Art Funding For Music Venues?

Culture minister Ed Vaizey encouraged music venues owners to seek for arts funding.

16:54 21 October 2015

Live venues have been closing across the United Kingdom in recent years. In London alone, 35per cent of small and medium venues have closed since 2007 due to licencing restrictions, rising rents, and noise complaints. This prompted culture minister Ed Vaizey to encourage music venue owners to seek arts funding.

 

Speaking at a conference on live music, called Music Venue Day, he said: "A vibrant music venue which is breaking new acts has just as much right to be considered a cultural venue as a local or regional theatre.”

 

Meanwhile, Ultravox star Midge Ure said at Monday’s Q Awards that small venues are “the lifeblood of our industry.”

 

"I know there are degrees you can do in pop music, but it's just nonsense really," he added.

 

"The only way you learn how this stuff works is by going out there and being bad. And the only place you can go out and be bad is small venues.

 

"So if you take that away, the only other route there is, is this ridiculous route we seem to have contrived for ourselves where, instead of looking for the next John Lennon or the next Kate Bush, we're looking for the next karaoke singer. It's ludicrous."