Requires area ticket levy and tax aid to cease music venue closure ‘disaster’

A reduce in VAT and a brand new levy on area and stadium tickets are urgently wanted to cease grassroots music venues from closing, MPs have mentioned.

A report by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee mentioned artists are dealing with a “cost-of-touring crisis”, with venues stopping dwell music or closing totally at a price of two per week.

The cross-party inquiry heard from the Music Venues Trust (MVT), which mentioned 2023 has been essentially the most difficult yr for the sector for the reason that organisation was based in 2014, whereas Creative UK mentioned the grassroots music sector took a “battering”.

In whole the variety of grassroots music venues (GMVs) declined from 960 to 835 final yr, a internet lower of 13%, representing a lack of as many as 30,000 reveals and 4,000 jobs.

The closures come in opposition to a backdrop of spiralling prices on account of rising rents and power payments, whereas audiences are slicing again on expenditure because of the financial local weather.

There has additionally been a behaviour shift amongst youthful individuals, who’re spending much less on meals and alcohol.

The report requires a short lived VAT reduce primarily based on venue capability to “stimulate grassroots music activity and help the sector through the current closure crisis”.

The committee has additionally really useful a widespread voluntary levy on area and stadium tickets to be in place no later than September, which needs to be used to create a assist fund for venues, artists and promoters and never be handed on to music followers.

MPs mentioned that if there isn’t a settlement by September or if it fails to gather sufficient revenue to assist the sector, the federal government ought to step in to introduce a statutory levy.

‘Music faces a bleak future’

Dame Caroline Dinenage, chairwoman of the committee, mentioned: “We are grateful to the many dedicated local venues who gave up their time to take part in our inquiry.

“They delivered the message loud and clear that grassroots music venues are in disaster.

“The ongoing wave of closures is not just a disaster for music, performers and supporters in local communities up and down the country, but also puts at risk the entire live music ecosystem.

“If the grassroots, the place musicians, technicians, tour managers and promoters hone their craft, are allowed to wither and die, the UK’s place as a music powerhouse faces a bleak future.”

Read extra:
At least one grassroots music venue closing per week
Warning of closures as venues face worth hikes
Is this the demise of the large night time out?

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On high of speedy monetary assist via a levy-funded assist fund and a focused momentary VAT reduce, the report says a complete fan-led assessment of dwell and digital music needs to be arrange this summer time to look at the long-term challenges to the broader dwell music ecosystem.

The UK music trade brings billions of kilos into the economic system, attracting each home and worldwide vacationers to dwell occasions.

But festivals, digital music venues, academies and arenas “are not insulated from the impacts” of the disaster and “promoters are less able to put on shows or make them financially viable”, MPs warned.

The report was welcomed by trade figures, although Mark Davyd, chief government and founding father of the MVT, mentioned it has “taken much longer than any of us would have liked to get the positive change we all wanted to see”.

The belief – which represents greater than 900 grassroots music venues throughout the UK – has beforehand voiced issues that rising artists with the potential to be the subsequent Ed Sheeran or Adele – each of whom began out taking part in in grassroots venues – might discover their careers reduce off at floor degree, by no means realising their full potential.