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UK Music and its members have welcomed the creation of the new LIVE Trust to support the grassroots music scene.
10.02.2025: UK Music and its members have welcomed the creation of the new LIVE Trust to support the grassroots music scene.
The LIVE Trust has been established to support grassroots live music, artists, venues, promoters and festivals which make up a vital part of the music industry’s ecosystem.
Its creation comes as the grassroots sector faces immense challenges due to a cocktail of rising costs, venue closures and major challenges when it comes to touring the EU.
The new industry-supported charity has been set up to receive and distribute proceeds from a voluntary £1 ticket donation on UK stadium and arena shows with capacities of more than 5,000.
According to industry body LIVE, the new Trust will “deliver funding where it is needed most to help all in our sector thrive.” More information on the Trust can be found here.
The changes follow recommendations made by MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee following their inquiry focussed on grassroots live music. Their recommendations were supported by the Government in November 2024.
The creation of the new Trust comes as the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), which is a UK Music member, established a UK Artist Touring Fund (UKAT) to ensure revenues allocated from the LIVE Trust for grassroots artists can be effectively and transparently distributed.
FAC CEO David Martin said: “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.
“It will ensure that any funding allocated for grassroots artists can be distributed in the most effective, transparent and efficient way possible.”
More information on the Touring Fund can be found here.
According to the Association of Independent Festivals, a record 78 festivals were postponed, cancelled or closed completely in 2024.
And four out of ten grassroots music venues reported a loss in 2024 with 125 live music spaces closing in the past year, according to the Music Venue Trust.
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