Music Venue Trust
British charitable organisation
Music Venue Trust
AbbreviationMVT
FormationJanuary 2014; 12 years ago (2014-01)
TypeCharitable organisation
Registration no.1159846[1]
Location
  • c/o Strongroom, 120–124 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3SQ, England, United Kingdom
Region served
United Kingdom, United States
CEO
Mark Davyd[1]
COO
Beverley Whitrick[1]
Staff16
Websitehttps://www.musicvenuetrust.com/

The Music Venue Trust is a UK registered charitable organisation which aims to protect, secure and improve grassroots music venues in the United Kingdom.[2]

Paul McCartney has spoken out in support of the MVT, saying in 2016 that "If we don’t support live music at this level then the future of music in general is in danger".[3]

History

Concerned by a growing number of closures across the United Kingdom and therefore the decline in the number of spaces available for artists to perform and connect with audiences, a group of passionate individuals came together in 2014 to form the organisation. Recognising the vital role that music venues play in not only nurturing talent, fostering creativity, and providing memorable experiences but also bringing communities together, MVT adopted a proactive approach to protect and champion these essential cultural spaces.

Issues

One of the key reasons for the foundation of the MVT was the closure of many music venues, such as Brighton's Blind Tiger Club, due to noise complaints;[4] this is especially important as noise complaints are becoming more frequent, as new laws have been introduced that make it easier to convert offices into housing.[5] Another key concern that the MVT claims is facing venues is Arts Council England's lack of funding for venues; Beverley Whitrick, Strategic Director of the MVT, said in 2017 she could not estimate how many clubs would close in the next five years.[6]

Initiatives

The MVA founded an international affiliate organisation in Austin, Texas in 2016, targeting state taxes that are seen as punitive towards local venues,[7] as well as the MVA New Zealand, where they advocating to have Agent of Change recognised and adopted.[8] To clarify its political aims ahead of the 2017 general election, the MVT launched a "Manifesto for Music 2017" in May of that year.[9] Two months later, in order to help fight the issues and closures that music venues in the UK were facing, the MVT announced that they would cooperate with Live Nation Entertainment's Ticketweb to sell "Grassroots Venues Tickets", which had a part of their service charge donated to help fund the MVT's efforts.[10]

Grassroots Levy

In 2015 MVT published "Understanding Small Music Venues – A report by the Music Venue Trust" in which it stated "Sustainable models for channeling investment from the upper echelons of the music industry into the grassroots circuit should be devised and implemented without delay." [11] [12]. In 2018 the charity called for the music industry to commit to a "Pipeline Investment Fund" to support activity in the grassroots sector of the music industry [13]. Giving evidence at the Live Music Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Wednesday 10 October 2018, Mark Davyd, CEO of MVT referred to a live-music tax of 3% on the price of any ticket in France. [14]

Speaking at Venues Day in London in October 2023 DCMS Select Committee Chair Dame Caroline Dinenage MP announced a hearing and review into the crisis facing grassroots music venues (GMVS) [15] [16]

In May 2024 the UK's Culture, Media and Sport Committee (CMS) published a major report on Grassroots Music Venues (GMVs), urging a voluntary ticket levy on major concerts by September 2024 [17] The Government's response, published on November 14, included the statement "We agree with the Committee’s recommendation that the music industry should introduce a voluntary levy on arena and stadium tickets to support grassroots music venues, artists and promoters." to which the CMS Committee responded [18] [19]. In his response on November 27 Creative Industries Minister Sir Chris Bryant wrote that the Government wants to see ‘tangible progress’ by the first quarter of next year to meet the timeline of a levy coming in as soon as possible for concerts in 2025. He also announced that he will hold a ministerial roundtable before Christmas (2024) with live music representatives to drive progress. [20] [21]

On January 15, 2025 LIVE, the umbrella organisation for the live music industry, announced the LIVE Trust as the vehicle to receive and administer funds generated by the grassroots levy [22]

Annual Report

In 2017 MVT conducted its first annual survey of members of the Music Venues Alliance. The resulting data was used internally for planning and strategy, and for the charity's advocacy with partners, industry and government. The data from the survey in 2022 was used to create the charity's first published Annual Report. Published on January 31st, 2023 the report[23] stated that Grassroots Music Venues contributed £500m to UK Economy, live performances were down by 16.7% as profit margins shrank and audience numbers were down 11% as cost of living crisis hit.[24] MVT called for reductions in VAT & Business Rates and for planned new arenas to invest in the Grassroots Music Eco-System.[25]

The Annual Report 2023[26], published on January 24, 2023 stated that 38% of UK Grassroots Music Venues had posted a financial loss; the sector had recorded a 0.5% profit margin on £501m turnover despite increased ticket demand; 16% of UK Grassroots Music Venues were lost in the previous 12 months with 125 spaces permanently closed to live music. [27][28]

Music Venue Properties

Music Venue Properties Limited
Company typeCharitable community benefit society
FoundedJuly 5, 2021; 4 years ago (2021-07-05)
Revenue237,837 pound sterling (2019) 
Members1260[29] (2024)
Number of employees
17 (2023, 2024) 
Websitehttps://www.musicvenueproperties.com
Le Pub in Newport, Wales, which is owned by Music Venue Properties.

