ASM Global arenas team up with Music Venue Trust to pledge support to grassroots 

ASM Global arenas have joined forces with Music Venue Trust to support grassroots venues across the country.

The company, which is a leading producer of live entertainment experiences, has confirmed that it will be expanding its partnership with the MVT with all of its venues fundraising for the cause.

It comes as this past year has seen pressure mounting for the UK’s smaller venues to receive a contribution from arena and stadium gigs to ensure their survival. The model is similar to the one seen in the Premiere League of football and already in use in several countries across Europe. It was also recommended by MPs after a DCMS investigation back in Spring, and pressures rose for larger venues to commence support before being forced to do so by the government.

Already, the likes of Coldplay, Enter Shikari and Sam Fender have all adopted a levy for their respective tours to help save the grassroots, after 2023 proved to be “disastrous” and the worst year on record with 125 grassroots music venues shutting their doors – a rate of two per week. The Music Venue Trust argued that a tidal wave of closures threatens the fabric of the UK music scene thanks to the recent budget announcement, with the circuit and artists already suffering from “the complete collapse of touring”.

ASM Global first announced its commitment to the MVT back in 2023, and has so far taken numerous steps to help provide support to grassroots venues. These include providing free access to wellbeing advice and marketing training, promoting grassroots venues and artists at ASM Arenas, and donating venue and stage furniture. They also launched the first arena donation campaign for MVT – partnering with Enter Shikari at OVO Arena Wembley to fundraise and match customer donations.

Now, organisers have taken things up a notch, confirming that leading venues including OVO Arena Wembley, AO Arena, First Direct arena, P&J Live, Utilita Arena Newcastle and more will offer fans the opportunity to help provide support for smaller venues.

The tens of thousands of fans who visit these arenas will have the opportunity to donate to the cause, both inside the venues when attending an event, and when buying tickets via venue websites.

“Our industry starts with the grassroots. As an interconnected ecosystem, these venues lay the foundation for artists to perform, fans to discover, and the industry to thrive. At ASM Global, we recognise the absolute importance of grassroots music venues, and we’re great supporters of Mark and his team at Music Venue Trust,” said Chris Bray, President of ASM Global Europe.

“Through this partnership, created specifically for MVT, we are able to harness the power of our venues and our fans, to help ensure the survival of the grassroots – the place where headliners of the future are made.”

Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust added: “ASM were the first arena operators to respond to our call for support from the live music industry to deal with the crisis engulfing grassroots music venues after the pandemic. Their venues may be big but they’re run by teams of true music fans, people who not only understand the grassroots and love the artists but many that actually started their careers in their local venue.

“Support from ASM Global is an essential part of recognising that we are all part of one great big ecosystem, and that a strong and thriving grassroots sector is vital for the future of the whole live music industry. We are delighted to be developing and expanding this partnership and look forward to continuing to develop ways we can work together.”

Visit here for more information on how to support the Music Venue Trust campaign.

The action taken by ASM Global mirrors the efforts made by Kate Nash in recent weeks, as the singer-songwriter has been tirelessly campaigning to bring awareness to the hardships faced by local venue owners and emerging artists.

Last month, she launched her Butts for Tour Buses campaign, which saw her join OnlyFans to protest the ongoing financial pressures facing the music industry and help raise money for her ongoing UK and European tour.

She also took her “bum on the back of a fire truck” protest to the London offices of Live Nation and Spotify as well as the Houses of Parliament to highlight the challenges facing artists and those working in the touring industry.

In a statement to NME, Nash maintained that the value of recorded music is “extremely low” and the “cost of presenting live music has gone up by 30.3 per cent over the past two years” with 125 venues closing last year in the UK — echoing concerns raised by the Music Venue Trust last month.

“The industry is in crisis, the music industry has failed artists, and is completely unsustainable, and my arse is shining a light on that. And none would be listening if my bum wasn’t involved,” she continued. “This is a conversation about agency. And selling pictures of my bum is giving me the agency to reinvest in my creative economy. The music industry does not give me that agency.”