Music Venue Trust

Music Venue Trust Music Venue Trust is a UK registered charity which acts to protect, secure and improve Grassroots Music Venues.
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Created in January 2014, Music Venue Trust aims to secure the long-term future of GMVs in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, whether they are iconic venues such as Hull Adelphi, Exeter Cavern, The 100 Club, Band on the Wall, King Tut’s, and Clwb Ifor Bach, or lesser-known venues that are equally important to their geographical or musical community. These venues play a crucial role in the development of British music, nurturing local talent, providing a platform for artists to build their careers and develop their music and their performance skills. Music Venue Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, registration no: 1159846

Music Venue Trust (Scotland) is a charity registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator: Charity Number SC052001

Festivals bring the whole ecosystem together - creating spaces for artists to reach new audiences and for audiences to d...
07/10/2026

Festivals bring the whole ecosystem together - creating spaces for artists to reach new audiences and for audiences to discover something new.

Independent festivals take chances on artists, build their own communities and create opportunities that can take artists from the smallest stages to some of the biggest moments of their careers. They also create a vital link between grassroots venues and the wider live music landscape, with the relationships built across the sector helping great artists keep moving forward.

The Association of Independent Festivals represents independent festivals across the UK and is one of the organisations behind Grassroots Networking Day, bringing the festival perspective into the room alongside the rest of the live music ecosystem.

Three feet isn't very far off the ground, but if you stand on the right stage at the right moment - it can feel like the...
06/10/2026

Three feet isn't very far off the ground, but if you stand on the right stage at the right moment - it can feel like the whole world has changed.

Because sometimes finding your voice starts with finding the people who want to hear it.

Grassroots music venues can be places where you discover parts of yourself you didn't know were there. Where talent can develop alongside confidence, identity and relationships. Where you can find people who make you feel understood, and in doing so, understand yourself a little better.

That's part of the social value of a grassroots music venue. The stage isn't just where music is performed; it's a place where people can take up space, find confidence and experience what it feels like to be heard.

What develops there isn't always something you can put on a poster - sometimes it's a person becoming more themselves.

If you've ever found your people, your confidence or a part of yourself in a grassroots music venue, the Supporters Circle is a chance to help create that experience for someone else.

Join from £5 a month and become a venue activist. 🔗 in our bio or at: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com/donate/support-mvt/

Agents are the people who help artists find the right opportunities, connecting them with venues, promoters and festival...
05/10/2026

Agents are the people who help artists find the right opportunities, connecting them with venues, promoters and festivals to build shows and develop careers.

They know their artists inside out - where they belong, who their audience is and which opportunities could take them to the next stage. They build relationships across the live music ecosystem that can turn a conversation into a show, and a show into the next opportunity.

The Entertainment Agents’ Association represents agents across the UK and is one of the organisations behind Grassroots Networking Day, bringing the experience and perspective of agents into the room alongside the rest of the live music ecosystem.

Promoters are the people who bring the different pieces of a live show together - finding the artists, working with venu...
02/10/2026

Promoters are the people who bring the different pieces of a live show together - finding the artists, working with venues, building audiences and taking the leap on making a show happen.

They work across the whole grassroots ecosystem, connecting artists, agents, venues and audiences and often taking the risks that come with putting on a show. They’re the people who turn an idea into a night people can actually walk into - and who help artists find their audiences, build their careers and keep coming back to the stage.

The Association of Independent Promoters represents independent promoters across the UK and is one of the organisations behind Grassroots Networking Day, bringing their experience and perspective into the room alongside the rest of the live music ecosystem.

For years, the fight for grassroots music venues has been about making sure they are still here, and that fight still ma...
01/10/2026

For years, the fight for grassroots music venues has been about making sure they are still here, and that fight still matters. But when you spend years fighting for something you love, eventually you want more than to know it survived.

You want to see it flourish.

That's where Music Venue Trust is now. We still protect grassroots music venues when they need us. But now we get to invest in what they can become; putting real resources into the places at the heart of our music culture and giving them the chance to grow stronger, better and more ambitious.

It's a shift from asking “how do we keep this alive?” to asking “what could this become if we gave it what it needs?” And that's an exciting place to be.

