, and funding often misses the people who need it most. The next Senedd can fix this. Culture is infrastructure. Music is industry. Supporting the base protects everything that grows from it. 🔗 in bio to read in full.
A huge thanks to everyone who joined us at Venues A huge thanks to everyone who joined us at Venues Day 2026 last week. It was a fantastic day where the grassroots music sector got to be in the same room. Venue operators, artists, policymakers, and partners from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - all coming together to talk honestly about the challenges, share solutions, and push the sector forward. But the most important part of Venues Day is always the same thing: the conversations. The new connections made over coffee, the ideas shared in corridors, and the sense that this is a community that shows up for each other. A huge thank you to everyone who travelled from across the UK to be there, to our speakers, our team, and partners who shared their knowledge, and to the venue community that continues to prove how strong this network really is. 📸 by @georgiapennyphoto
The average person in Britain has around £26.99 in The average person in Britain has around £26.99 in loose change or forgotten cash lying around the house. That’s basically two grassroots gig tickets. Stick your hand down the side of the sofa, check the coat you haven't worn for a few years, raid the jam jar on the kitchen shelf… and you and a mate could be out seeing live music tonight. As our Annual Report covered, the average grassroots ticket price last year rose from £11.48 to £11.56. An increase of just 8p. In a time when the cost of almost everything else has surged, grassroots venues have worked incredibly hard to keep live music accessible. So yes, it might feel like loose change. But that £11.56 helps pay the sound engineer, the staff on the door, the electricity bill, and the artists on stage. It keeps venues open and the pipeline of live music alive. A proper night out.. for something you might find down the back of the sofa.
Over the last few months we’ve been sharing ideas Over the last few months we’ve been sharing ideas from The Ethical Venues Project, exploring the values that connect communities and the impact that small decisions can have on belonging, ethics and the role venues play in public life. The project was developed together with Conway Hall. This week on The Last Safe Space podcast via our bio 🔗, we’re joined by Conway Hall’s Jim Walsh to talk about what being an ethical venue means in 2026, and what venues can do to remain welcoming, responsible spaces at the heart of their communities. Because grassroots venues are for everybody. And so making sure they remain safe, inclusive places really matters.
MVT is proud to have partnered with Culture Sheffi MVT is proud to have partnered with Culture Sheffield, Sheffield Independent Venues Alliance, and Sheffield City Council to deliver a Planning Best Practice Guide for grassroots music venues. We’ll be launching the guide next Wednesday 25 March from 6pm at Yellow Arch Studios. Come along and join us to explore how new developments and grassroots venues can successfully co-exist! 🎟️ Grab tickets from the 🔗 in our bio.
If you care about grassroots music venues, everyth If you care about grassroots music venues, everything you need is at MusicVenueTrust.com We’ve spent years building the tools, the data, and the infrastructure to support this sector properly. It’s all public. It’s all accessible. And it’s all there to be used. From the most detailed annual report on grassroots venues anywhere in the world, to regular updates, practical resources, and straight-talking conversations about what’s actually going on... this is the work. To protect venues, and build a stronger future for live music, we all need access to the same tool chest. So take five minutes - Get informed, subscribe to our newsletter and podcast, download the Annual Report, look out for IRL events, and visit our resources pages to see how you can join us. Either as a venue, artist, investor, campaigner, promoter, or supporter.
A huge congratulations to our Outstanding Contribu A huge congratulations to our Outstanding Contribution Award winners at Venues Day 2026. The fantastic Lord Kevin Brennan & Dame Caroline Dinenage MP who continue to fight for grassroots music in parliament and have already spearheaded some phenomenal change for our sector. Thank you both, from everyone at MVT. ✨
For those who haven't downloaded and dissected it For those who haven't downloaded and dissected it yet, we’ll be taking a deep dive into our Annual Report at Venues Day 2026, unpacking the last year across the grassroots music venue sector. We’re at the start of what we believe will be an incredibly important chapter for grassroots venues. But it’s vital that everyone understands the data, the questions, the answers, and the plan for what comes next. Join us as we break it all down and share the information you need to be fully equipped for the year ahead. ⏰ Venues Day starts at 10am Tuesday with registration, coffee and networking, at Shoreditch Town Hall. 👀 Find the Annual Report at MusicVenueTrust.com
Opening May 30 at the V&A, South Kensington, is th Opening May 30 at the V&A, South Kensington, is the Lost Music Venues exhibition - Featuring around 50 ‘lost’ performance spaces from the 1980s to 2010s. The display celebrates music venues as centres of creativity, shining a light on both their cultural contribution and the challenges they face as a sector. So while we're working to protect every last venue we have, we wanted to ask you - which venue hits hardest?
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Music Venue Trust is with Georgia Penny Photo and 2 others.
23 hours ago
Music Venue Trust

You don't always know when a place is becoming important to you. You just keep going back.

