Music Venue Trust urge industry to show love for venues with new campaign

Music Venue Trust urge industry to show love for venues with new campaign

Posted on: 02 Jul 2020

The organisation are stepping up efforts to safeguard grassroots music venues across the UK.

 

The Music Venue Trust, in partnership with the Concert Promoters Association and a coalition of live music businesses, has launched a new campaign, #LetTheMusicPlay, to highlight the importance of the live music sector to the UK economy. 

 

The campaign asks people to share on social media a film or photo of the last gig they played or saw with the hashtag #LetTheMusicPlay, as a push to get people talking about the uncertain futures facing of hundreds of venues. 

 

Now, artists, promoters, venue owners, promoters and music fans are taking to social media to show love for live music, picking out favourite gigs and recalling on-stage highlights.

 

 

The Music Venue Trust hopes that the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign will build support for grassroots venues, force the issue and put pressure on the government to establish a sector-specific support package for the music industry.


"UK live music has been one of the UK’s biggest social, cultural, and economic successes of the past decade, with venues, concerts, and festivals supporting 210,000 jobs across the country and adding £4.5bn to the economy in 2019," the campaign website explains

 

"But with no end to social distancing in sight or financial support from government yet agreed, the future for venues, concerts and festivals and the hundreds of thousands of people who work in them looks bleak.

 

"Until these businesses can operate again, which is likely to be 2021 at the earliest, government support will be crucial to prevent mass insolvencies and the end of this world-leading industry."

 

The campaign follows last week's publication of an open letter from the Trust, signed by 560 venues across the country, urging the government to take proper measures to safeguard hundreds of at-risk spaces.

#LetTheMusicPlay.

Working tirelessly to support and raise awareness for grassroots venues in the UK during the coronavirus crisis, the Music Venue Trust identified as many as 556 venues at "imminent risk of closure" with the launch of their #SaveOurVenues campaign back in April.

 

Since then, several Bristol venues including The Old England, The Lousiana and The Mother's Ruin have joined the #SaveOurVenues campaign, launching their own crowdfunders and appeals to the public.

 

For news and updates on the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign, or to find out more about how you can support your local music scene, follow the Music Venue Trust on Facebook and Twitter.


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Article by:

Matt Robson

 

Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
 

Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.