Southampton’s The Joiners and The Croft in Bristol saved forever by “National Trust of venues” Music Venue Properties

Both the Southampton grassroots music venue, The Joiners, and The Croft in Bristol have been saved forever by “National Trust of venues” Music Venue Properties.

• READ MORE: 2023 was “worst year for venue closures” while “no one in music industry seems to care”, say MVT

First announced by Music Venue Trust back in May 2022, the campaign went on to raise £2.3million in the first year through a series of donations and investments. That figure now stands at almost £4million.

It has been dubbed “The National Trust, but for venues”, and received backing by the likes of Ed Sheeran. It works by allowing venues to sign a “cultural lease” with Music Venue Properties (MVP) – guaranteeing that, as long as they operate as a space for grassroots live music for their local community, they can enjoy use of the building.

Other venues acquired and saved by the initiative include The Snug in Atherton, which was the first to be saved and protected by the scheme in October 2023, Preston’s The Ferret, The Bunkhouse in Swansea, Le Pub in Newport, and The Booking Hall in Dover.

Today (Thursday October 6), it has been confirmed that two more venues have been saved by the campaign –The Joiners in Southampton and The Croft in Bristol.

The two grassroots venues have played a role in helping some of the biggest artists play some of their first shows, with the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, PJ Harvey, Oasis, IDLES and Wet Leg all performing there early in their careers. Both will now have permanent protected status and will benefit from long-term security.

“We want to thank every single person who has bought a share in the scheme and ensured The Joiners’ future,” said Ricky Bates, venue operator. “As one of the most important live music venues ever to exist in the UK this is a win for all independent live music across the globe – with this now in place we will be here for another sixty years and potentially FOREVER! There are still more venues that need to be secured so please do invest if you can, much love and stay true.”

World Famous Dive Bars’ Marc Griffiths continued: “The Croft reopened recently but the future was still very uncertain. Now, with MVP as the landlord, we know that this legendary venue will be part of Bristol’s unique music ecosystem for generations to come.”

The latest update from Music Venue Trust also shares that over 2,000 music fans have now invested through the Own Our Venues Community Share Offer, including Marshall Amplification’s Terry Marshall, singer-songwriter Katie Melua and Squeeze co-founder and frontman Glenn Tilbrook.

“We must do everything we can to ensure that these buildings are protected from development and the venues safeguarded for generations to come,” said the latter. “They are essential, not just for fostering local talent but to ensure that our communities have access to cultural hubs and affordable live music.”

Frank Turner also spoke in support of the initiative, and shared how he played at The Joiners early in his career, and credits venues like that with helping him grow as an artist. “I simply would not be doing what I do today without that space, and spaces like it. Music Venue Trust has long stood at the forefront of saving our vital cultural heritage in the UK. Three, if not four, cheers for Music Venue Properties and the Own Our Venues campaign, long may it thrive.”

IDLES frontman Joe Talbot added: “The Croft! What a dream to have an institution of creative and social combustion be taken back by the community! I am excited for our city and its people to celebrate and witness an example of positive investment in the community, by the community whose ideas and art can help us connect and change the world. That sounds dramatic but it’s the grassroots venues that are the birthplace of revolution. Thank you to the hard work of Venue Properties so we can Own Our Venues.”

The current phase of the Own Our Venues campaign has reached 82 per cent of its £1.5million target to bring seven more vital grassroots music venues into permanent community ownership – the Esquires in Bedford, The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent, Peggy’s Skylight in Nottingham, The Pipeline in Brighton, Northern Guitars in Leeds, Gut Level in Sheffield, and Little Buildings in Newcastle.

Visit here to find out more and support the campaign. It will be open until November 14.

The action taken from MVP comes as grassroots music venues are coming under increasing threat across the UK. Last year, for instance, Music Venue Trust delivered their full report into the state of the sector for 2023, showing the “disaster” facing live music with venues closing at a rate of around two per week.

Other efforts to help protect grassroots music venues in the UK come as Coldplay, Enter Shikari, Katy Perry, Sam Fender, and more have all adopted a levy of their own to help make a difference – meaning that money made from ticket sales to their huge respective tours would be invested back into the grassroots scene.

Kate Nash also joined forces with Music Venue Trust earlier this year to call for more intervention from the government.

The singer has been very vocal about the tough conditions that most artists face regularly; taking to OnlyFans for her ‘Butts For Tour Buses’ campaign to protest the industry, and telling those in the House Of Commons that touring is becoming “increasingly more difficult to do.”

Earlier this week , it was announced that Marshall had teamed up with the Music Venue Trust to roll out an initiative championing grassroots music, and over the summer, it was confirmed that The Royal Albert Hall in London had become the first arena to commit to the £1 LIVE ticket levy.

On Tuesday (November 4), it was also shared that Grassroots music venues in Manchester can apply for the City Council’s new lifeline fund, organised alongside the Music Venue Trust (MVT).

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