Grassroots music venues: MPs call for arena gig ticket levy to support independent spaces
“It is time that the government brought together everyone with a stake in the industry’s success," said MP Dame Caroline Dinenage
MPs have called for an arena gig ticket levy to help support grassroots venues.
On Friday (10th May), a government report by the Department of Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) stated that stadiums and arenas should introduce a voluntary £1 ticket levy to help support grassroots venues, artists, and promoters before September.
The cross-party inquiry suggested that if the levy hasn’t been implemented by September 2024, a statutory levy should be imposed by the government.
This is significant news for the UK's grassroots venues, following a recent report by the Music Venue Trust (MVT) revealing that over a third of independent music venues in the UK are operating at a loss. Last year saw a reported loss of 16% of all UK live music venues, with rising operational costs, energy bills, rents, and the cost of living crisis contributing to independent venues making an average profit of just 0.5%.
Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, chair of the cross-party select committee, was quoted in The Guardian saying: “If the grassroots, where musicians, technicians, tour managers and promoters hone their craft, are allowed to wither and die, the UK’s position as a music powerhouse faces a bleak future.”
Dinenage added: “It is time that the government brought together everyone with a stake in the industry’s success, including music fans, to address the long-term challenges and ensure live music can thrive into the future.”
In addition to the levy, the DCMS report recommended a VAT break for smaller venues.
In a statement, MVT CEO Mark Davyd said the committee’s recommendations provide a pathway to a positive future for the UK’s grassroots music venues: “[They are] a set of actions that are deliverable, affordable, and will genuinely have a positive impact on live music in communities right across the country. We look forward to working with the music industry and with the government to deliver on these recommendations as swiftly as possible.”
CEO of Save Our Scene, George Fleming said: This could be the biggest change to UK live music since its inception! We are so pleased this group of MPs have finally recognised what is at stake and look forward to working with the industry to ensure that a voluntary levy is implemented in a way which has the most impact for all the vital communities that make up our live music sector."
Read the new DCMS report in full here.
