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Music Venue Trust publishes guides on running grass roots venues
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 16 July 2019
The Music Venue Trust has teamed up with the mayor of London and Ticketmaster to publish two new guides: ‘How To Open A Grassroots Music Venue’ and ‘How To Run A Grassroots Music Venue’. Both books will be available as PDF downloads from the MVT and Mayor Of London websites.
MVT’s CEO Mark Davyd explains: “When I was seventeen, I put on my first gig and over the next ten years I met lots of other like-minded people who wanted to do the same. Eventually, after five years of trying, we got together and opened our own venue. Nobody ever gave us advice, and we must have made every mistake possible”
“Most people I know in the grassroots music sector have a similar story”, he adds, hence the guides. “We want these books to inspire people to join us and open their own venues and the message is simple: you can build a stage the band doesn’t fall through, you can get a licence that doesn’t prevent you from opening on a Wednesday, and you can avoid having to rebuild the venue from scratch, only this time with enough doors”.
MVT, of course, has long been working to help build a more stable and sustainable grass roots venue network in the UK, such a network being particularly important for future talent looking to hone their craft and build a fanbase. That work includes seeking funding for grass roots venues, and lobbying for more sensible licensing and planning laws, but also educating those who run the grass roots venue network, or who might run it in the future.
Confirming its support from the new guides, Ticketmaster MD Andrew Parsons said: “Developing the next generation of talent is hugely important to us, grassroots music venues are an essential part of an artist’s career and a vital cog in the music industry machine. We have worked with MVT since 2015 and know the struggles that these venues face. These guides are another important step to keep music playing in grassroots venues across the UK”.
