Mark Davyd: Last News

A post shared by The Old Red Bus Station (@theoldredbusstation)“Coupled with no option to secure a long term lease, it is simply infeasible to continue operating.”Grassroots venues in the UK are under unprecedented pressure. Last year, the Music Venue Trust (MVT) delivered their full report into the state of the sector for 2023, showing the “disaster” facing live music with venues closing at a rate of around two per week.The Trust then presented their findings at Westminster, and continued to echo calls for a £1 levy on tickets for gigs at arena size and above.In 2023, following the closure of legendary Bath music venue Moles, MVT CEO Mark Davyd explained the threat facing the UK’s live music scene in greater detail, and told NME that the live music industry was “interested in making money but not in the ecosystem.”“Anybody in this country who understands live music is absolutely stunned that the industry doesn’t think that matters,” he said.

Coldplay‘s upcoming 2025 shows in Hull are set to go on sale this week – and they will be priced affordably via their ‘Infinity Tickets’ scheme.In September, the band revealed that ticket options for their two-day engagement at Hull’s Craven Park Stadium include a limited set of ‘Infinity Tickets’, which are priced at £20 per ticket but limited to two per purchaser – and they must be bought in pairs.Now, per Hull Daily Mail, the band will release another batch of ‘Infinity Tickets’ this Friday (November 22) at 12pm UK time via Ticketmaster. There is no indication if this batch will be the last ‘Infinity Tickets’ available to Hull fans, neither have the band hinted at other potential future ticket sale opportunities.10 per cent of the band’s proceeds from the shows will also be donated to the Music Venue Trust – helping to keep UK grassroots music venues open and fighting for the survival and development of upcoming artists.

the BBC. “Those conversations are ongoing, so it’s actually really interesting to see a really positive local solution being developed in this area,” he said.Earlier this year, a government committee of UK MPs recommended a levy on arena and stadium gigs, similar to schemes used by the Premier League in football and in other countries to support venues amid a difficult economic climate in which venues are closing at a rate of around two per week.

their website, which will allow you to buy tickets 24 hours in advance.A post shared by Amber’s (@ambers.club)In a statement, a representative from the venue said: “At Amber’s we want the music, sound and vibe to be the reason you come back. We aim to bring some of the best artists in the world to our club, to play at an affordable price point, with the focus on brilliant music and sound, every single week.”Amber’s opening comes at a time of crisis for UK venues and follows the recent news that North West England suffered the worst music venue closures in the country last year.

Coldplay have announced details of huge stadium shows in London and Hull for next year – marking the band’s only UK and European shows of 2025 and promising 10 per cent of their proceeds to Music Venue Trust. Check out dates and ticket details below.The band first teased the news over the weekend with posters in the Dublin Castle in Camden – the location of the band’s first gig under then name ‘The Coldplay’.

Oasis have updated fans hoping to buy tickets in the private ballot for their final Wembley Stadium reunion shows tomorrow (September 14).There was unprecedented demand for the Britpop legends’ comeback tour next summer, involving fans being held in online queues for hours (with many being kicked out of line with Ticketmaster’s systems believing them to be ticket tout bots). A press release later confirmed that over 10million fans from 158 countries attempted to get tickets, meaning ticket platforms struggled to cope.In addition, there was controversy over price hikes associated with dynamic pricing, leading to hundreds of fans complaining to the Advertising Standards Agency (with investigations suggested by the UK government and the European Commission).Politicians like Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy also weighed in, calling for a review of the policy and secondary ticket sites.

