ASM Global has pledged its support to Music Venue Trust.
The leading producer of entertainment experiences, venue management and event strategy has stepped up following a call by Music Venue Trust CEO Mark David in his Music Week column for operators to share a portion of ticket receipts with the grassroots sector.
Writing earlier this year, Davyd pointed out that grassroots venues are effectively the research & development sector that provides the talent for UK arenas. Music Venue Trust represents and protects almost 1,000 grassroots music venues.
“Music Venue Trust believes that every arena opening in the UK should be able to demonstrate how it’s going to make a financial contribution to this research and development work,” wrote Davyd in Music Week. “If it can’t, the arena shouldn’t be opened, because it doesn’t have a future.”
The MVT CEO called on companies planning on opening and operating new arenas – Madison Square Garden Company, ASM Global, YTL Corporation, NEC Group, Oakview International Group, Live Nation – to invest into grassroots venues.
ASM Global is committing to ensuring that MVT’s vital work in the grassroots music industry is further strengthened through an extensive set of new initiatives.
ASM Global, in partnership with MVT, will bolster its support with donations, training and marketing support. Programmes will roll out on a local level across ASM Global’s portfolio of UK venues, which includes AO Arena in Manchester, OVO Arena Wembley, First Direct Arena in Leeds, Utilita Arena Newcastle, P&J Live Aberdeen, Bonus Arena Hull, York Barbican, and more.
We want to thank ASM Global for being the first arena operators to respond to our call for support from the live music industry
Mark Davyd
Through donations, ASM Global will actively seek opportunities to support MVT as part of its ongoing planning. This includes one-off initiatives designed to raise additional income for the fund.
One such initiative is that OVO Arena Wembley will match Enter Shikari’s £1 per ticket sold donation to the MVT when they play in February 2024. There will also be opportunities for additional fundraising activity for grassroots venues via tickets for events at ASM Global venues. ASM Global will also make equipment and furniture available to grassroots music venues that need it.
ASM Global is offering access to training either online or in its venues. lt has developed extensive training that includes health & safety, food safety, hygiene, cybersecurity as well as wider topics such as mental health, equality and diversity and social media awareness. Shadowing opportunities will offer those from the grassroots industry the chance to get insight into ASM Global’s key areas of operations.
ASM Global will be able to share guidance and insights received through its pledge to Greener Arena certification across its UK portfolio.
Marketing support will include inclusion in newsletters, alongside linking to venue websites with event and ticketing information. The team will also offer social media support on a local level, as well as signage in venues, highlighting each city’s grassroots music venues, as well as more targeted support for specific venue shows.
Tom Lynch, commercial director and SVP Europe at ASM Global, was recently announced as a patron of Music Venue Trust.
“At ASM Global, we are very aware and concerned about the unprecedented cost pressures facing grassroots music venues, and in turn, the knock-on pressures placed on the pipeline of talent for the rest of the live music industry,” he said. “Grassroots music venues are the lifeblood of our cultural fabric and where much of society truly falls in love with music for the first time.
“As a team, we have always admired the passion and hard work of Music Venue Trust, in providing a voice to grassroots music venues and creating a framework for vital support to keep the music playing.”
Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust, said: “We want to thank ASM Global for being 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. This is an incredibly important first step towards ensuring that when an artist emerges from the grassroots sector, everyone shares in the success they generate once they reach the very top of the industry. We look forward to developing this important relationship.”
Tom Lynch and Mark Davyd appeared on BBC Radio 4 Front Row tonight (June 21) at 7.15pm.
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