The Music Venue Trust (MVT) has signed a funding agreement with Enter Shikari.
The band’s latest album, A Kiss for the Whole World, is at No.1 in the UK this week.
The partnership will see £1 from every ticket sold for Enter Shikari’s 2024 UK arena tour go towards supporting grassroots music venues via the charity’s Pipeline Investment Fund.
MVT has made the case that it should be mandatory for all new arenas being built in the UK to make a statutory contribution from ticket sales towards supporting the grassroots live music sector. It has recently stepped up calls for arena operators, and the wider live music industry, to support this initiative.
As outlined in Mark Davyd’s Music Week column, MVT believes that no more arenas should open to host live music events in the UK until a “reliable and sustainable future talent pipeline that warrants them being opened is guaranteed”. The Trust has also suggested that planning permission should only be granted to new arenas based on a financial commitment to nurture and develop new artists to fill the stages of the proposed development.
MVT CEO Mark Davyd said: “Music Venue Trust believes that it is the responsibility of the whole music ecosystem - artists, agents, managers, promoters, arenas and stadiums - to ensure that new and developing artists have a place to play in their local community. Every musician needs a place where they can play the first song they wrote themselves in front of their first audience on their first stage. The way to make sure the UK continues to be a major force for music around the world is to ensure that every time anyone invests in a ticket to a major event, a small part of the money they are spending is making its way back to the grassroots music venues where every artist begins their career.
“It comes as no surprise to us that Enter Shikari have become the first major arena headlining artist to strike out and make this happen; throughout the life of the Charity, Rou, Chris, Rob, and Rory have been right at the forefront of the campaign to protect, secure and improve the UK's grassroots music venues.”
This is our challenge to the rest of the music ecosystem: Don't sit around waiting for other people to do it
Mark Davyd
Enter Shikari lead singer and producer Rou Reynolds, who is also a patron of Music Venue Trust, said: “Grassroots music venues in the UK are under existential threat. Every time we lose another one we lose a vital part of our culture. Bigger venues that benefit from the productive pipeline that grassroots venues provide need to support these smaller venues, as do the artists that have come up through them. Enter Shikari stands with Music Venue Trust in their efforts to bring more solidity and community to our brilliant UK live music scene".
Mark Davyd added: “Every ticket you buy to see Shikari's arena tour will contribute to keeping local community music venues alive and thriving. This is our challenge to the rest of the music ecosystem: Don't sit around waiting for other people to do it. Enter Shikari have taken a lead, everyone in the music ecosystem can follow. If they can make it work, so can you, join us; be part of creating a positive future for the UK's live music industry.”
Enter Shikari’s 2024 UK arena tour dates are below. Tickets go on sale on Friday, May 5.
Fri 09 Feb - First Direct Arena, Leeds, UK
Sat 10 Feb - Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, UK
Mon 12 Feb - O2 Academy, Edinburgh, UK
Wed 14 Feb - O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, UK
Thu 15 Feb - O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, UK
Fri 16 Feb - International Arena, Cardiff, UK
Sat 17 Feb - OVO Arena Wembley, London, UK
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