ASM Global is expanding its partnership with Music Venue Trust (MVT) as it pledges continued support for grassroots music venues around the country.
The venue and event management giant will work with MVT to raise awareness and funds to protect and sustain the future of grassroots music venues, as well as the UK’s live music ecosystem.
Having first announced its commitment to MVT in 2023, ASM Global has so far provided support to grassroots venue through:
– Access to free health and safety, mental health and wellbeing and marketing training
– Marketing support for grassroots venues and artists, including promotion through ASM's venue digital channels and in-venue marketing at ASM’s arenas and concert halls
– Donations of venue and stage furniture, including more than 100 items donated by OVO Arena Wembley to local independent venues this autumn
– The launch of the first arena donation campaign for MVT, partnering with Enter Shikari at OVO Arena Wembley to fundraise and match customer donations
– As part of Katy Perry's upcoming UK leg of The Lifetimes Tour, AO Arena this month confirmed it will be contributing £1 from every ticket to MVT
In the latest initiative, ASM Global’s UK venues – including OVO Arena Wembley, AO Arena, First Direct Arena, P&J Live, Utilita Arena Newcastle and Connexin Live, amongst others – will participate by offering fans and concert-goers various opportunities to contribute.
Every week tens of thousands of people visit ASM venues in the UK. As part of this campaign, they will see examples of MVT's work inside venues, and be able to donate directly on bars and concourses, as well as when buying tickets via venue websites.
Our industry starts with the grassroots
Chris Bray
The funds raised will directly support MVT’s mission to safeguard these spaces and ensure their long-term viability as cultural and community hubs. It will help to protect grassroots music venues in each of ASM’s regional areas, celebrating the role these spaces play in an artist’s journey.
The partnership will raise funds and drive awareness about the importance of preserving these venues for future generations.
Chris Bray, president of ASM Global Europe, said: "Our industry starts with the grassroots. As an interconnected ecosystem, these venues lay the foundation for artists to perform, fans to discover, and the industry to thrive. At ASM Global, we recognise the absolute importance of grassroots music venues, and we’re great supporters of Mark and his team at Music Venue Trust. Through this partnership, created specifically for MVT, we are able to harness the power of our venues and our fans, to help ensure the survival of the grassroots – the place where headliners of the future are made.”
Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust, said: “ASM were the first arena operators to respond to our call for support from the live music industry to deal with the crisis engulfing grassroots music venues after the pandemic. Their venues may be big but they're run by teams of true music fans, people who not only understand the grassroots and love the artists but many that actually started their careers in their local venue.
“Support from ASM Global is an essential part of recognising that we are all part of one great big ecosystem, and that a strong and thriving grassroots sector is vital for the future of the whole live music industry. We are delighted to be developing and expanding this partnership and look forward to continuing to develop ways we can work together.”
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