The opulent Raphael Court at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum was the setting for the Music Venue Trust (MVT)’s launch of its 2025 Annual Report on the state of the grassroots music venues in the UK. The MVT has been in operation for a decade and, in that time, has acted as a powerful advocate for, and a much-needed supporter of, the UK’s live music industry. The 2025 Annual Report is packed with data, insights and stories from every aspect you can imagine. It can be downloaded for free from the MVT website and crams an awful lot into its 42 pages. It’s well worth a read.
The evening was hosted by MVT Chief Operating Officer Beverley Whitrick, who, with a few others, struggled with a ropey sound system and the propensity of music industry people to yak loudly whenever the headliner isn’t on.
The first speaker of the night was V&A director Tristram Hunt, who took time to emphasise the importance of the music industry generally both to the UK economy and to the nation’s cultural life and wellbeing. Hunt also stressed the recognition of popular music by the V&A in its collections and exhibitions, citing the recent David Bowie events. He also referred to the upcoming Lost Music Venues exhibition co-sponsored by the MVT, which will tell the stories with artefacts of loved pubs and clubs that have closed their doors.
We were then entertained by a short set from Glenn Tilbrook and his son Leon. Made up principally of Squeeze songs and not helped by the sound system, Tilbrook’s set caught the attention of the crowd and brought out an array of phones capturing the occasion on photo and video.
The next speaker was the Liberal Democrat Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson Anna Sabine. She started out by giving a shout-out to her local venue (Frome’s Cheese & Grain) and quoted a few statistics for the report before rather missing the mood by launching into a few cheap jibes at Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport minister, Lisa Nandy, who had had to cry off. It didn’t go down too well.
On a more positive note the next speaker, Caroline Dinenage, a Conservative MP and Chair of the Culture Media and Sports Select Committee, focused on the issues at hand, praised the MVT for its advocacy as well its commitment to providing hard data in support of its case and talked to the Committee’s agenda holding the government’s feet to the fire backed by friends of the industry across Parliament. She stressed the urgency of the issues being faced and key actions needed to both bring venues back from the brink and to help them thrive in the future.
Keynote speaker was MVT CEO and founder Mike Davyd, who promised a healthy Anglo-Saxon content and delivered it with aplomb. Mostly, though, Davyd laid out the issues faced by grassroots music venues and how MVT and its affiliates had helped them through its programmes, providing advice and support in income improvement and cost reduction, in legal and planning disputes, especially Agent of Change, which would prevent developers and buyers moving in next to venues and then demanding closure. He spoke of advocacy and drew attention to the grassroots music levy, currently voluntary, which provides base funding to help smaller venues, congratulating a number of promoters and calling out Live Nation, who have so far failed to take action.
Some of the data was shocking – a 20% loss of jobs in grassroots music venues in 12 months. Even allowing for statistical anomalies, that is a lot. Pressure on costs, especially the reduction in business rates relief and increased employers’ NI, was held responsible for much of this. Another area picked out was the number of towns and cities throughout the country who are off the major tour circuit. The MVT is providing support here with its own booker, helping to fill the gaps.
Overall, the picture painted was challenging but positive, with plenty of initiatives to support the grassroots music venues, and the rate of decline having slowed markedly. New initiatives around equipment supply with strategic partnerships and a programme of grants from the levy provided grounds for optimism.
Americana UK readers need no reminding of the importance of grassroots music venues and their place at the centre of communities. The work of the MVT is vital to them and deserves support.
