Play the game: Coldplay pledged 10% of proceeds from their 2025 London and Hull stadium concerts to the MVT (inset) Mark Davyd with MVT COO Beverley Whitrick at the group’s Wembley show


Coldplay’s public and unequivocal adoption of the concept that the highest levels of the industry can and should support its grassroots was a pivotal moment. It changed the entire conversation, transforming the idea from a niche sector campaign into a common-sense proposition for the entire business. When artists of their stature reframe the question from “should we?” to “why haven’t we already?”, it forces a new level of accountability across the industry. The principle that major commercial success has a responsibility to reinvest in its own foundations is no longer a radical argument but an increasingly undeniable consensus. This artist-led leadership provides a powerful, credible voice that policymakers and major players simply cannot ignore, creating a new momentum for change.


1 3 Official recognition at last


A significant bureaucratic battle was won this year with the publication of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, which finally contained the explicit recognition we’ve fought for a decade to secure: that grassroots music venues are essential infrastructure for British culture. While this statement does not in itself pay a single bill or lower a rent, it is an immensely powerful tool. It fundamentally changes the framing of every subsequent conversation with policymakers, funders and developers. We are no longer pleading from the periphery for special treatment; we are arguing from the centre, reminding them of their duty to protect and nurture a recognised pillar of the nation’s cultural and economic landscape.


5 The pieces are now on the table


For the first time, all the necessary components for a sustainable solution are visibly on the table: we have political recognition, demonstrable public support, decisive artist leadership and a proven, scalable ownership model. The profound frustration is that we have not yet fully connected these pieces into a coherent, functioning system. However, the significant shift in 2025 is that the path forward is no longer theoretical or obscured. We know what needs to be done. The blueprint is clear. The task for 2026, therefore, is one of focused assembly and relentless execution, driven by the urgency that the continued closure of venues demands. The question is no longer, “What can we do?” but, “How fast can we do it?”.


musicweek.com Music Week | 65


FIVE POSITIVES FROM 2025 Artists shift the debate


2 Fans get a formal voice


After years of advocacy arguing that audiences are participants, not just consumers, the fan-led review of live music is finally underway after its launch in June. This represents a critical philosophical and practical shift. It is a formal recognition that live music is a shared cultural ecosystem, not merely a transactional service. By giving fans a structured, official voice in shaping the future of the venues they care about, we are moving towards a model built on shared value and collective belonging. This process helps to safeguard the social and cultural value of venues against purely commercial pressures, ensuring that the people who give these spaces their meaning have a say in their survival and evolution.


4 The ownership model proves itself


The most tangible success story of 2025 was the continued expansion of charitable community benefit society Music Venue Properties and the growing number of community-purchased venues in the UK. This is not a theoretical solution but a direct, market-based intervention in the problem of commercial property volatility. Every building that is brought into this model is permanently protected from the threats of redevelopment and predatory rent hikes. It is living proof that we do not have to wait for external salvation; we can take control and build a more resilient, self-determined future ourselves. This model provides the long-term security that allows venues to focus on culture and community, not just survival.


PHOTOS: Samir Hussein/WireImage, Jim Dyson, Getty, Music Venue Trust


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