Welcome to your new role Michelle Donelan, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

  1. We need urgent government action on the energy crisis which threatens to permanently close hundreds of Grassroots Music Venues. In the short term this will require financial interventions to tackle extraordinary price rises. In the longer term, we need your department to investigate the energy market for music venues (and the rest of the hospitality sector) and to work with us to find a way to to make energy supply reliable, sustainable, and affordable.

     

  2. Britain has the highest tax regime on the creation and development of new music talent anywhere in Europe. Conversely, already available and established distribution of cultural funding sees the grassroots music sector attract less public subsidy in the UK than any other comparable music producing nation in Europe. This high tax, low subsidy position is not sustainable in a highly competitive market. We would like to work with your department on a strategy to address this challenge with a tax/subsidy framework which supports artists and venues to launch and foster the careers of UK talent. This is not a plea for new money; it is about the sensible and structured use of already available funding and a considered approach to where and when taxation is appropriate.

     

  3. The UK’s Grassroots Music Venues face multiple challenges to their resilience, sustainability and economic viability. These challenges are solvable. Music Venue Trust would like to invite you to attend a Parliamentary event on 14th Sept in which we will be describing just one of these solutions – our plan to change the ownership model so that the music community itself has a say in the future of Grassroots Music venues. We need to #ownourvenues. Your new department has the details of this event and we have already made an invitation to you.

     

  4. We want a working relationship with you and your department that delivers positive change for UK artists and venues. To that end we have today formally requested a meeting with you at your earliest opportunity. Music Venue Trust has met with 8 of the 9 previous Secretaries of State for DCMS that have held this post since our creation in 2014. We look forward to meeting with you so we can begin the work of creating a truly world beating grassroots live music sector.