The live music industry has paid tribute to production stalwart Dave Keighley, who passed away on 9 June.

Keighley, who is survived by his wife Della and their two children, enjoyed a distinguished 40-year career in lighting, design and production.

He was a key player in the formation of the UK’s Production Services Association (PSA) in the late 80s, alongside other well-known industry names. He served as Chairman of the association up until May 2024, when he retired due to ill health.

He also led several high-profile companies during his career, including LSD, PRG Europe, Syncrolite LLC and SGM Lighting, and served as a member of the LIVE board since its inception.

“Over many decades, Dave continued to promote, support and advocate for the Association’s work representing those who work in live event production,” reads a tribute from PSA. “Dave was an inspiration to many, he was a visionary, a straight talker and was well-respected throughout our industry and will be missed.”

PRG Europe, where Keighley served as managing director from 1998 to 2008, added: “Dave played a pivotal role in shaping the future of our company. His leadership and vision were instrumental in supporting PRG’s acquisition of Light and Sound Design, and he was a key figure in leading the procurement and transition to our head office in Longbridge, a move that has had a lasting impact on our operations and culture.

“He will be remembered not only for his professional achievements but also for the integrity and warmth he brought to the industry”

It continued: “Dave’s passion, dedication, and influence have left a lasting legacy at PRG. He will be remembered not only for his professional achievements but also for the integrity and warmth he brought to the industry and to those who had the privilege of working with him.”

UK trade body LIVE, meanwhile, heralded Keighley as a “pillar of the live music and production community”.

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dave Keighley, a much-loved and long-standing member of the LIVE Board since its inception,” reads a statement from LIVE.

“Dave was known for his warmth, integrity and tireless commitment to our industry. He had only recently stepped down as Chairman of the PSA, having dedicated so much of his life to supporting and championing those behind the scenes.

“His wisdom, humour and unwavering passion will be profoundly missed by all of us at LIVE and by the countless people he inspired throughout his remarkable career.”

ILMC MD Greg Parmley, who worked with Keighley during his time spearheading LIVE, added: “Dave’s passing is a great loss for the business. He was a huge advocate for the sector, always willing to help, always happy to get stuck in and do the right thing for the PSA and its members. We’ve lost a rare individual who put so many before himself.”

John Probyn, head of live production Europe at Solotech and group director of event operations at FAB, commented: “Another industry legend lost. Lots of fun back in the day with Nadia Catherine and oversized flags! RIP Dave thanks for all the fun and the help you gave me.”

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Fan-to-fan ticket exchange Tixel has announced an ongoing contribution in aid of the LIVE Trust to support the UK’s grassroots network.

The Trust recently announced it had garnered more than £500,000 (€587,000) in pledges since launching in January, with artists including Pulp, Diana Ross, Mumford and Sons and Hans Zimmer having voluntarily agreed to make ticket contributions from their UK tours.

Now, Tixel has confirmed a £1 LIVE Trust Contribution will be automatically included at checkout on all transactions on the resale platform for shows at UK venues with capacities above 5,000, with 100% of funds donated directly to the Trust.

“A thriving grassroots music sector is vital to a sustainable, successful music industry,” says Matt Kaplan, director of UK/EU at Tixel. “Particularly at the grassroots level, venues, artists, festivals, and promoters have been feeling the pinch of inflation and increased production costs. With more independent venues and festivals closing and operating at a loss each year, financial support is essential to surviving this crisis.

“We applaud LIVE, and the various other organisations who are working hard to implement support programmes on-the-ground, for stepping up and keeping the sustainability of live music today and tomorrow on the public agenda.”

A spokesperson for Tixel confirms to IQ the £1 contribution will apply to all events, not just those involving artists who have made pledges.

The price-capped marketplace, which was founded in Australia in 2018, launched its UK operation in 2021, has also made a £20,000 donation to LIVE.

“Tixel is leading the way in establishing long-term, sustainable funding streams for our sector”

“Through Tixel’s partnerships with over 250 UK promoters, venues, and artists, we helped to maximise ticket sales and attendance to over 2,300 local events last year, while protecting fans from ticket touts and scalpers,” adds Kaplan. “Introducing the new LIVE Trust Contribution will increase our impact.”

LIVE CEO Jon Collins commends the company for “leading the way” by becoming the first ticketing firm to introduce a blanket levy.