launched a Crowdfunder in a bid to raise £2500 to “hit the ground running”. The money will “help us make the shop beautiful, and jump-start plans for the interior decorating, as well as stocking the shelves with as many killer records as they can fit.”They went on: “Overall we’ve donated around £10ks worth of equipment, records, and cash, but helping us get up and running faster will mean a wider range of genres on the shelves from day one, allowing us to diversify the selection of styles available and create a space with something for everyone.”A post shared by Grub Records (@grub.records)Among those involved in the launch of the space are Apricot Ballroom, Control, Groundwork, Footprints Jazz Club, Mondo Radio, and DJ duo Wow & Flutter.Grub Records is bucking the UK-wide trend that has seen numerous small venues forced to close for financial reasons – there are just 835 music venues left in the UK, with a new study from A2D2 showing that 19 closed last year in the North West of England alone, followed by 17 in London.In December, Mark Davyd, the CEO of the Music Venues Trust (MVT), told NME that 2023 had been the “worst year ever for venue closures,” while a report from the Trust earlier this year showed that grassroots venues are facing a “disaster”.But there are still some positive stories too – like Grub Records.

#Euro2024 pic.twitter.com/DvvYiLDv27— Music Venue Trust (@musicvenuetrust) July 6, 2024“They nurture young talent at a grassroots level, and support finding it in every corner and community, so that every kid – from every walk of life – has a chance to walk out onto the biggest stage and do what they do best.“The simple question is: Why can’t we have the same for music that they have for football?” it added. “A £1 levy on stadium and arena tickets for concerts would generate millions of pounds of vital income to ensure that the UK keeps creating national heroes.”The simple question is: Why can’t we have the same for music, that they have for football..? A £1 levy on stadium and arena tickets for concerts would generate millions of pounds of vital income to ensure that the UK keeps creating national heroes.

one of the venues that faced pressure from the Music Venue Trust (MVT) last year to invest back into grassroots music spaces or else not be allowed to open.Back in February 2023, the MVT shared its 2022 annual report, which highlighted the grave danger that venues and UK face without urgent action. It showed that audience numbers were at 89 per cent of their 2019 level at about 21million, and urged for larger venues to invest back into grassroots spaces to keep the UK’s live music scene afloat.It was one of eight new arenas proposed to be built and opened in the UK at the time, including Manchester’s now-opened Co-op Live.

A post shared by Tunbridge Wells Forum (@twforum)Recently, it was announced Alien Ant Farm and CKY had become the first American band to add a £1 ticket levy to their UK tours.It follows a similar move by Enter Shikari last year; last May, the band shared details of a 2024 run of UK tour dates, where £1 from each ticket sold was donated to the Music Venue Trust.Other companies have launched similar initiatives. Independent ticketing company Skiddle announced in October it would donate 50p of every ticket sold towards saving grassroots music venues, while taxi firm FREENOW pledged to donate £1 from every ride to the cause.Ticketmaster have introduced a Music Venue Trust charity upsell option, enabling fans to make direct contributions to MVT when purchasing tickets.

stand-up performances from Peter Kay on April 23 and 24. Following a test event with Rick Astley, however, the comedian’s gigs were postponed until April 29 and 30 due to a failed power test.A Black Keys gig that was scheduled for April 27 later had to be pushed back to May 15, and the Kay dates were delayed for the second time.Last night (May 1), A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s concert was cancelled at the last minute because of a “venue-related technical issue” before it was confirmed that Olivia Rodrigo’s shows at the Co-Op Live this Friday and Saturday (May 3, 4) had been postponed.

BBC, Mark Davyd (CEO of the Music Venue Trust) said he was to meet with the Co-Op Live once the venue was up and running. The meeting comes amongst the furore with Co-Op Live’s executive director Gary Roden, who suggested some grassroots venues were “poorly run” whilst discussing the case for a £1 ticket levy to preserve them.Davyd later criticised Roden’s comments, pointing out the average age of the artists booked to play at the venue was 52: “The average length of time it takes for a British artist to be booked to headline the Coop Live Arena from the date of the release of their first album is 30 (THIRTY) years.

