Government to introduce voluntary levy on stadium and arena tickets to support grassroots venues

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1 week ago

November 13, 2024

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The government is set to introduce a voluntary levy on tickets for concerts at stadiums and arenas to help fund grassroots venues.

Ministers expect the music industry to push through their proposals “as soon as possible” for shows next year, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said.

The government argues that an “industry-led” levy “within the price of a ticket” would be the quickest and most effective way for revenues from the biggest shows to help the grassroots sector.

“Ministers have made clear that they want to see a voluntary levy come into effect as soon as possible for concerts in 2025, with clear communication to fans on the purpose of the levy and the benefits it will bring to the grassroots sector,” the DCMS said.

Smaller venues have struggled in recent years after the pandemic and rising inflation.

Some bands have already started to donate part of their ticket sales to help fund smaller venues.

Enter Shikari gave £1 of every ticket sold for their 2024 arena tour to the Music Venue Trust while Coldplay have also pledged to donate 10% of profits from their upcoming UK stadium tour to support smaller venues.

Creative industries minister Sir Chris Bryant said: “Grassroots music venues are one of the UK’s most valuable and yet undervalued cultural assets.”

He continued: “They are where bands try out new material, where whole new genres are born, where musicians experiment and where audiences get to experience the raw power of live music.

“These venues support thousands of jobs and are a vital part of our local communities.

“Without a flourishing grassroots music industry the rest of our music industry will wither.”

Sir Chris added: “That is why I am urging the industry voluntarily to introduce a ticket levy on the biggest commercial players, to help ensure the health and future success of our entire live music industry for decades to come.”

The cross-party committee on culture, media and sport, which initially put forward the proposal, welcomed the ministerial support but said a “firm deadline” is needed on how long the industry has to take action “before the government itself steps in”.

The committee said it would hold a hearing with the sector in six months’ time if no major progress is made.

Politics

Coin Center warns US policies could scare away crypto investors despite Trump win

Published

1 hour ago

November 23, 2024

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Coin Center warns US policies could scare away crypto investors despite Trump win

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Politics

Starmer says UK will ‘set out a plan’ to raise defence spending to 2.5%

Published

6 hours ago

November 23, 2024

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Starmer says UK will 'set out a plan' to raise defence spending to 2.5%

The UK will “set out a plan” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.

Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.

There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.

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A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.

They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.

“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.

“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”

The defence review will also be published in the spring.

While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.

They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.