“Tixel’s generous support of LIVE will help underpin our wider work programme, our LIVE Talks, LIVE Workforce and LIVE Green initiatives do so much to improve the operating environment for all at the grassroots,” says Collins. “By supplementing the donation with the £1 LIVE Trust contribution, Tixel is leading the way in establishing long-term, sustainable funding streams for our sector. This money will go straight to programmes supporting community-based music venues and festivals, artists and promoters.

“Tixel’s progressive attitude and willingness to act are so welcome in these challenging times. We hope others in the industry will follow their lead as, collectively, we can drive impactful and lasting change across the industry.”

Earlier this month, UK culture minister Chris Bryant said the live business had made “substantial progress” on a voluntary ticket levy and ruled out the need for government intervention.

“We’re very clear that we would [implement legislation] if this weren’t to be proceeding – but it is proceeding,” he said. “We’ve got to where I hope we would get to by now. I’d like us to go a bit faster over the next phase. I’d like more people to sign up.”

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Trade bodies have given mixed reactions to the EU touring announcement in today’s UK-EU summit in London.

For the first time since the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with António Costa (President of the European Council) and Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission) to establish a new strategic partnership, which briefly addressed the barriers to touring in the EU.

“The European Commission and the United Kingdom recognise the value of travel and cultural and artistic exchanges, including the activities of touring artists,” reads point 15 of the Common Understanding document. “They will continue their efforts to support travel and cultural exchange.”

Trade bodies have dubbed the acknowledgement a “positive first step” but have called for “concrete commitments” to promote and facilitate touring.

“Labour made a clear manifesto pledge to fix this, and we expect to see it upheld”

“There’s a positive tone to the agenda document, and it’s good that the value of UK-EU artistic and cultural exchange is being recognised,” says MMF CEO Annabella Coldrick. “But we need to move beyond that now – and quickly – to agree on concrete changes that promote and facilitate live touring. The worry is that this just kicks the issue down the road without actual commitments being made by either party.”

FAC CEO David Martin called today’s announcement “deeply disappointing” and said it offers “no light for touring artists”.

He continued: “For UK talent, touring Europe isn’t a luxury — it’s vital to building sustainable careers and supporting the two-way cultural exchange that defines our industry and shared history. Labour made a clear manifesto pledge to fix this, and we expect to see it upheld. Urgent action is needed to address this glaring omission and ensure artists can keep connecting with audiences across the continent.”

UK Music CEO Tom Kiehl adds: “Commitments made to support cultural exchange for touring artists are an important first step on the road to what we hope will ultimately become a new deal between the EU and UK. Musicians and crew effectively suffered a “no-deal Brexit” once the UK left the EU and it is high time this is tackled. Labour was elected on a manifesto to help touring artists and while we seek more concrete commitments, we welcome their efforts to ensure it is included in these important discussions.”

“While we seek more concrete commitments, we welcome their efforts”

LIVE CEO Jon Collins echoed Kiehl’s sentiments, commenting: “It is significant that this issue made it into the readout from such a wide-ranging summit. Both sides clearly understand the economic and cultural benefits that would flow from improved touring arrangements. We have regular meetings with officials to work up solutions and a meeting with minister Nick Thomas Symonds, who only last month reaffirmed his commitment to delivering for live music, in the coming weeks”

Last week, musicians and industry leaders from the UK and Europe joined forces to demand urgent action to remove the barriers to touring across the EU.

In an open letter to Starmer, Costa and von der Leyen, they outlined how the barriers of soaring costs and red tape mean “audiences, artists and venues in the EU and UK are missing out on the enormous benefits which closer cultural exchange would bring”.

Among the supporters of the letter, signed by more than 550 individuals and organisations, are Blur drummer, Dave Rowntree, British mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly, broadcaster and LIVE chair Steve Lamacq, British conductor Sir Mark Elder and British oboist and conductor Nicholas Daniel, OBE.

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UK trade body LIVE has announced that its recently launched LIVE Trust has already garnered over £500,000 (€587k) in pledges.

Launched in January 2025, the Trust is designed to channel funds raised via arena and stadium tours to support the grassroots ecosystem.

Artists including Pulp, Diana Ross, Mumford and Sons and Hans Zimmer have pledged ticket contributions from their UK tours.

