The books are now available to download from here:
How to Open a Grassroots Venue | How to Run a Grassroots Venue
Yesterday evening the Music Venue Trust and Ticketmaster joined at the Lord Mayor’s City Hall in partnership to launch 2 fully illustrated manuals: How to Open a Grassroots Music Venue and How to Run a Grassroots Music Venue.
Amy Lame welcomed everyone to City Hall and praised the Music Venue Trust for their contribution to London’s nightlife focus, and Ticketmaster’s Managing Director Andrew Parsons described the importance of Grassroots venues for the stars of tomorrow;
Amy Lamé – Night Czar, Mayor of London added: “London’s diverse music scene is driven by its grassroots music venues. They provide a vital platform for musicians to hone their craft, play an important part of our musical heritage and help maintain London’s position as a global culture capital. There’s no doubt that challenges exist with rising rents and business rates, but the Mayor and I are committed to doing everything we can to protect these vital cultural assets. I’m delighted that we have partnered with MVT in their work and have no doubt these books will become the go-to-guides for venue owners for years to come.”
Andrew Parsons, Managing Director of Ticketmaster UK, said: “Developing the next generation of talent is hugely important to us, grassroots music venues are an essential part of an artist’s career and a vital cog in the music industry machine. We have worked with MVT since 2015 and know the struggles that these venues face. These guides are another important step to keep music playing in grassroots venues across the UK.”
Special guest and Music Venue Trust Patron Rou Reynolds of Enter Shikari emphasised why these resources are so important for artists; “Grassroots Music Venues are vital spaces for musicians, music fans and communities in general. It’s been a tough time for venues up and down the country over the past few years and there’s been no government support. It’s great that MVT has launched these new books, sharing the knowledge and experience of those who run the venues that are surviving and shining a spotlight on the touring circuit. I think it could help encourage the opening of new venues and support networks.”
Each book has 15 chapters gathered from MVT’s venues network over the past 5 years and cover vital topics such as licensing, company structure, facilities and diversification. MVT commissioned writer David Pollock and photographer Jannica Honey to create them with the help of Ticketmaster designer Charlotte Simonsen. There are stories of successes as well as some cautionary tales from some of the people who run Grassroots Music Venues across the UK, and a comprehensive Guidance section at the back put together with assitance from MVT’s Licensing Advisor, Niall Forde.
To explain why creating these books was important Mark Davyd, CEO, Music Venue Trust said: “When I was 17, I put on my first gig and over the next ten years I met lots of other like-minded people who wanted to do the same. Eventually, after five years of trying, we got together and opened our own venue. Nobody ever gave us advice, and we must have made every mistake possible. Most people I know in the grassroots music sector have a similar story, which is why we wanted to publish these guides. We want these books to inspire people to join us and open their own venues and the message is simple: you can build a stage the band doesn’t fall through, you can get a licence that doesn’t prevent you from opening on a Wednesday, and you can avoid having to rebuild the venue from scratch, only this time with enough doors”.
The books are now available to download from here:
How to Open a Grassroots Venue | How to Run a Grassroots Venue
Did you know?
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has revealed that the number of London’s grassroots music venues has risen in the last year after a nearly a decade of decline.
Between 2007 – 2016, the number of grassroots music venues in the capital fell by a third, from 144 to 94. Following two years of stability, figures released today show that in the last year the number meeting the Music Venue Trust’s definition has risen by six per cent – from 94 to 100.
In the last year, eight venues have closed and one stopped offering live music, but a total of 15 venues – including three that have newly opened – are now grassroots music venues.
It comes after the Mayor revealed earlier this month that the number of LGBTQ+ venues in London has remained stable for a second year running.
London is the home of the UK music industry, which contributes £4.4 billion to the UK economy and sustains 142,000 jobs.
