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Business News Deals Live Business
National Lottery and Music Venue Trust partner on £1 million grassroots touring initiative
By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 7 July 2021
The National Lottery has partnered with Music Venue Trust on a £1 million initiative to help revive the UK’s grassroots live music sector as COVID regulations finally lift. The National Lottery’s Revive Live Tour will see artists including Tom Jones, Rag N Bone Man, Mahalia, Sam Fender and Fontaines DC play in small venues around the country.
As part of the project, The National Lottery will underwrite the touring and production costs of over 300 live performances this summer. Around half of the tickets made available for the shows will be given away to players of the lottery and its scratchcards, while the rest will be put on sale.
“Musicians can record in their bedrooms, but they can’t learn to perform in public without a place to play”, says Tom Jones. “Without that, there is no way you can communicate directly to people. It’ll be tough to hone your skills and you’ll never have the thrill of feeling their feedback. Without a grassroots music venue, the neighbourhood won’t have a place where people can come together to discover and support a new talent”.
“So, support your local pub, club, gym or church or wherever someone has the guts to bring in some entertainment, it makes all the difference both to budding artists and the community”, he goes on. “I’m delighted to be able to perform a special show as part of The National Lottery’s Revive Live Tour and to be celebrating the return of live music”.
Chief Executive of National Lottery operator Camelot, Nigel Railton, adds: “The National Lottery is very excited to be working with Music Venue Trust in what we believe is a truly ground-breaking initiative. The last year has been incredibly challenging for many industries and we hope The National Lottery’s Revive Live Tour will help kick start the return of grassroots live music”.
“With every ticket having a built in plus-one”, he goes on, “we hope The National Lottery can bring friends back together this summer to once again share the experiences we’ve all missed, while thanking players for the amazing things they make happen just by buying a ticket”.
Meanwhile, CEO of Music Venue Trust Mark Dayvd says: “It’s so important to get artists and crew back out and working, to get our grassroots music venues back up and running, and to get friends, families and communities back together enjoying live music”.
“Grassroots music venues play a crucial role in the development of British music, nurturing local talent, providing a platform for artists to build their careers and develop their music and their performance skills”, he continues. “These venues also play a vital role in the cultural and economic vibrancy of any village, town or city. The National Lottery’s Revive Live Tour is a fantastic initiative which will kickstart the return of great events across the country. We can’t wait to get started!”
Tickets for the Revive Live Tour will go on sale on 12 Jul at 8pm. Find out more about the whole initiative here.