“What this demonstrates is that there is a real appetite from performers and their teams to support the wider live ecosystem”

The LIVE Trust receives funding from a voluntary contribution of £1 per ticket from arena and stadium shows with a capacity of over 5,000.

The Trust, overseen by a panel of industry experts, then sets a funding strategy to support artists, venues, festivals or promoters working in the UK’s grassroots music sector.

“This is a welcome milestone for The LIVE Trust and marks a very significant contribution to the grassroots live music sector,” says Jon Collins, CEO of LIVE.

“What this demonstrates is that there is a real appetite from performers and their teams to support the wider live ecosystem and we applaud and thank those that have already taken this initiative. Whilst this is an excellent start there is still much work to do if we are to convince government that a voluntary rather than statutory levy is both workable and sustainable.”

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The UK live music industry has come out strongly in favour of a price cap on resale tickets as the government’s consultation into the secondary market draws to a close.

But ahead of Friday’s deadline (4 April) IQ understands there is no consensus on the acceptable level of resale uplift the UK business will recommend. The government previously indicated it would be looking to cap resale at 10% above face value, but sought views on levels ranging from no uplift at all to 30%.

The long-anticipated consultation was initiated back in January, with the government vowing to “tackle greedy touts and give power back to fans”. Interested parties including fans, ticketing platforms and the wider live events sector were invited to submit responses.

Jonathan Brown, CEO of the Society of Ticket Retailers (STAR), says the organisation supports a “consumer-first approach” to resale.

“We back a capped resale model that already operates effectively in the UK, enabling genuine fans to resell tickets they can’t use, while preventing the kind of speculative profiteering that distorts the market,” he says. “A mandated price cap will help remove the incentive for touts to purchase tickets at scale for resale and therefore reduce bot attacks, protect consumers, and ensure fairer access to events.

“However, any new legislation needs to be backed with agile, responsive and effective enforcement, including against offshore resellers and platforms seeking to ignore UK law.”

“Ticketmaster welcomes any action to protect fans and support the live industry”

Speaking to IQ, Ticketmaster UK MD Andrew Parsons says the company is committed to making ticketing “simple and transparent”.

“Since 2018, our resale service has been capped at the original price paid, providing fans a safe place to sell tickets they can’t use right up to the event date,” he says. “This ensures as many people as possible can go and, as we all know, packed venues benefit not just performers, and the venues themselves, but also the local economy.

“We support proposals to introduce an industry-wide resale price cap, backed by a strong regulatory regime and enforcement. Ticketmaster welcomes any action to protect fans and support the live industry.”

AXS UK MD Chris Lipscomb stresses that the firm “supports any effort that helps get tickets into the hands of real fans at fair prices”. “To that end, we limit resale in the UK to 10% above price paid,” he notes.

Richard Davies, founder of ethical resale business Twickets, says the company “strongly supports” a cap on resale ticket prices.

“We’ve consistently upheld a strict policy of reselling tickets only at face value plus original booking fee to counteract exploitative practices prevalent in the secondary market,” says Davies. “We see no validity in allowing any mark up on the original price paid by the customer.

“The new legal obligations placed on resale platforms will mean a step toward protecting genuine fans and fostering fairness within the ticketing ecosystem. While inflated resale prices are undeniably problematic, the excessive booking fees charged by secondary platforms compound the issue further.”

“As ever, there are details to be hammered out, but we are right behind the broad thrust”

Jon Collins, CEO of UK trade body LIVE, points out that research carried out for the group by market research agency Opinium showed that just 12% of the 2,000 members of public surveyed opposed the idea of a cap.

“LIVE fully supports government action in this space to remove touts from our sector, end ticket harvesting and see tickets in the hands of genuine fans,” he says. “As ever, there are details to be hammered out, but we are right behind the broad thrust. We are pleased to see government delivering on its manifesto commitment in this area, bringing forward measures which permit responsible and fair fan-to-fan resale, while eliminating third-party profiteering.”

O2, which sells over 1.5 million tickets per year to its customers via Priority Tickets, has been vocal in calling for a 10% price cap on resale. The firm’s Fight for Fairer Ticketing campaign partnered with Bastille singer Dan Smith last week to launch Stamp It Tout – an online hub designed to help fans navigate the ticket resale market safely.

