£97.5k ploughed into grassroots music venues

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

- Last updated on GMT

Helping out: The Lighthouse in Kent is one of the pubs that has secured funding
Helping out: The Lighthouse in Kent is one of the pubs that has secured funding
Some 23 grassroots music venues, including four pubs, have scored charity grants in the fourth round of Music Venue Trust’s (MVT) pipeline investment fund.

The pubs that secured investments are CWRW in Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, the Lighthouse, Deal, Kent, the Holroyd Arms, Guildford, Surrey and the Old Abbey Taphouse, Hulme, Greater Manchester.

Furthermore, the latest investment has seen music charity MVT cash out £97,516.97 to venues for improvements and training.

MVT chief executive Mark Davyd said: “This fourth round of the Pipeline Investment Fund once again demonstrates how much difference small amounts of money, wisely invested, can make for grassroots music venues.

“With grassroots music venues facing extraordinary challenges​ right now, Music Venue Trust is determined to keep pressing the music industry and government to support this fund and ensure music communities right across the country can continue to access the very best in live music.”

The total sum of money, awarded to 61 sites as part of the charity’s Pipeline Investment Fund, now exceeds £260,000.

Revive Live

Established in 2022, the fund is primarily funded by ticket sales of MVT’s recent Revive Live programme​ of gigs around the UK in partnership with The National Lottery.

Small scale grant applications (up to £5,000) were invited from UK based grassroots music venues to support two key areas of work.

The first is small scale capital projects, including lights, sound, access, ventilation, and minor building alterations.

What’s more, the second is staff training, including diversification, succession planning, skills development, and strengthening local community ties.

The grants were awarded for a range of requirements including sound and lighting equipment, staff training, soundproofing, air conditioning, repairs and venue improvements, accessibility, and seating.

Call for support

Organisations who may have been excluded from other available funding are prioritised in the fund.

In January, MVT released their 2022 Annual Report, which was launched at a reception for MPs at The House of Commons.

The report details the immense contribution of Grassroots Music Venues to the UK economy, and the current threat they face as a result of the cost-of-living crisis and ongoing post-Covid recovery.

MVT is calling on the government to review the VAT on ticket sales that is currently limiting profitability and crushing a sector responsible for nurturing new, upcoming talent in the UK.

The report also outlines plans to ensure all new arenas opening in the UK contribute to the wider music eco-system​ by investing a percentage of every ticket sale into grassroots venues.

The full list of new recipient venues are:

Venue

Location

Reason for grant

The Underground

Bradford

Mixture of mixing desk, backline and production equipment

The Rose Hill

Brighton

Staff training

The Six Six Bar

Cambridge

Sound proofing

Fuel Rock Club

Cardiff

Air conditioning

CWRW

Carmarthen

Soundproofing, new production and backline equipment

The Lighthouse

Deal, Kent

Variety of sound equipment including a new sound desk

Docks Academy

Grimsby

Variety of production equipment

The Holroyd

Guildford

Backline, lighting, DJ Mixer and new mics to improve production in venue

The Old Abbey Taphouse

Hulme, Manchester

Urgent repairs and improvement

The Smokehouse

Ipswich

New sound desk

2 Funky Music Cafe

Leicester

Purchase of a new sound desk to replace a 7 year old analogue desk

Melodic Bar

Liverpool

Staging, training and seating

Loki

London (Brixton)

Purchase of speakers as part of a larger project to buy a new sound system for venue

The Dublin Castle

London (Camden)

Venue maintenance

Rebellion

Manchester

New lighting for production and training for staff

The Middlesbrough Empire

Middlesbrough

Lighting & production equipment

The Lubber Fiend

Newcastle Upon Tyne

Improve stage equipment

Little Buildings

Newcastle Upon Tyne

New sound desk to enable recording of live shows

Escape Venue

Northampton

Safe flooring

Rocknrollas

Paisley

To build an accessible ramp into the premises to increase accessibility

Chinnerys

Southend on Sea

Various production improvements

Ku Stockton

Stockton

Purchase of new monitors to replace 20 year old system

The Crescent Community Venue

York

New seating

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