Bath music venue Moles has announced that it is closing down “effective immediately” after 45 years in business. This has prompted the Music Venue Trust to call on UK politicians to support a compulsory levy on ticket sales for large-scale shows in order to provide financial assistance to grassroots venues.
Exasperated at the lack of voluntary support for the grassroots sector from the wider music industry, MVT CEO Mark Davyd has used the closure of Moles as a hook to call on the UK’s government and opposition political parties to support a compulsory levy on tickets.
Should the industry continue to resist the organisation’s call for support, he says politicians should legislate for “a compulsory levy on every ticket sold for every live music event above 5000 capacity that takes place in the UK”.
In France, since 2020, all major events are required to pass on 3.5% of ticket sales to finance the country’s Centre National De La Musique. That organisation then funds various projects, including subsidising grassroots venues.
The owners of Bath Moles also called for more support for the grassroots sector from the live industry in a statement issued as they announced its closure.
“We’ve weathered many things over the years, including a fire and a pandemic in the last ten years alone, but this cost of living crisis has crippled the grassroots music sector”, they write. “We are not the only grassroots music venue to close in the past year”, they add. “Over 120 other venues have closed as well, which is over 15% of the sector. Places that mean as much to others as Moles means to us”.
“There needs to be a major shake-up of the live sector, with the big players supporting the grassroots where it all begins to secure that pipeline of talent”, they insist. “This is something that Music Venue Trust has been saying for years; maybe now the industry will listen”.
In its own statement, the Music Venue Trust agrees that while “grassroots music venues are widely acknowledged as the ‘research and development’ department of the music industry”, not enough is being done by the organisations that ultimately benefit from this R&D to support them.
The organisation has previously called for a voluntary £1 levy to be placed on ticket sales, which would go towards supporting grassroots venues.
“Whilst artists Enter Shikari, promoters Cuffe & Taylor, venues Piece Hall and Swansea Arena, and ticketing companies Ticketmaster, Skiddle and Good Show have all pledged meaningful support in recent months”, it goes on, “the wider industry has been far too slow to take action and, in some cases, has actively resisted involvement”.
As Moles announces its closure, the Matchstick Piehouse venue in Deptford, South London - home to renowned artist collective and night Steam Down - has launched a crowdfunding campaign. It needs to raise £35,000 by 24 Dec to cover COVID-related rent arrears or face closure. Donate here.