UK watchdog the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) added its backing to a price cap last month. It stopped short of recommending a specific limit, warning of “unintended consequences, such as creating a point of price coordination for sellers”. However, it noted that proceeding with a “no uplift” option on resale would be consistent with existing legislation in Ireland and New South Wales, Australia.

According to CMA analysis, typical mark-ups on tickets sold on the secondary market are often more than 50 per cent and investigations by Trading Standards have uncovered evidence of tickets being resold for up to six times their original cost.

“The resale price should be capped at the price paid – including booking fee – with a small fixed admin fee”

Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT) director Sam Shemtob notes that talk of a UK price cap was mooted as far back as 2011 by Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ticket Abuse.

“She’s kept ticket resale as an issue throughout the years of being in opposition, and it’s fantastic that the UK could be close to a historic change in the law in this respect,” says Shemtob. “Our position is in our name – that’s to say the resale price should be capped at the price paid – including booking fee – with a small fixed admin fee chargeable on top for the platform handling the transaction.”

Other plans being considered by the government include limiting the number of tickets resellers can list to the maximum they are allowed to purchase on the primary market.

In addition, there are proposals to increase the accountability of ticket resale websites and apps, creating new legal obligations so that they can be held responsible by Trading Standards and the Competition and Market Authority for the accuracy of information they provide to fans. The government also plans to review existing legislation to strengthen consumer protection, including stronger fines and a new licensing regime for resale platforms.

Adam Webb, campaign manager for anti-touting pressure group FanFair Alliance, says the solution should be “simple, palatable and effective”. He also warns of the need to close off “all potential loopholes, and ensure offshore ‘uncapped’ ticket touting websites cannot circumvent the rules”.

“Promisingly, it feels the Competition & Markets Authority are thinking along very similar lines here, and we remain optimistic this consultation will lead to some genuinely positive outcomes,” he finishes.

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A first-of-its-kind survey has been launched to investigate reported race inequality, bias and over-policing of music events in London.

Artists, promoters and venue managers are invited to come forward and share any experiences they may have had of unfair cancellations, discriminatory licensing practices and other incidents when dealing with local authorities and the police.

Led by Black Lives in Music (BLiM), with research carried out by the Runnymede Trust, the REMEL (Race Equality In Music Events Licensing) survey is being launched with the Musicians’ Union, UK Music, LIVE and Mayor of London.

“This survey is a crucial step in driving real change in live music licensing,” says BLiM CEO Charisse Beaumont. “Through Project REMEL, we are uncovering the systemic barriers in licensing that Black and Asian artists, promoters, and venue owners have faced for too long. Barriers that have stifled artistic expression and economic growth.

“Last minute event cancellations by the police, license extensions denied, covert phone calls pressuring venue owners to cancel events and outright refusals to grant licenses based on music genres including Jazz, Bhangra, and Gospel are just some of the obstacles. It’s not just Drill music.

“These challenges don’t just impact individuals, they hold back the entire music industry. By gathering real data, we can expose these challenges, highlight best practices and push for an industry that is not just fair, but stronger, more creative and more profitable for everyone.”

Beaumont previously gave evidence to the London Assembly’s economy, culture and skills committee last September as part of an investigation into the strengths and weaknesses of the capital’s night-time leisure sector.

“We need venues, artists, promoters and decision-makers to take part and share their experiences”

BLiM has previously stated its belief that event licensing in London is still affected by racial prejudice despite the abolition of Form 696 – the controversial risk-assessment document that critics claimed discriminated against grime and other predominantly Black music, in November 2017. It alleges that Form 696’s legacy still affects the business, with events often either cancelled or subjected to onerous conditions due to racial bias.

BLiM’s new survey, which was announced today (6 February) at the Night Time Economy Summit in Birmingham, is especially keen to hear the perspective of Black, Asian and ethnically diverse participants in the sector. It is seeking to investigate the discriminatory practices in live music events licensing, particularly focusing on the lack of transparency in event cancellations, the role of police resource allocation, venue decision-making biases, and the overall impact of these factors on Black and Asian music communities.

“We need venues, artists, promoters and decision-makers to take part and share their experiences,” adds Beaumont. “Together, we can transform the live music industry into a sector where talent is nurtured, opportunities are equal, and success is accessible to all.”

The research will be used by REMEL to develop recommendations and work with all partners as part of their London Race Action Plan, councils, and the music industry to identify best practice, share learning and take action.

