A new report, London’s Grassroots Music Venues Rescue Plan, produced by the Mayor’s Music Venues Taskforce, suggests that whilst London’s music industry is generating billions for the economy, a vital part of this important cultural as well as economic sector is under threat.
The Taskforce, set up by the Mayor earlier this year and chaired by the Music Venue Trust, has undertaken an audit of grassroots music venues and found that, from 2007 and 2015, London has seen the number of spaces programming new artists has dropped from 136 to just 88 today.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson says:
‘From the Rolling Stones to David Bowie, the Clash to Oasis and Ed Sheeran to Adele, grassroots music venues have played a key role in enabling some of the biggest names in music to develop as artists and to build audiences.
‘They are the incubators for the stars that go on to pack stadiums in London and across the world.
‘The Music Venues Taskforce report makes it clear that protecting live music venues is crucial to London’s continued position as the music capital of the world.
‘This timely report will shape our long term action plan to safeguard and revive London’s vital network of live music venues, ensuring the future of the capital’s culturally and economically important music scene.’
Disappearing venues
Iconic names that have disappeared over the last few years include the Marquee, the Astoria, the 12 Bar Club and Madame Jojos, with dozens of other important venues closing down beyond central London. The Rescue Plan identifies a range of factors for grassroots music venues closing and continuing to be under threat. This includes rising rents and licensing restrictions; noise complaints by resident; landlords selling venues to developers to turn into housing; and the lack of an oversight body to represent the industry when issues like these arise.
Forward-thinking developers and plans
The Music Venues Rescue Plan notes that there are forward-thinking developers that recognise grassroots music venues can add community value and improve a project’s image. They include Cathedral Group’s Old Vinyl Factory development at Hayes, Benson Elliot’s plans for Ealing Broadway and Consolidated Developments’ plans for Denmark Street. All include new or redeveloped live music venues, with the music venue treated as a community and cultural asset that adds to the place-making impact of each scheme.
The report was launched this morning in historic Denmark Street, which for decades has been associated with the music industry, and is where work is about to begin on central London’s first new purpose built live music venue in decades. Plans by the developer – Consolidated Developments – include creating a new venue underground, next to the new Crossrail Station. They also propose to retain the former 12 Bar as a grassroots live music venue and to add a brand new underground gig space to the building. Consolidated are working with the GLA and Camden Council to make Denmark Street a thriving ‘Music Zone’ in the heart of London.
Measures to protect venues and safeguard the sector
Responding to the recommendations contained within the report, the Mayor is taking forward a number of measures to protect grassroots music venues across the capital and safeguard a sector that is worth £600 million in music tourism alone. They include:
- Support the application of Agent of Change principles. An idea that has proven successful in Australia and Canada, the Agent of Change principle puts the onus on the developer to mitigate against future problems that might emerge between newcomers to an area and a longstanding local venue, for example over noise complaints. This was used to enable the Ministry of Sound to remain open. City Hall has already included advice on implementing the Agent of Change principle in the Draft Central Activities Zone Supplementary Planning Guide (SPG).
- A champion for the night time economy. Based on a model established in the Netherlands, the Mayor’s Office will investigate the potential of a night economy champion to bring together businesses, residents, local authorities, transport, police and emergency services to build positive relationships, review policies and maximise the potential of a sector that in the UK is worth £66 billion a year.
- Set up a London Music Development Board, which will take over the work that the Taskforce has started and implement the recommendations in the Rescue Plan. It will be made up of representatives from London’s music industry, venues, licensing authorities, police, planning departments and transport authorities, as well as cultural sector funders.
- The Mayor is publishing a Culture and Planning Guide, jargon-free advice for the music and culture sectors on how planning policy can protect music and cultural venues.
- City Hall is also hosting a symposium on 26 October, bringing together developers, planners, architects, local authorities and cultural organisations to look at best practice and ensure that culture is at the forefront of decisions over planning and development.
- The Mayor’s Office will continue to work closely with local authorities, developers and the music industry to encourage a pro-culture approach, particularly in areas where there are music zones and clusters for example Camden, Denmark Street, Hackney and Soho.
The London’s Grassroots Music Venues Rescue Plan and the Mayor’s response can be downloaded here