Grassroots music charity refreshes board as venues face ‘extraordinary pressure’

Music Venue Trust (MVT) has named CHRIS PROSSER and JANE BEESE as co-chairs and welcomed MADELEINE BLYTH as a new trustee as it seeks to strengthen its leadership in anticipation of a tough year for grassroots music venues.

Currently interim co-chair, Prosser is a founding member of the board and previously served as chair from MVT’s inception in 2014 until September 2019. He is the founder and publisher of IQ magazine, director of Music Venue Properties, and chief revenue officer for International Live Music Conference.

A trustee since September 2023, Beese is head of contemporary music at Southbank Centre and programme consultant at Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. She was previously director of music at Manchester International Festival and head of music at Roundhouse.

Blyth is a placemaking and town centre partnerships specialist currently working as programme lead at Platform Places. She has also worked as investment manager at the Architectural Heritage Fund.

MVT’s 2025 Annual Report, set for publication on 21st January 2026, will present data drawn from the organisation’s most extensive sector survey to date, covering 801 grassroots music venues across the UK.

“As we prepare for what will be an enormously challenging year for grassroots music, it has never been more important for MVT to draw on the full breadth of experience, commitment, and strategic thinking across our board,” said BEVERLEY WHITRICK, chief operating officer of MVT.

The appointees, said Whitrick, will strengthen MVT’s “ability to advocate effectively for the venues, artists, and communities who depend on this essential cultural network”.

Prosser said: “Our grassroots venues remain under extraordinary pressure, and MVT’s role in supporting and defending them has never been more vital.
We know what needs to be done, now it’s about securing the change that keeps these spaces alive.”