“As part of Project REMEL, LIVE held a roundtable that highlighted how Black, Asian and ethnically diverse artists, promoters, venues and events are consistently faced with bigger barriers than their white counterparts,” adds LIVE CEO Jon Collins. “There are clear steps that need to be taken to address this imbalance and a solid research foundation will ensure those steps are supported.

“This survey and the work of Project REMEL are of vital importance as we seek to address long term institutional discrimination and, as a result, facilitate a range of gigs, festivals and club nights that will bring economic, cultural and societal benefits.”

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The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) has established a UK Artist Touring (UKAT) Fund to distribute artist-allocated revenues collected by the recently-launched LIVE Trust.

Developed in partnership with the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and Musicians’ Union (MU), the UKAT Fund will allow acts to apply for financial support for grassroots shows, helping to reconcile and bridge short-falls in touring budgets.

Additionally, it will be open to receive one-off donations and commercial support for those who wish to invest directly in UK talent.

“The FAC has established the UKAT Fund in preparation for when the LIVE Trust becomes operational and starts to distribute revenue from the incoming ticket contributions,” says FAC CEO David Martin. “It will ensure that any funding allocated for grassroots artists can be distributed in the most effective, transparent and efficient way possible. By helping keep shows on the road, our three fundamental aims are to support artist development, boost audience engagement and help sustain the wider live music supply chain.”

Launched earlier this month, the LIVE Trust charity is designed to channel funds raised via arena and stadium tours to support the grassroots ecosystem. It will initially receive its funding from a voluntary contribution of £1 per ticket from arena and stadium shows with a capacity of over 5,000.

“The FAC’s new UKAT Fund will act as an essential part of the LIVE Trust distribution process”

The UKAT Fund will connect directly to the LIVE Trust, and act as a vehicle to receive and distribute donations to artists, amid a recent survey of 1,500 independent artists by Ditto Music where 84% of UK-based respondents said they could not currently afford to tour.

“The MMF is very excited to be backing the FAC’s fund to directly support grassroots artist touring,” says MMF CEO Annabella Coldrick. “So many artists and their managers work unpaid on loss-making tours for many years in the hope of growing a fanbase, developing their live performance and creating long term careers. They are having to make tough financial decisions to make ends meet, and in many cases artists play many fewer dates than they would like around the UK due to the upfront costs of touring.

“The FAC’s new UKAT Fund will act as an essential part of the LIVE Trust distribution process so that managers have an open and transparent mechanism in which to apply for touring support on behalf of their artists and ensure everyone is fairly paid for their work on these tours. We look forward to the fund being operational in the coming weeks and months as it is so urgently needed.”

MU general secretary Naomi Pohl adds: “We are delighted to partner with the FAC to ensure that touring artists, and the backing musicians who perform with them, are funded to do what they do best. The past five years have been extremely difficult for musicians due to Covid and the rising cost of touring, both within the UK and overseas.

“We want to make sure there is clear and transparent access to support, not only for those who book and platform artists, but for artists themselves and the huge teams they employ.”

“Momentum is building behind the LIVE Trust, and we would encourage all who are involved in arena and stadia shows to offer their support”

Jon Collins, CEO of trade body LIVE, has also given his reaction to the plans.

“Addressing the crisis in grassroots music requires all parts of the UK live music industry to play their part in generating funds, identifying solutions, and driving support to those who need it most,” he says. “As LIVE board members, we already work closely with FAC, MMF and the MU and we look forward to learning more about the UKAT Fund as plans are put in place.

“Momentum is building behind the LIVE Trust, and we would encourage all who are involved in arena and stadia shows to offer their support. Funds generated will be passed through to expert programmes such as this to maximise impact and accelerate their excellent work.”

IQ reported last month that the UK live music industry was edging towards a deal which would see more stadium and arena tours agree to include a contribution towards grassroots support after a ministerial roundtable meeting with culture minister Chris Bryant.

The government previously implored the live industry to introduce a voluntary ticket levy to support the grassroots music sector in its response to the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Select Committee’s report.

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UK trade body LIVE has launched the LIVE Trust, a charity designed to channel funds raised via arena and stadium tours to support the grassroots ecosystem.

Set up in response to high-profile campaigns across the industry, and political pressure following a Parliamentary report, the new charity will offer funding to artists, venue operators, promoters, festival organisers and others involved in the scene.

