LIVE Trust: trustees unveiled as Royal Albert Hall breaks new ground
The Royal Albert Hall played host to the first meeting of the LIVE Trust last week – a suitably historic setting for this gathering. Now with a full roster of 11 trustees, the board came together for the first time to begin the work of developing a funding strategy and grant making policy.
Head by new chair of trustees, Kirsty McShannon, founder & CEO of Azorra, the other trustees are:
Trustees were selected on the basis of their passion for and understanding of the world class UK live music sector and how their particular skills could help secure a vibrant future for venues, artists, promoters, festivals and the wider range of actors that make shows possible. They share the Trust’s vision for an inclusive, sustainable live music industry with a particular focus on the needs of the grassroots sector. The board will use the experience and networks that the new trustees bring to further augment its collective decisions around the assessment of where need is most pressing and where funds can give most impact.
LIVE Chair, Steve Lamacq said, “Appointing the trustees has been a long, detailed and considered process. We were delighted to receive almost 50 very high-quality expressions of interest in joining the Board. I would like to thank Charisse, James and Kirsty for joining me on the appointment panel and taking their role so seriously. I look forward to working with the new trustees to set the foundations for the Trust’s work in the months and years ahead”.
And this positive news was amplified by this week’s announcement that the Royal Albert Hall has become the first arena committed to supporting the LIVE Trust with all commercial rock and pop concerts at the Hall going on sale after 1 October to carry a £1 contribution per ticket. It is expected this move will raise an estimated £300K per annum for the Trust – supporting grassroots venues, promoters, festivals, and artists.
Commenting on this move, James Ainscough OBE, Chief Executive, Royal Albert Hall and founding trustee of the LIVE Trust, said: “Headlining the Royal Albert Hall is a career pinnacle for many artists, but our venue is reliant on a vibrant music ecosystem across the UK. The grassroots is essential for the development and discovery of new artists, honing live performance skills, building communities, and fostering innovation and fresh talent both on and off the stage. By embracing the £1 contribution and becoming the first arena where it is “always on”, we are adding this charity’s name to the growing momentum around the £1 grassroots contribution – an idea first proposed by the Music Venue Trust, first done by Enter Shikari, and now being picked up by artists and promoters across the UK.”
Jon Collins, Chief Executive, LIVE, added: “For such an iconic venue as the Royal Albert Hall to make this commitment is a huge indicator of the growing levels of confidence in the LIVE Trust. We thank the team at the Royal Albert Hall for this forward thinking and innovative announcement and hope that others will be inspired to follow suit.”
LIVE Trust: could you help shape the future of UK live music?
As momentum builds behind the LIVE Trust and with our board of trustees now in place, we are seeking a highly experienced and proactive Senior Programme Manager to take a leadership role in designing, managing, and evaluating funding programmes, while ensuring adherence to charity governance principles and providing essential operational support. Reporting to LIVE CEO, Jon Collins, the successful applicant will be joining at an exciting time as we establish the Trust’s ways of working, funding approach and stakeholder engagement.
Find further information on the role and how to apply here.
LIVE Touring: Prime Minister reaffirms commitment to securing improved EU touring arrangements
As Parliament winds down for its summer recess, the Prime Minister took part in an evidence session with the Commons liaison committee – a committee of MPs formed from the Chairs of the various select committee of the House. When asked by Emily Thornberry MP, Chair, Foreign Affairs, Committee about UK-EU relations and future priorities, the PM commented that:
“There are other areas where I think we could and should go further; I think many creative people who are crossing borders for their artistry, their music or whatever it may be, on a temporary basis—they are not going to another country for any significant period of time—are still finding it too difficult to get in and out of countries. I hope we can make some progress there”.
LIVE welcomes this recognition from the PM of the importance of EU touring reform and we note this builds on Culture Minister, Chris Bryant’s commitment to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, of the House of Commons when asked about plans for EU touring reform and a timeline for delivery. The Minister noted the positive language that came out of the UK-EU Summit, set out the value to EU member states of having UK artists perform and his work to engage EU commissioners and his counterparts in member states in a plan to deliver reform. Most encouragingly, the Minister set himself a target of putting reforms in place ahead of the next summit (expected in May 2026). LIVE has further meetings with ministers and officials next week to explore how we best mobilise our UK and EU networks in support of reform.
Fan-Led Review of Live Music: have your say
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee are conducting a survey as part of their fan-led review of live music. This inquiry has the main aim of improving the sustainability of grassroots live and electronic music to safeguard the success of the wider UK music industry.
The committee’s overarching belief is that live music is a good thing and that the UK music industry is a cultural and economic powerhouse but it also faces challenges. The committee’s aim is to put fans at the heart of how the live and electronic music industry works, and to make sure the Government is listening to them. They are therefore keen for music fans to complete this survey to share their perspectives and experiences of live music. The responses will inform the inquiry and will feed into the final report and its recommendations which will go to the government.
Anyone who is interested in live music is welcome to complete this survey. So please take this opportunity to have your say and feel free to publicise it with your networks.