Music Venue Trust Opens Applications for Liveline Fund

Coldplay and LIVE Trust funded initiative will help restore grassroots touring, strengthen local music scenes and create more opportunities for artists across the UK

Following the success of several pilot projects, industry applications are now open for the latest round of funding from Liveline, the initiative that helps Grassroots Music Venues, independent promoters and artists across the UK remove the barriers that prevent more shows, tours and local music programmes from happening.

Open to Grassroots Music Venues, independent promoters, in-house venue programmers and artist representatives – including managers, booking agents and artists themselves – funding applications can support individual shows, tour dates, regular venue programmes, promoter development initiatives and longer-term activity that strengthens local live music ecosystems.

(left to right) George Fleming (Founder & CEO, Save Our Scene), Louise McGovern (Live Coordinator, Music Venue Trust), Rebecca Walker (Live Projects Coordinator, Music Venue Trust), Alex Glyde (Brand & Marketing Manager, Save Our Scene)

Delivered by Music Venue Trust (MVT) in partnership with Save Our Scene (SOS) and the Association of Independent Promoters (AIP), Liveline was developed to tackle one of the biggest structural challenges facing Grassroots Music, which is the growing financial risk that is preventing tours, local shows and new music nights from happening.

Funding for this initiative has been provided by Coldplay, who gave 10% of the band’s proceeds from their record-breaking 2025 UK stadium tour to support Grassroots Music Venues, artists and promoters, and the LIVE Trust, the live music industry’s funding initiative that channels contributions from arena and stadium ticket sales back into the grassroots sector. Liveline will use this funding to invest in activity across the UK that restores touring routes, strengthens local music scenes and creates more opportunities for artists to perform.

For decades, grassroots touring has relied on a combination of promoter investment, artist commitment and increasingly limited sources of public and private tour support. As costs have risen and margins have tightened, viable tours have become harder to sustain, particularly outside the UK’s largest cities.

Rather than operating as a conventional grant programme, Liveline identifies the specific barriers preventing shows, tours and local programming from happening and removes them through targeted, incentive-led support. By sharing financial risk, the initiative gives venues, promoters and artists the confidence to programme more live music, extend touring activity and invest in long-term audience development.

Together, these four funding streams are designed to address the structural challenges that have made grassroots touring increasingly difficult across the UK. Rising costs, shrinking touring circuits and increasing financial uncertainty have made it harder for promoters and venues to programme new artists, particularly in secondary and tertiary markets where the economics of live music have become increasingly challenging.

Unlike traditional funding programmes, Liveline is built around a simple principle: identify the barrier preventing live music from happening and remove it. Every application is assessed individually, allowing support to be tailored to the specific circumstances of each venue, promoter, artist or tour rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

Mark Davyd, CEO, MVT

“The collapse of touring across the UK requires a robust and coordinated response from venues, bookers, promoters, agents, managers and artists. With Liveline, we are all working together to bring truly revolutionary support to the market. Liveline means everyone involved in creating, producing, developing and delivering a show, can move forward with confidence, get shows happening, and be focused on the need to reignite towns and cities across the country with the thrill of extraordinary live music. We are a music nation, and music is written deep into our history. Liveline ensures music remains part of our future.”

Luke Hinton, Chair of AIP

“Independent promoters are a major force behind live music in communities across the UK, but too often they’re forced to make decisions based on financial risk rather than artistic ambition. Liveline gives promoters the confidence to back emerging artists, develop new audiences and invest in local music scenes that might otherwise be left behind. We’re proud to be partnering with Music Venue Trust and Save Our Scene on an initiative that recognises promoters as an essential part of the grassroots music ecosystem and helps create more opportunities for live music to thrive.”

George Fleming, CEO of Save Our Scene

“Today marks a landmark moment for UK music. Liveline applications are now open! If you are a venue, a promoter or an artist who has been struggling to make it work, this fund was built for you. For too long, we have watched the pipeline that produces world class talent shrink and Liveline is our answer to that. We are so proud to be working alongside a small but amazing team of people bringing that answer to life.”

Applications for support through the Liveline Fund are now open here