A raft of pressures across the grassroots sector has led to the loss of significant numbers of venues and festivals in recent years, while a dramatic reduction in touring has hit promoters, managers and artists hard.

The LIVE Trust says it will initially receive its funding from a voluntary contribution of £1 per ticket from arena and stadium shows with a capacity of over 5000.

IQ understands that the Trust expects some “small contributions” in the coming months, with discussions under way in relation to support from arena and stadium level tours across 2025 and 2026.

It is hoped that some funds distributed in the second half of 2025, with the funding strategy being completed in Spring 2025.

“The launch of The LIVE Trust marks a significant step change in how the grassroots live music sector will be supported moving forward”

The LIVE Trust has appointed three founding Trustees: Steve Lamacq MBE, the Chair of LIVE; Kirsty McShannon, CEO of Azorra, commercial and business affairs advisors to the live music, festivals, events and venues industry; James Ainscough, CEO of The Royal Albert Hall.

Additional trustees will be appointed in the coming months to “ensure diverse representation from all elements of live music”.

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.”

A number of existing financial support schemes run by the members of LIVE will continue to operate independently of the LIVE Trust, with the charity “augmenting and amplifying” existing schemes where they are already working well.

A number of 2025 arena and stadium tours in the UK have already committed to supporting the grassroots sector via donations to the Music Venue Trust, including Coldplay, Sam Fender and Katy Perry.

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Following a meeting with the government, IQ understands the UK live music industry is edging towards a deal which would see more stadium and arena tours agree to include a contribution towards grassroots support.

Yesterday’s ministerial roundtable meeting with culture minister Chris Bryant MP followed the government’s plea to the live industry to introduce a voluntary ticket levy to support the grassroots music sector in its response to the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Select Committee’s report.

As well as key industry representative bodies, senior figures from some of the UK’s leading promoters were in attendance, including Live Nation, AEG, SJM and Kilimanjaro Live.

“The first roundtable with the minister was the culmination of a lot of hard work by the live music sector,” said LIVE CEO Jon Collins. “Our focus now is to continue to work together to put in place a robust plan for the newly launched LIVE trust and to accelerate the process of directing much needed funding to the grassroots music sector. It was heartening to hear the minister once again endorse the government’s desire to support grassroots venues, festivals, artists and promoters.”

Music Venue Trust (MVT) founder and CEO Mark Davyd also struck an upbeat tone in the wake of yesterday’s discussion.

“We want to thank the LIVE team for all the hard work to reach a consensus on pushing ahead with the much discussed grassroots contribution from every arena and stadium ticket sold,” he said. “The meeting with minister for culture Chris Bryant was a great example of the whole ecosystem pulling together to create an outcome that, ultimately, benefits all of us working in the live industry and everyone who loves live music.”

The current direction of travel stops short of the ‘levy’ called for in various industry campaigns and focuses instead on close collaboration ahead of tours, aimed at significantly increasing the number of projects that include grassroots support.

“A grassroots music fund cannot be dependent on voluntary artist donations“

However, the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) is maintaining its call for a blanket ticket levy, having previously set out its stance in its joint open letter with the Musicians’ Union in October.

“I’d like to thank minister for culture, Chris Bryant, for engaging with the sector on the grassroots music levy,” FAC CEO David Martin tells IQ. “Whilst it’s clear that there are different perspectives within the industry on how to tackle the crisis, the minister has tasked industry representatives with demonstrating they can collectively introduce a £1 levy from large arena and stadium shows, to support grassroots artists, promoters and venues, with the objective that this approach will become blanket across all shows.

“The critical word here is levy. A grassroots music fund cannot be dependent on voluntary artist donations.  Such an opt-in ad hoc system would create uncertainty and the potential for an uneven playing field for UK artists on British soil. Furthermore, it places the burden of decision-making on individual artists rather than sharing it across the industry.

“However, we welcome the attempts to try to progress the situation. We are also pleased that the whole sector has agreed that funds distributed to artists should be equivalent to those distributed to venues, in order to stimulate vital performances and industry growth.”

Bryant said earlier this month that the government wants to see ‘tangible progress’ by the first quarter of next year to meet the timeline of increased grassroots support coming in as soon as possible for concerts in 2025. While IQ understands that the minster expressed his understanding that with many 2025 tours now announced it may take some time for new schemes to come onstream, he reiterated the threat of potential statutory action if insufficient progress is made.

