The Old Red Bus Station in Leeds to close: “It is simply unfeasible to continue”
nme.comA post shared by The Old Red Bus Station (@theoldredbusstation)“Coupled with no option to secure a long term lease, it is simply infeasible to continue operating.”Grassroots venues in the UK are under unprecedented pressure.
Last year, the Music Venue Trust (MVT) delivered their full report into the state of the sector for 2023, showing the “disaster” facing live music with venues closing at a rate of around two per week.The Trust then presented their findings at Westminster, and continued to echo calls for a £1 levy on tickets for gigs at arena size and above.In 2023, following the closure of legendary Bath music venue Moles, MVT CEO Mark Davyd explained the threat facing the UK’s live music scene in greater detail, and told NME that the live music industry was “interested in making money but not in the ecosystem.”“Anybody in this country who understands live music is absolutely stunned that the industry doesn’t think that matters,” he said. “It may not matter to them, but it matters to people who actually like live music.
It matters to artists, it matters to anyone who cares. If you’re too busy making money to pay attention to that and realise that it’s a problem that you need to get involved with, then good luck to you – but it won’t last.
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