EXCLUSIVE: Standing Ovation for Me, But Who’s Standing Up for Grassroots Music?
Scotland’s music scene is on life support—choked by costs, broken promises, and political apathy. This isn’t just about venues. It’s about saving our culture.
EXCLUSIVE by Donald Macleod MBE
I was truly honoured to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday night from my peers at the Entertainment & Hospitality Awards. It was a very proud moment – but also one tinged with sadness.
Because while I stood there celebrating a rewarding lifetime in music, the very scene, the industry that I have given my all to, is sadly being slowly strangled almost out of existence. One by one, the lights are slowly dimming on music clubs, pubs and venues right across the UK.
No more so than Scotland’s grassroots music venues– the beating heart and breeding grounds of the nations live music scene – here they are all but flickering on life support.
Last week, the Music Venue Trust (MVT) held a special event at the Scottish Parliament, celebrating their 10th anniversary of fighting for grassroot venues.
Hosted by live music champions Michelle Thomson MSP and Claire Baker MSP, they launched their 2024 annual report, which contained a few notes of cheer for this sector, but many more discordant ones of real concern.
The report highlighted that its 70 Scottish members held 14,000 gigs last year, with 128,000 individual artist performances, attended by a total audience of 1.6 million people. Generating £45 million into the Scottish economy, supporting thousands of jobs in the process.
And yet… Just under half are haemorrhaging money, with 43.8% of them reporting a loss in the past 12 months, and the ones still standing barely breaking even, operating on an average profit of 0.48%, a fragile figure expected be wiped out in the coming months, as soaring operating costs take their toll.
With closures already running at two per month across the UK, that depressing figure sadly seems set to rise, further weakening our nations touring capacity, which the MTV report suggests leaves Glasgow as the only primary touring location for live acts in Scotland, with large swathes of the country isolated from seeing the touring bands acts and musicians they love.
Just as concerning, MVT’S Emergency response service dealt with 200 emergency cases last year, a 19% increase from 2023, representing 24.9% of the UK membership facing threats of permanent closure.
We’re in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. People are watching every penny and footfall has fallen off a cliff.
Venues are being hit with soaring energy bills, rising supply costs, wage and tax hikes, – and both Governments seem to have all but abandoned them.
Take the promised 40% business rates relief from the Scottish Government. That money which had unlike our English counterparts had been denied to struggling venues 3 times, was supposed to go to venues under 1,500 capacity – the lifeblood of our cities. But thanks to their sneaky £51,000 rates cap, many didn’t qualify and receive a single pound and as such were left in the lurch. That included my historic grassroot venues The Garage, and Cathouse.
Then we have the UK Labour Governments appalling post-election bombshell to hike up Employers National Insurance contributions, this erroneous piece of legislation, tantamount to economic vandalism, will have a devastating effect on the live music industry, particularly grassroot music venues. Jobs will be lost, shifts will be cut, investment curtailed, and rising costs, if they haven’t already, will be passed onto the consumer, further impacting on declining footfall.
The dreadful impact these political decisions will have on this already embattled sector cannot be understated, and I couldn’t agree more with Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust who says “u
Glasgow is a UNESCO City of Music – a badge all Glaswegians wear with pride. But what’s the point if the very venues that helped earn the city that title end up being boarded up?
Over the years, the city has lost many celebrated live venues, fantastic gigs where local artists could hone their craft, The Mars Bar (Simple Minds), Baby Grand, Barfly (Fratellis), and more recently Broadcast, and the 13th Note (Franz Ferdinand, Mogwai) to name but a very few, all are fondly remembered by artist and punters alike, and unless things change, a lot more will follow.
We should remember that this isn’t just about buildings and lamenting their passing – it’s about protecting our cultural identity, preserving opportunity and supporting the acts, staff and the amazing fans that make these places, and in turn the city, live and breathe.
If our politicians from both council and government, don’t start turning their mealy-mouthed words into action. Then the painful sound of silence will only grow louder, and all we will have left will be memories and a younger generation who will never know what it’s like, how exhilarating it is, to stand in a jam-packed sweaty gig, shoulder to shoulder with strangers, discovering something new that makes them feel alive and kicking.
The Scottish Government and UK Government both need to step up. Not after next year’s Scottish Parliamentary elections. Not after yet more rounds of consultations, but now. The rates relief promised by Scot Gov must be honoured in full, with the cap removed. The UK Governments crippling Employers National Insurance hikes should be abolished immediately. Like Ireland, VAT should be reduced to 10% across the whole Hospitality sector, including gig and concert tickets and talks with the industry about a proposed ticket levy on major gigs to help grassroot music venues, should be ramped up, and a solution found and actioned.
Clap happy politicians should remember that music isn’t just entertainment. It’s venues, its jobs, it’s its bands, its musicians, it’s a supply industry, its fans, its dance, its mental health healing, its community, and so much more besides. It’s what brings towns and cities to life, and right now, in these desperately dark times this sector needs their meaningful support not empty words and insincere promises.
Because if we lose these venues, we lose more than just music. We lose who we are.