LIVE Trust: pledges hit 800k as Tixel become first ticketing company to introduce contribution
Following on from LIVE’s appearance in front of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in Parliament and our joint letter to MPs issued alongside Culture Minister, Chris Bryant MP, the LIVE Trust built further momentum with the upcoming Wolf Alice tour and Gorillaz shows becoming the latest to pledge £1 per ticket. Total pledges have now hit 800k tickets with more exciting announcements imminent.
In a further show of support for the LIVE Trust, a £1 LIVE Trust Contribution will apply to all transactions on UK arena and stadium music shows on Tixel’s ethical fan-to-fan exchange. In addition to this groundbreaking commitment, Tixel further demonstrated their support for LIVE’s work with a £20k donation direct to LIVE that will underpin our policy and advocacy programmes in support of venues, festivals, artists, promoters and the wider live music industry on issues such as EU touring arrangements, accelerating inclusion and addressing the climate crisis.
Matt Kaplan, Director of UK/EU at Tixel, said, “We applaud LIVE, and the various other organisations who are working hard to implement support programs on-the-ground, for stepping up and keeping the sustainability of live music today and tomorrow on the public agenda”.
Comment for LIVE, CEO, Jon Collins added “Parliament and Government have asked LIVE to step up, support the grassroots and implement a funding solution. Tixel’s generous support of LIVE will help underpin our wider work programme, our LIVE Talks, LIVE Workforce and LIVE Green initiatives do so much to improve the operating environment for all at the grassroots. By supplementing the donation with the £1 LIVE Trust contribution, Tixel is leading the way in establishing long-term, sustainable funding streams for our sector. This money will go straight to programmes supporting community-based music venues and festivals, artists and promoters. Tixel’s progressive attitude and willingness to act are so welcome in these challenging times. We hope others in the industry will follow their lead as, collectively, we can drive impactful and lasting change across the industry.”
LIVE Touring: UK Government & EU Commission
As expected the recent high level summit between the UK government and the EU on May 19th, was dominated by agreements relating to security and energy security. That said, LIVE was encouraged to note the joint communication between both parties made specific reference to our issues:
The European Commission and the United Kingdom recognise the value of travel and cultural and artistic exchanges, including the activities of touring artists. They will continue their efforts to support travel and cultural exchange.
This provides a hook for our ongoing work to deliver improved touring arrangements and LIVE will be meeting with lead negotiator, Cabinet Office Minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds in the coming weeks. The Minister has recently reasserted his commitment to securing improved touring arrangements and LIVE will be using that meeting to explore how we can best support those efforts in both the UK and EU. Our work in the latter building on the excellent response to our request for EU based businesses to sign an open letter making the case for reform. Signatories to this letter came from the UK, 25 EU member states and all sectors of live music – classical to electronic, promoter to agent, artist to venue.
LIVE’s Gaby Cartwright Joins NOWIE’s Empowerment Series on Gender Equity in Events
LIVE’s Head of Partnerships, Gaby Cartwright, joined a powerful panel as part of NOWIE’s (Network of Women in Events) Empowerment Series: Breaking the Narrative. The session explored why women and non-binary professionals are still so underrepresented in senior roles across the events industry, which was shaped by data from NOWIE’s recent Big Survey, focused on systemic barriers and what it takes to create lasting change.
Gaby offered her viewpoints drawn from her own experience and via LIVE’s work in this area: “I don’t think the entry point is the problem anymore. At events for the next generation, the diversity is much more apparent, so we’re doing better at getting people in the door. The live music sector is still relatively young - many of the people who helped build it are still in charge. That’s not a criticism, but it does mean change at the top takes time. We need a generational shift in leadership and a culture of making space for others as that shift happens.”
She also highlighted under-addressed issues like the impact of menopause on retention, and the need for better support for parents and carers. “Menopause is one of the most overlooked workplace issues. One in ten women considers leaving their roles because of it. Confidence drops, mental health suffers - and most companies still have no policies or understanding in place. We also need to rethink how we support parents and carers - offering flexibility, understanding, and policies that don’t penalise those with caregiving responsibilities. Finally, gender equity is not a ‘women’s issue,’ it’s a leadership issue, a workplace issue, a cultural issue - and that means men have to be in the room. Not just listening, but actively helping drive change.”
For more information on the Big Survey, the work of NOWIE and other upcoming events, head to their website: https://www.nowie.org
LIVE joins sector wide call for increased funding to support music export and exchange
LIVE was delighted to support an open letter coordinated by the PRS Foundation which has urged the Government to set out an ambition for a £10 million per year multi-year settlement for music export and exchange in the Spending Review. Arguing from a position of strength, the letter notes the UK’s position as the world’s third largest music market with significant potential for growth but notes that such potential could go unrealised without investment given the increasingly complex barriers to building international careers and businesses.
Commenting on the letter, Joe Frankland, CEO, PRS Foundation, said: “Now is the time to protect and future-proof one of the UK’s greatest assets. Whilst we are encouraged by the government commitments and the work of colleagues at DBT and DCMS, we must embrace opportunities to be more ambitious and strategic. In partnership with other export stakeholders, we stand ready to run with solutions we know will tackle barriers and seize opportunities to stimulate growth.
“The economic argument speaks for itself, with impressive ROI from existing government support. The scaling up will not only bring those financial benefits but more widely will enable the huge amounts of talent across the nations and regions of the country to have that opportunity to reach their potential and showcase to the world the strength and diversity of music we have in the UK.”
The letter has had excellent support with over 350 artists, creators, industry professionals and organisations signed up so far. Should you wish to add your name then you can do so here.
LIVE Green: Young Green Briton Challenge
As a by-product of LIVE’s work with Ecotricity, Jon Collins recently had the opportunity to act as a judge for the northwest heat of the Young Green Briton Challenge. The event, held at the Museum of Liverpool was the culmination of a year-long process which saw whole year cohorts from schools across the region work up their ideas for reducing carbon emissions across all walks of life. Ideas ranged from hugely ambitious to immediately deliverable making the judging particularly challenging (compounded by the fact each team pitched professionally and persuasively).
You can find out more about YGBC, and how it is inspiring the sustainability leaders of tomorrow, here.