Then one day you realise you've spent years of your life there. Somewhere along the way, that room has become part of your story. You've changed, the people around you have changed, the music has changed, but the place has stayed consistent.

That's the quiet power of a grassroots music venue. It becomes part of the fabric of your life, and that's why keeping these places here matters.

Not just for tonight. For the night after that. And the one after that.

For £5 a month, the Supporters Circle helps Music Venue Trust protect, strengthen and champion the places that give us somewhere to keep coming back to.

Join the Supporters Circle via the 🔗 in our bio or at: www.musicvenuetrust.com/donate/support-mvt/

📸 Alfie Bungay
📸 David Dean
📸 Emma Ross
📸 Georgia Penny
📸 Izzy Chedzey
📸 Jenn Lens of a Wool ... See MoreSee Less

You dont always know when a place is becoming important to you. You just keep going back. Then one day you realise youve spent years of your life there. Somewhere along the way, that room has become part of your story. Youve changed, the people around you have changed, the music has changed, but the place has stayed consistent. Thats the quiet power of a grassroots music venue. It becomes part of the fabric of your life, and thats why keeping these places here matters. Not just for tonight. For the night after that. And the one after that. For £5 a month, the Supporters Circle helps Music Venue Trust protect, strengthen and champion the places that give us somewhere to keep coming back to. Join the Supporters Circle via the 🔗 in our bio or at: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com/donate/support-mvt/ 📸 Alfie Bungay 📸 David Dean 📸 Emma Ross 📸 Georgia Penny 📸 Izzy Chedzey 📸 Jenn Lens of a Wool
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Music Venue Trust is with Association of Independent Promoters and 5 others.
2 days ago
Music Venue Trust

Connections start conversations. Conversations create opportunities.

On 13 October, Grassroots Networking Day brings together the people working across grassroots live music for a day built around meeting, talking, sharing and making things happen.

Venue bookers, promoters, festival programmers, and booking agents all in one room.

📍 229 London�
🎟️ Tickets on sale Monday 7 September ... See MoreSee Less

Connections start conversations. Conversations create opportunities. On 13 October, Grassroots Networking Day brings together the people working across grassroots live music for a day built around meeting, talking, sharing and making things happen. Venue bookers, promoters, festival programmers, and booking agents all in one room. 📍 229 London� 🎟️ Tickets on sale Monday 7 September
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Music Venue Trust is with Alien Chicks and Windmill Brixton.
2 days ago
Music Venue Trust

We asked Alien Chicks why they signed the Artist Pledge.

For Alien Chicks, grassroots venues aren't just where the journey began - they're the reason the journey exists at all. As they put it; “Alien Chicks was made by love of grassroots venues and the scene around them.” Without places like The Windmill, they say, they might never have existed in the first place.

That's why they believe new music, talent and ideas need somewhere to grow; and why grassroots venues can be so important to alternative scenes and marginalised communities, providing a space to find your people and have your voice heard.

For Alien Chicks, getting bigger isn't about leaving that behind. It's about making sure those spaces are still there for the artists who come next.

“If Alien Chicks ‘get big’, giving back to venues that made us is a huge priority.”

750+ artists have already signed MVT’s Artist Pledge. Have you? ... See MoreSee Less

We asked Alien Chicks why they signed the Artist Pledge. For Alien Chicks, grassroots venues arent just where the journey began - theyre the reason the journey exists at all. As they put it; “Alien Chicks was made by love of grassroots venues and the scene around them.” Without places like The Windmill, they say, they might never have existed in the first place. Thats why they believe new music, talent and ideas need somewhere to grow; and why grassroots venues can be so important to alternative scenes and marginalised communities, providing a space to find your people and have your voice heard. For Alien Chicks, getting bigger isnt about leaving that behind. Its about making sure those spaces are still there for the artists who come next. “If Alien Chicks ‘get big’, giving back to venues that made us is a huge priority.” 750+ artists have already signed MVT’s Artist Pledge. Have you?
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Music Venue Trust is with Association of Independent Promoters and 3 others.
3 days ago
Music Venue Trust

The people who make great shows happen, coming together.

Grassroots Networking Day returns to 229 London on 13 October 2026 - bringing together venue bookers, promoters, festival programmers and booking agents for a day of connections, conversations and new opportunities.

🎟️ Tickets on sale Monday 7 September ... See MoreSee Less

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Music Venue Trust
6 days ago
Music Venue Trust

What happens when the equipment you rely on to put shows on starts to fail?

In the latest episode of The Last Safe Space, Toni Coe-Brooker is joined by MVT’s Grants & Funding Support, James Richardson, to talk about Raise the Standard; our project helping grassroots music venues access essential equipment, from microphones and drum kits to mixing desks, monitors and PA systems.

They get into the costs of keeping equipment running, what happens when something breaks, and how getting the right gear into venues can help prevent problems becoming crises and keep shows happening.

Watch the latest episode of The Last Safe Space now on YouTube: youtu.be/lVSbRKqQaLc ... See MoreSee Less

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