NME that comments made by Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena about grassroots venues are “disrespectful and disingenuous”.Earlier this week, the executive director of the major new 23,500 capacity venue said that some smaller venues in the UK are “poorly run” and dismissed calls for a £1 ticket levy on all gigs arena-sized and above.Gary Roden told the BBC he believes the levy is “too simplistic”, and says it should fall on the government rather than major arenas to support the live music ecosystem.“If the conversation stops being ‘Give me a quid’ and quite aggressive – if it changed to be, ‘What can we do together to help?’, that’s where I think we start to get into that apprenticeship conversation and all those different things that we want to work through,” he said.In response, Mark Davyd, CEO of the Music Venue Trust, has told NME that he believes Roden’s comments are “disrespectful and disingenuous”, while also highlighting the irony of making such “ill-judged, unnecessary and misleading” remarks on the week that their own venue was forced to postpone their own launch, due to a number of logistical problems.“It is regrettable that the owners of Co-Op Live have consistently declined invitations to engage properly in the discussion about the future of the UK’s live music ecosystem so that the team there could have a full understanding of the challenges and issues facing the grassroots music sector, venues, artists and promoters,” Davyd said.“This lack of willingness to play a role in that ecosystem unfortunately leads them to make ill-judged and poorly considered comments about the sector’s approach to the discussions, the professionalism of the people running the venues, the possibility for [Co-Op Live commercial partner]

BBC recently, where he discussed the proposed £1 ticket levy on all gigs arena-sized and above, to help secure the future of grassroots venues and artists.Roden said that he was “very aware it’s a hot topic”, and that he was “embracing the conversation”, but that he believed the levy was “too simplistic”.The report suggests that he thinks support should come directly from the government, and added that while he acknowledges the financial pressures on small venues, he thinks some of them are poorly run.“If the conversation stops being ‘Give me a quid’ and quite aggressive – if it changed to be, ‘What can we do together to help?’, that’s where I think we start to get into that apprenticeship conversation and all those different things that we want to work through,” he said.“We’ve got a list of ideas that we’re currently forming, and I think once we’ve been open six months or a year, we’ll be really able to add something very significant to the grassroots system in Manchester.”2/521.7% of all the shows will be performed by artists over retirement age. 8.6% of all the shows will be performed by artists under the age of 30.

Frank Turner has announced his attempt to break the record for the most shows played in 24 hours in honour of the Music Venue Trust.In celebration of his upcoming 3,000th show and the release of his 10th album ‘Undefeated’ on May 3, Turner will attempt to play 15 shows of minimum 20-minute sets on May 4. Sponsored by taxi app FREENOW, Turner will travel circa 500 miles to play shows from Liverpool to Southampton.Turner says of his challenge: “With nearly 3000 shows under my belt, I’ve never been one to do things by halves or shirk a challenge – I once played all 50 American states in 50 days, for goodness sake.

full report into the state of the sector for 2023, showing the “disaster” facing live music with venues closing at a rate of around two per week. Presented at Westminster, the MVT echoed their calls for a levy on tickets on gigs at arena size and above and for major labels and such to pay back into the grassroots scene, arguing that “the big companies are now going to have to answer for this”.The Featured Artists Coalition – a trade union body representing the needs of musicians and artists in the UK – then wrote to NME to argue that while the survival of venues is “essential”, any kind of ‘Premier League’ model to be adopted by the industry needs to take into account keeping creators in pocket and being able to exist, as well as ways to open up the world of music to different genres, backgrounds and audiences.“What good is it keeping venues open if artists can’t afford to perform in them?” asked FAC CEO David Martin.Now the debate has been taken to the UK government, after last Tuesday (March 26) saw the Culture Media & Sport Committee hold evidence sessions with figures from across the industry to see what can be done.“The first impact we need to realise is that is 125 communities that have lost access to live music on their doorstep,” Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd told the hearing.