MVT announced in November that it is teaming with live music advocate Save Our Scene to launch the Liveline Fund to handle donations to the grassroots ecosystem from companies, organisations and artists.

Frank Turner recently became the latest artist to donate £1 from every ticket sold for his upcoming UK tour to support local independent music venues, following similar pledges from acts such as Sam Fender, Katy Perry and Coldplay, who will donate 10% of proceeds from their 2025 stadium concerts in England to the MVT.

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Measures announced as part of the first Budget under the UK’s new Labour government have put more than 350 grassroots venues (GMVs) at risk of immediate closure, according to the Music Venue Trust (MVT).

Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her Autumn Budget in the House of Commons today (30 October) – almost four months on from Labour’s landslide general election victory.

Reeves announced £40 billion (€48bn) of tax rises, with business rates relief set to be cut from 75% to 40% from 1 April next year ahead of a planned overhaul of the system in 2026.

MVT CEO Mark Davyd has shared his disappointment the move, which he says was made in spite of extensive briefings about the negative knock-on effects on the scene, pointing out that 43% of GMVs in the UK made a loss last year.

“The immediate impact is to create a demand for £7 million in additional premises taxes from a sector that, in 2023, returned an entire gross profit across all 830 such venues in the UK of just £2.9 million,” says Davyd. “Over 350 grassroots music venues are now placed at immediate risk of closure, representing the potential loss of more than 12,000 jobs, over £250 million in economic activity and the loss of over 75,000 live music events.”

“Changes in April 2026… will be of no use for the hundreds of music venues that are now likely to be lost before this challenge is finally met”

He continues: “Simultaneously with announcing this new tax demand, the government acknowledged the faults and inequities inherent in the business rate system, promising to deliver a new lower rate of taxes on physical, hospitality and leisure premises in April 2026.

“The challenges around business rates and grassroots music venues have been known and accepted for over a decade. Changes in April 2026 are to be welcomed, but will be of no use for the hundreds of music venues that are now likely to be lost before this challenge is finally met with a full, long overdue reform.”

Davyd puts forward three possible solutions, starting off by urging the government to have a rethink and restore the 75% rate relief for GMVs. Alternatively, he argues it could create an emergency fund of up to £7m (€8.4m) that the most under-threat venues could access to meet the new tax demand.

Lastly, his third suggestion is that every GMV in the country install a temporary business rate levy of 50p (€0.60) applied to every ticket sold and used directly to meet the £7m demand until the new business rate system is installed.

“Unless the government is willing to think again, it unfortunately may be the only possible option to stop a complete collapse of live music in our communities,” he adds.

“The decision to reduce this relief will increase costs on grassroots music venues already struggling to keep their doors open”

LIVE CEO Jon Collins was less critical of Reeves’ announcement, saying the trade body recognised the chancellor had “tough choices” to make.

“We welcome the retention of business rates relief but the decision to reduce this relief will increase costs on grassroots music venues already struggling to keep their doors open,” he adds. “The live music sector is a key contributor to economic growth, generating over £6 billion in 2023, and creating positive social, cultural, and economic impact across every city, town and village in the UK. It is critical that the next Budget focuses on growth and enables sectors like live music to achieve their full potential.”

While the chancellor extended business rates relief for night-time economy businesses by an additional two years at a reduced 40%, halving the relief, the Night-Time Industries Association (NTIA) says the benefit is negated by a series of tax hikes that threaten the sector’s financial stability.

“We are in one of the toughest trading environments the UK has seen in decades for our sector, fraught with a legacy of challenges from previous crises,” says NTIA CEO Michael Kill. “While the chancellor has listened to our plight, the extended business rates relief is a minor concession amongst the array of tax increases and fiscal shifts, which will take some time to evaluate and consider regarding sector impacts. However, in simple terms, it is still double the contribution of the current business rates.

“This relief will be immediately undercut by increased NIC Employer contributions and thresholds with increased individual employer contributions to businesses, net increase in alcohol duty and overarching workforce increases, although rightly intended to support the workforce, will have severe repercussions for already struggling businesses across the sector. This shows an acknowledgement of core businesses within nightlife but lacks consideration for the broader industry outside of bricks and mortar businesses and the vital and diverse role our night-time economy plays within our communities and the UK’s culture and economy.”

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