GOOD NEWS FOR U.K. MUSIC VENUES 

Here's some good news: 140 grassroots music venues in the U.K. have been removed from the Music Venue Trust's “critical” list as a result of £1.5m in fundraising. The venues were among 500 at risk of imminent closure due to the coronavirus crisis.

The #saveourvenues campaign, launched by MVT three weeks ago, has received donations from music fans, music industry companies and other organizations, alongside intervention from public bodies such as The London Mayor’s Office, Creative Wales and Arts Council England. Funds join work done by the MVT crisis intervention team in providing legal and planning advice, liaising with landlords and helping venues navigate through the bureaucratic process to access help.

MVT warns, however, that the 140 venues aren't protected permanently, and is calling for more music industry donations and governmental intervention to help secure their long-term future, particularly around the issue of the rent relief for grassroots music venue tenants.

“The fact we have managed to remove 140 grassroots music venues off of our critical list in the last three weeks is, of course, a cause for celebration, but we are not complacent—this is only a relatively short-term fix,” Mark Davyd, founder and CEO of MVT, said.

"We cannot relax as we still have a mountain to climb to secure the long-term future of this sector. We still desperately need more music industry companies to step up and help with donations alongside real action from government specifically around rent relief, more financial help and clearer guidance.”