Oasis‘ debut UK tour, it’s been revealed that only six of the venues they played remain open today.In a new report from the BBC, nine of the 15 venues from Oasis’ 1994 tour for ‘Supersonic’ have now stopped putting on gigs or have closed. This includes the recently shut Moles in Bath, which closed last December after a 45-year run.

Glastonbury line-up poster has been edited to remove every artist that started their career in grassroots venues – and hardly any names are left standing.The first taste of the festival’s 2024 line-up was shared on Thursday (March 14), with Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA topping the bill.But as revealed by the Music Venue Trust’s edit of the poster on social media, the vast majority of the dozens of names announced so far started their careers coming through the small music venues that now find themselves straining under unbearable pressure in the UK in 2024.Yesterday I was read a quote from a senior figure in the live music industry which ran as follows: “We don’t see any problems in the pipeline for developing the next Ed Sheeran's etc due to grassroots music venues closing, the headliners are still coming”I call bullshit. https://t.co/vGe4RlBUIx— Mark Davyd (@markdavyd) March 16, 2024Only names such as Nigerian afrobeats superstar Burna Boy, the K-pop group SEVENTEEN and Camila Cabello, who rose to fame on the US version of The X Factor, remain when the direct beneficiaries of grassroots venues are taken away.Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd commented on the edited poster, writing on X/Twitter: “Yesterday I was read a quote from a senior figure in the live music industry which ran as follows: ‘We don’t see any problems in the pipeline for developing the next Ed Sheerans etc.

Muse, Stormzy, Lewis Capaldi, Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa.“The MTV EMAs is one of the biggest global music celebrations, bringing together local and international artists to create iconic performances for fans around the world,” said Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events, Paramount, and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount+. “With music at the very heart of Manchester’s rich creative heritage, this vibrant city – with the state-of-the-art Co-op Live – will guarantee a supercharged 2024 show.”Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, added: “As a city that is known the world over for our legendary music scene, MTV could not have picked a better place for this year’s EMAs.“With the expertise, experience and reputation we also have for delivering successful, world-class events, we’re confident Manchester will provide a superb platform for the best MTV EMAs yet, and look forward to welcoming MTV and the global music community to our city for what is set to be an epic celebration of music and artists.

UK Music, which is the collective voice of the UK music industry, has urged Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to cut VAT in the spring Budget to throw the sector a “vital lifeline” and save venues that are threatened by closure.Tom Kiehl, UK Music’s Interim Chief Executive, has asked Hunt to use his Budget next Wednesday (March 6) to lower the current 20 per cent VAT rate on tickets to 10 per cent as a “boost for consumers, music professionals and venues”.The request to slash VAT is among the recommendations that UK Music has made to the Government in its Budget submission, which outlines the support the sector needs to grow (read it in full here).Currently, music fans in the UK must pay 20 per cent VAT on their tickets – almost double the EU average (10.3 per cent) and around triple the rate in countries like Belgium (six per cent) and Germany (seven per cent). ‌ The 20 per cent rate is the third highest rate of cultural ticketing in Europe. Gig-goers pay more tax on UK tickets than anywhere else in Europe, except Denmark and Lithuania.The calls come amid growing concerns for the future of grassroots venues.

Peter Kay has been announced as the opening act at the UK’s new largest indoor arena in Manchester.The Bolton comedian will perform on the opening night of the 23,500-capacity venue at Co-op Live on April 23.Liam Gallagher, Take That, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and Keane have also been announced to perform at the venue in the coming months.Co-op general manager Gary Roden said Kay was the “perfect” opening act for the venue, who “embodies what this city is about” (via BBC).. @peterkay_co_uk will be the first act to perform at Co-op Live, the UK’s largest live entertainment arena, on 23 April 2024!Tickets on sale 10am Friday 23rd Feb✨https://t.co/Ffro2jrrJb pic.twitter.com/dZbWWal9IW— Co-op Live (@TheCoopLive) February 19, 2024“When you think of Manchester, it’s hard not to think of Peter Kay,” Roden said.