Music venues threatened by energy crisis as well as slow pandemic recovery, say campaigners

Music Venue Trust says grassroots venues have not fully recovered from pandemic lockdowns, and now face skyrocketing inflation including a 25% rise in ticket prices

Grassroots live music venues are operating on a knife-edge, a new report by the Music Venue Trust (MVT) suggests. In its 2022 annual report, the live music venue charity reveals that live music still has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, with an average of 16.7% fewer shows per year compared with 2019.

While audience numbers are down 11%, average expenditure by grassroots venues was up 40% – a contribution to the economy totalling £500m – meaning that venues are operating at a profit margin of 0.2%, with the average yearly profit for grassroots venues amounting to only £1,297.