Music Venue Trust lay out demands for new Culture Secretary: “We need urgent government action”

nme.com:

Donelan was announced as the new Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss unveiled her cabinet.In response, the MVT has shared a lengthy post on social media, setting out the issues the sector is facing and what the government needs to do to help.

After welcoming Donelan to the role, the organisation gave a detailed list of points, including the current energy crisis’ impact on grassroots music venues and the need to restructure high taxes and low subsidies, and extended an invitation to a Parliamentary event.“We need urgent government action on the energy crisis which threatens to permanently close hundreds of grassroots music venues,” the post reads. “In the short term, this will require financial interventions to tackle extraordinary price rises.

In the longer term, we need your department to investigate the energy market for music venues (and the rest of the hospitality sector) and to work with us to find a way to make energy supply reliable, sustainable, and affordable.”In regards to taxes, the MVT referred to Britain as having the “highest tax regime on the creation and development of new music talent anywhere in Europe” while noting that “already available and established distribution of cultural funding sees the grassroots music sector attract less public subsidy in the UK than any other comparable music producing nation in Europe”.“This high tax, low subsidy position is not sustainable in a highly competitive market,” it argued. “We would like to work with your department on a strategy to address this challenge with a tax/subsidy framework which supports artists and venues to launch and foster the careers of UK talent.