In May 2022, the MVT launched Music Venue Properties, a charitable community benefit society to raise money in order to purchase grassroots music venues and preserve them.[30] The grassroots venues it owns are leased to operators on favourable terms under a long-term "Cultural Lease". It has been described as "the National Trust for music venues".

Music Venue Properties was founded in 2021 as a charitable community benefit society, at a time when grassroots music venues across the UK were under threat, with a third of venues being lost in the previous 20 years.[31] They launched their first fundraising campaign, "Own Our Venues", in May 2022, with the aim of raising up to £3,500,000 to purchase nine grassroots music venues across the UK.[31] The campaign concluded in March 2023, after £2,318,210 had been raised from 1,261 individual investors.[32]

In October 2023, The Snug, a 100-capacity venue in Atherton, Greater Manchester, was the first venue to be purchased.[33][34]

In May 2025, Music Venue Properties announced their second fundraising campaign, with the aim of purchasing a further seven venues.[35][36]

Venues

As of November 2025[update], Music Venue Properties owns seven music venues:[37][38]

  • The Snug, Atherton, Greater Manchester
  • The Ferret, Preston, Lancashire
  • The Bunkhouse, Swansea, Wales
  • The Booking Hall, Dover, Kent
  • Le Pub, Newport, Wales
  • The Joiners, Southampton
  • The Croft, Bristol


References

  1. ^ a b c "Contact". Music Venue Trust. 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Music Venue Trust". Music Venue Trust. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  3. ^ "Paul McCartney speaks out in support of Music Venue Trust". Louder than War. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  4. ^ "Noise rows threaten small music venues, founders of The Forum claim - and 14,000 people agree". Kent and Sussex Courier. Kent Live. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2017.[dead link]
  5. ^ Hall, Josh (12 August 2014). "Can the Music Venue Trust save Britain's pub circuit?". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  6. ^ Doward, Jamie (15 July 2017). "'Slap in the face': grassroots music venues face closure as funding bid fails". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  7. ^ Schneider, Marc (15 December 2016). "U.K.'s Music Venue Trust Expands to Austin, Texas and Targets State Liquor Tax". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  8. ^ Trust, Music Venue (11 September 2014). "What is 'Agent of Change'... and why is it important?". Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  9. ^ "Music Venue Trust publish their Manifesto for Music". Music Industries Association. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Music Venue Trust and Ticketweb Launch Grassroots Venues Tickets Website". Live Nation Entertainment. July 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Understanding Small Music Venues – A report by the Music Venue Trust". Music Venue Trust. 9 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Understanding Small Venue" (PDF). Music Venue Trust.
  13. ^ "Music Venue Trust Launches Pipeline Investment Fund Challenge". Music Venue Trust. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  14. ^ "Oral evidence: Live Music, HC 733". House Of Commons. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  15. ^ "Venues Day 2023: Behind the Scenes". Music Venue Trust. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  16. ^ "DCMS Select Committee announces review, hearing & report into grassroots music venues crisis". The Independent Music Insider. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  17. ^ "Grassroots music venues". UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  18. ^ "Grassroots music venues: Government response". UK Parliament.
  19. ^ "Grassroots music: Government response and next steps". UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  20. ^ "Letter from Sir Chris Bryant". UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  21. ^ "Grassroots music venues: Government responds to CMS Committee calls for voluntary levy timetable". UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  22. ^ "LIVE announces launch of the Live Trust". Record Of The Day. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  23. ^ "Annual Report 2022" (PDF). musicvenuetrust.com. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  24. ^ "Music Venue Trust 2022 report reveals audience and show numbers at grassroots venues is still under pre-pandemic levels". TheLineOfBestFit. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  25. ^ "UK grassroots venues "going over a cliff" without urgent government action or investment from arenas". NME. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  26. ^ "Annual Report 2023" (PDF). Music Venue Trust. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  27. ^ "At least two grassroots music venues closing each week". Big Issue. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  28. ^ "Grassroots live music venues suffer 'most challenging year', report says". BBC.com. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  29. ^ "Music Venue Properties annual return 2024".
  30. ^ King, Ashley (2022-05-26). "Music Venue Trust to Purchase Grassroots Music Venues – Here's Why". Digital Music News. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  31. ^ a b "Music Venue Trust's fan-funded freeholds aim to protect venues". BBC News. 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  32. ^ "MVP "Own Our Venues" campaign is declared a success, raising over £2.3m!". MusicVenueProperties. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  33. ^ "Music Venue Trust reveals first #OwnOurVenues scheme acquisition". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  34. ^ "Tiny music venue The Snug saved after fans buy shares". BBC News. 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  35. ^ "Plans to save UK's most iconic grassroots music venues from closure revealed". Metro. 2025-05-15. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  36. ^ Trendell, Andrew (2025-05-27). "You can help save these seven UK grassroots music venues forever". NME. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  37. ^ "OUR VENUES". MusicVenueProperties. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
  38. ^ "The Joiners and The Croft grassroots venues to be protected". BBC News. 2025-11-06. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
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