By Kerri Stevenson
Students discussed ways to save iconic grassroots music venues around the country from closure at an event organised by DMU today.
Students gathered at the university’s Clephan building for a public forum organised by the Music Venue Trust as part of the Cultural Exchanges festival.
The free hour-long event included a talk from members of the charity, which was set up in 2014 in a bid to secure the long-term future of iconic grassroots live music venues across the UK and to protect them from closure.
Strategic director Beverley Whitrick said: “The most rewarding aspect of working with the trust is getting the chance to talk to people in different areas of the country, rather than just London.
“These include cities such as Manchester, Leicester, Bristol, Cardiff and Glasgow.”
She added: “Our yearly venues day is set up in a conference style and combines a range of events such as workshops, panels and a marketplace for different venues to interact with one another.
“Our campaigns have made a positive impact because the owners of music venues realise that they are not alone and that if their venues have problems and are struggling, they can contact the trust.”
Over the past two years, the Venue Music Trust has organised a range of campaigns and events such as the annual Venues Day, which will be held this year at London’s Roundhouse on October 18th, the Music Cities Convention and The Great Escape.
Today’s event was organised because in recent years, small grassroots music venues around the UK have been closing down rapidly due to a lack of funding and representation.
Since the laws on licensing these venues changed, the trust has been trying to get investment back into these failing venues.
If you have any questions about today’s event or would like further information, please contact Beverley Whitrick on 07809 155 388, visit the website here or send an email to Beverley@musicvenuetrust.com
