Skiddle Launches Long-term Initiative with the Music Venue Trust to Support Grassroots Music in the UK

Following news made public at last week’s Un-Convention Music Conference in Manchester, it gives us enormous pleasure to announce a groundbreaking new partnership with the Music Venue Trust (MVT), aimed at protecting the future of grassroots music venues(GMVs) in the UK.

Over the past year alone, more than a hundred grassroots music venues have been forced to close their doors as venue operators struggle to cope with ever-mounting financial pressure, a direct result of the especially harsh economic times currently being endured by all.

The UK’s grassroots music scene provides a nurturing environment for new artists to flourish, helping influence and shape popular culture. Deprived of these venues, festivals, arenas and stadiums will face a long-term shortage of performers as emerging artists would lack a platform to develop their craft. 

In response, we’ve developed a brand new initiative to champion UK grassroots music venues, committing long-term support for the sector. Our plan is to introduce a 50p ticket levy, with 100% of the proceeds channelled to the Music Venue Trust’s Pipeline Investment Fund, aiding music venues throughout the UK.

In addition to the introduction of this levy, we’re also pledging to match all funds raised through the ticket levy, effectively doubling the impact of each contribution made. Furthermore, we’ll offer market-leading financial and support packages to UK grassroots venues, which will include a share of booking fees, free localised marketing, and more.

Duncan King, Head of New Business at Skiddle said:

“The situation for GMVs is critical. As an independent business within the music industry, we understand the pressures that our grassroots venues are under better than most. The MVT’s pipeline investment fund provides a much-needed lifeline to venues across the country, without which they would be unable to continue operations. Our partnership with the MVT will provide essential funds to keep culture thriving in the UK. This partnership serves as a call to action for the entire music industry. It’s time to stand up and act. We hope to be the catalyst for change across the whole industry.”

Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust also commented on the new partnership, saying:

“This is an incredibly important step from Skiddle which will be warmly welcomed by the whole grassroots music sector. It demonstrates that positive change is possible. As an industry, we can work together to ensure that success for any individual artist or single event in can support everyone in the whole community. We hope many other companies will be inspired to follow this groundbreaking initiative.”

More information and details on the initiative will be released in the coming weeks. If you’re a music venue and you want to get in touch to see how Skiddle can help, get in touch by sending an email to mvt@skiddle.com

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