Music / News
Pioneering fund launched to support grassroots music
A bold new initiative has been designed to support the city’s grassroots live music industry.
The Bristol Music Fund has been dubbed “a new economic model rooted in community power” and has the potential to generate over £950,000 per year, to be fed directly back into the sector.
It will operate by putting a one per cent increase on every live music and festival ticket, with the extra paid by the customer. The scheme has been welcomed by venues, which have been struggling with rising operational costs and social-economic impacts on ticket sales and bands.
is needed now More than ever
“This is a positive move,” said Mig, manager of The Louisiana. “Anything that helps generate a fully sustainable ecosystem within live music.
“As well as running a grassroots music venue, I am also a musician. I have toured throughout Europe and saw firsthand how the venues and live music ecosystem is financially supported by councils. It works.”
The Louisiana, a 140-capacity venue, has hosted many big names on their way up including Amy Winehouse, Muse and Big Thief (pictured) since it opened its doors in 1987 – photo: The Louisiana
The Bristol Music Fund initiative is the result of two years of music industry and audience consultation led by Bristol Nights, with the findings published in the Ticket to the Future report.
Their analysis of 91 independent venues and 14 outdoor events found Bristol’s maximum annual live music ticket revenue is £70m.
But there is an economic imbalance where, while Bristol’s venues that hold under 1000 people are responsible for 78 per cent of events, they only generate 32 per cent of the revenue.
In a survey of over 500 music ticket buyers in Bristol, 93 per cent said they would be happy or ‘feel ok’ about paying an extra 1 per cent on ticket price to contribute to a local music fund.
81 per cent said the extra fee would have no effect on their decision to buy a ticket and an additional 15 per cent said they would be more likely to buy a ticket
“Small events are the fertile ground from which so much local talent develops. It’s crucial we find a way to support the whole ecosystem, so our music scene can continue to flourish and create joyful moments for music fans in the city,” said Carly Heath, Night Time Economy Advisor at Bristol City Council.
“Establishing the Bristol Music Fund is an opportunity to invest in the talent found right across our music sector, and redress the balance for those venues, events and music creators who innovate and incubate new sounds.”
Strange Brew is navigating the financial pressures on the grassroots music industry which, according to the Music Venue Trust, saw more than one independent venue close per week last year – photo: Leigh Dennis
The Music Venue Trust has been campaigning for five years for government legislation to implement a nationwide levy on stadium and arena gigs, to be reinvested back into music’s grassroots foundations.
45 artists have signed up so far, including James Bay, Enter Shikari and, most recently, Coldplay who have pledged ten per cent of all proceeds from their 2025 arena dates. But the Trust is keen to stress that responsibility should not land solely with the artists, but should be shouldered by all those who benefit financially from largescale gig ticket sales.
Mark Davyd, the Trust’s founder, is cautiously optimistic about the Bristol Music Fund but said it’s no substitute for wider structural change.
“The live music industry is weirdly exceptional in its structure in that its most successful companies invest almost nothing in early stage research and development. They permit independent venues, artists, and promoters to take all the risk and financial burden of creating a viable artist, then swoop in to financially exploit it.
“That has to change because the model is out of control and we simply aren’t producing those artists as a result,” he said.
“At the moment, Bristol, like everywhere else in the country, has no funding mechanism that tries to support grassroots venues, artist and promoters. It’s plainly better if one is created, but I hope the need for it is short term and simply another step towards the change at a national level the industry really needs.”
Main image: Ursula Billington
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