140 grassroots music venues are being removed from the ‘critical’ list following the #saveourvenues campaign initiated by the Music Venue Trust, which has so far raised over £1.5m in donations. But MVT points out that the money doesn’t mean these venues are protected permanently, and is calling for more music industry donations and governmental intervention, particularly around the issue of the rent relief for grassroots music venue tenants.
Describing the progress so far as “a good start”, Mark Davyd, founder and CEO of MVT said, “…we are not complacent as this is only a relatively short-term fix. Whilst the immediate threat of closure for these venues has been halted they are still under real threat in the coming months, as are over 400 others…we still have a mountain to climb to secure the long-term future of this sector.”
As well as providing financial support, MVT’s crisis intervention team has also been providing legal and planning advice, liaising with landlords and helping venues navigate through bureaucratic processes to access help.