LIVE Trust ready to receive donations and support grassroots music

After many months of planning and preparation, including registering with the Charity Commission, the LIVE Trust is now up and running as a transformative new funding initiative to deliver much needed financial support to those working across live music – artists, venue operators, promoters, festival organisers and more.

Established by and acting on behalf of the live music industry, which contributes £6.1bn to the UK economy while employing 230,000 people, the LIVE Trust will place funding where it is most needed with an initial focus on the grassroots music sector.  The LIVE Trust will receive its funding from a voluntary contribution of £1 per ticket from arena and stadium shows with a capacity of over 5000.  In part, the LIVE Trust is our response to the calls for support that have come from MPs, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee (in their report on Grassroots Music Venues) and the Government.   

The LIVE Trust has three founding Trustees – Steve Lamacq MBE, the Chair of LIVE, Kirsty McShannon, Azorra and James Ainscough, Royal Albert Hall.  Additional trustees will be appointed in the coming months to ensure diverse representation from all elements of live music.  Funding strategy will be set on a periodic basis by these trustees, with input from LIVE and the wider UK live music sector.

Jon Collins CEO of LIVE said, “The launch of The LIVE Trust marks a significant step change in how the grassroots live music sector will be supported moving forward.  By putting in place a robust infrastructure that can receive and allocate the financial resources needed to support the survival of this vital part of the music ecosystem we have responded to the appeals of the grassroots sector and the recommendations of the CMS Report that asked us to implement tangible and workable solutions.  We would like to thank all of our members for their hard work in making this bold and ambitious plan a reality.”

More information on the Trust can be found here and if you would like to get involved then email livetrust@livemusic.biz

LIVE sets out strategic vision for 2025

Building on the success of its last policy manifesto, LIVE has now issued an ambitious Policy Platform for 2025 which outlines clear asks of Government to unleash the economic potential of the UK’s £6bn live music industry.  Building on our achievements in 2024 and collaborative partnership established with UK Government, LIVE is committed to embedding the live music sector as a critical economic and cultural driver, while galvanising the industry around key priorities that align with the Government’s growth missions.

The six areas of policy focus for LIVE in 2025 are: 

• Kickstarting growth – Strengthening the live music sector and wider economy
• Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity – Addressing the damage to EU touring post-Brexit
• Ensuring a safer Britain – Making Martyn’s Law work for everyone
• Making the UK a Clean Energy Superpower – A Sustainable Live Music Sector
• Delivering robust regulation of the secondary ticketing market 
• Implementing and establishing the LIVE Trust 

Jon Collins, CEO of LIVE said, “We remain a trusted partner of Government and are pleased that there is a clear understanding of the challenges facing the live music industry, alongside the economic potential we have to drive the Industrial Strategy and generate growth. At the same time, there remains a lot more that can be done to relieve the pressure on our sector and as such we will continue to act as a critical friend that will hold those in power to account while promoting policies that align with the Government’s desire to kickstart economic growth, break down barriers to opportunity, ensure a safer Britain, and make the UK a clean energy superpower.”

Government unveils plan to boost creative industries and turbocharge growth

LIVE joined businesses from across the creative industries at a major economic growth summit in Gateshead at which the Government set out its plans to drive growth in our sector.  LIVE welcomed this first step towards delivering a Sector Plan, as part of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy.  Included in these proposals were funding commitments for both grassroots music and international touring.  Commenting on the Government’s plans, Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy MP said, “From film and fashion to music and advertising, our creative industries are truly world-class and play a critical role in helping us deliver on this Government’s mission to drive economic growth in all parts of the UK.  Our £60 million funding boost will support creative and cultural organisations across the UK to turbocharge growth by transforming local venues, creating jobs, supporting businesses and spreading opportunity across the country.  But this is by no means the limit of our ambitions, which is why the creative industries are at the heart of the forthcoming Industrial Strategy and will continue to play a key part in this Government’s Plan for Change.”

Members Updates
 

AFEM Presents: Bandcamp 101

• Wednesday, January 29 at 4:30pm GMT AFEM Presents BANDCAMP 101 - How to earn money and build an audience on the award-winning D2C marketplace. Bandcamp’s European Artist & Label Rep Aly Gillani will guide you through the basics of being on the platform as well as providing tips and tricks for those looking to improve their presence on the site. Subjects covered will include: accessing the Bandcamp community, page design, listening parties, release strategies and pitching to editorial. Followed by an opportunity for Q&A's.

RSVP: this webinar is open to everyone- https://www.universe.com/events/afem-presents-bandcamp-101-tickets-1DGRT6

Featured Artist Coalition

• Next week! FAC 101: Funding your artist projects with PRS Foundation: PRS Foundation's, Hannah Bashir-Eviston, Grants Coordinator will explain the funding available and how to apply.
• Keep Up With Step Up: January 1.0: Each month, the FAC bring you updates on the incredible achievements of their Step Up Fund, powered by Amazon Music awardees.
• Our CEO, David Martin, and FAC Board Director Jeremy Pritchard, bassist of Everything Everything, spoke to The i Paper about artists income.
• Grassroots artists & levy discussed in House of Commons:  Dame Caroline Dinenage, Chair of the Select Committee, and Chris Bryant, Minister for Culture, discussed the grassroots crisis, the potential for statutory intervention and the need to support artists, in the House of Commons.

The Musicians Union 

• The MU are recruiting for a part-time Music Writers Officer to join their Live, Theatre & Music Writers Department. The role can be carried out from anywhere in the UK with hybrid working from home and one of their MU Offices. The role requires an applied knowledge of songwriters' and composers' contracts and agreements, and the successful candidate will provide a dedicated, focused support for Music Writers enquiries and campaigns. 

Music Venue Trust

• Yesterday evening, Music Venue Trust launched their Annual Report 2024 in the House of Commons, bringing together key figures from both the music industry and government to mark the occasion. The event featured a standout performance from Kate Nash, providing a perfect backdrop to the discussion around the ongoing challenges facing grassroots music venues and the rest of the sector.
• Key findings from the report include a record 200 emergency response service cases resolved in 2024 by MVT's Venue Support Team, an 18.9% increase from 2023, representing 24.9% of the MVA seeking support. Financially, the sector continues to face challenges, with sector income from live music standing at £113.6 million, while total expenditure reached £275.7 million, resulting in a subsidy gap of £162 million, up from £114.8 million in 2023.
• The report also reveals a significant decline in touring infrastructure, with the number of cities and towns on the primary/secondary circuit dropping from 28 in 1994 to just 12 in 2024.

The Annual Report 2024 is now available to read here.