The future of grassroots music shouldn't just be something we protect, it should be something we get to shape. We're already doing it. The investment MVT is making in grassroots music venues in 2026 is helping move the network beyond simply surviving - towards better spaces, stronger venues and a more ambitious future.

The Supporters Circle is how you become part of that work. From £5 a month, you can become a venue activist and help turn protection into progress.

We've spent years fighting to keep these places here. Now we get to build the future they deserve.

Join the Supporters Circle via the 🔗 in our bio or at: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com/donate/support-mvt/

📸 Alfie Bungay
📸 Alana Paris
📸 Chris Griffiths
📸 Jamie Chapman
📸 Lee London
📸 Reanne McArthur

Grassroots music venues are where the shows happen - but making those shows happen takes a whole ecosystem.Venues work w...
30/09/2026

Grassroots music venues are where the shows happen - but making those shows happen takes a whole ecosystem.

Venues work with agents, promoters and festivals constantly to find the right artists, build great bills and create opportunities for live music in communities across the UK. They’re the places where artists take their first steps, where audiences find something new, and where the relationships that keep live music moving are built face to face.

Music Venue Trust represents the grassroots music venue community and is one of the organisations behind Grassroots Networking Day, bringing venues into the wider conversation about how we can work together to make more great shows happen.

There was a time when the music we now call iconic sounded completely strange.Before it had a name, before anyone knew w...
25/09/2026

There was a time when the music we now call iconic sounded completely strange.

Before it had a name, before anyone knew what to make of it, someone had to be willing to put it on in a room and let people decide for themselves.

That's how culture grows. Not perfectly, and not all at once. It needs somewhere to be strange, loud, experimental and unfinished. Somewhere people can hear something they've never heard before and think, what the hell is this?

Then, sometimes, that strange thing becomes the sound of a generation.

That's what makes grassroots music venues so important; they give new ideas somewhere to land before they're ready for anywhere else. The Supporters Circle is about being part of that. About taking a stake in the places where the next strange, brilliant thing gets its first chance.

Because you never know what you're standing in the room for, you just need to be there when it starts.

Join the Supporters Circle from £5 a month via the 🔗 in our bio or at: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com/donate/support-mvt/

📸 Alfie Bungay
📸 Gaelle Beri
📸 Georgia Penny
📸 Jamie Chapman
📸 Luke Hallett

We are proud to see our Campaigns & Communications Manager, Toni, joining the judging panel for the UK Festival Awards 2...
24/09/2026

We are proud to see our Campaigns & Communications Manager, Toni, joining the judging panel for the UK Festival Awards 2026.

Festivals are such an important part of the live music ecosystem, bringing artists and audiences together, creating opportunities and supporting the people, venues and communities that keep live music alive.

Toni will be bringing her experience from across grassroots music to this year’s judging panel. Joining her on the panel will be voices from across the industry, helping recognise the festivals and teams making a real impact.

Go Toni! 👏

24/09/2026

Two events. Two purposes. One stronger grassroots music network.

Grassroots Networking Day grew out of the agent and venue meetings that have been part of MVT’s Venues Day for many years.

As those conversations grew, it became clear there was value in bringing together not just venue bookers and agents, but also promoters and festival programmers - giving the wider grassroots music community dedicated time to connect and build better shows.

With Venues Day focused on the people who run grassroots music venues and Grassroots Networking Day focused on the people who make shows happen, both events now have their own space to do what they do best.

📅 13 October 2026
📍 229 London
🎟️ Tickets on sale now

THEY’RE LIVE! 🎟️Tickets for ‘The Story Continued’ tour are officially on sale NOW.Catch Natalie in Port Talbot, Windsor,...
23/09/2026

THEY’RE LIVE! 🎟️

Tickets for ‘The Story Continued’ tour are officially on sale NOW.

Catch Natalie in Port Talbot, Windsor, Brighton, Peterborough, Tunbridge Wells and Stroud. 🫶

Grab yours now via the link in our bio or at: https://www.universe.com/explore?query=natalie%20shay

Which show are you coming to???

Address

Music Venue Trust C/o Strongroom 120-124 Curtain Road, Shoreditch
London
EC2A3SQ

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 5:30pm
Thursday 10am - 5:30pm
Friday 10am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+442039308279

Website

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