The UK grassroots music landscape is not just under strain — it’s structurally fragile. The Music Venue Trust’s 2025 Annual Report reveals troubling facts that should alarm anyone invested in the future of live music. The charity reports that over half (53%) of grassroots venues made no profit in 2025, with a shock 6,000 jobs lost in the sector and 30 venues permanently closing.

These numbers look less like industry downturns and more like systemic breakdowns. Grassroots music venues (GMVs) are cultural bedrocks — places where artists take their first real stage, where communities gather, and where diverse musical traditions live outside the commercial circuits that favour arenas and formulaic radio singles. Yet, despite their cultural impact, the MVT report makes clear that very slim profit margins and unfavourable tax and business regulations are pushing these spaces to the edge.

Policy shifts — changes in national insurance, rising operational costs, unstable touring circuits — have compounded venue fragility, leaving entire towns without professional touring access. The report’s data shows that 175 UK towns and cities now lack regular touring shows, a blow not only to artists seeking audiences but also to regional cultural ecosystems.

If live music is the backbone of cultural vibrancy, then this isn’t just an economic problem: it is a social one. It risks hollowing out the places where local scenes evolve, where genres incubate, and where audiences cultivate tastes beyond algorithmic playlists. The Music Venue Trust calls for legal protections and policy reform — not because music is a luxury, but because cultural infrastructure deserves the same civic recognition as libraries, theatres, and museums.

Reviving grassroots music demands more than charity funding or temporary support funds. It requires a broader cultural shift that recognises live venues as essential spaces for artistic experimentation and community formation — not disposable nodes in an extractive entertainment economy.