Lifeline for struggling grassroots music venues

Grassroots music venues who have been struggling financially are to be given a funding boost by a new scheme in Liverpool.

The Liverpool Grassroots Music Venues Support Programme offers grants of up to £3,000 for venues with a capacity of less than 300, as well as other support.

Graham Stanley, managing director of the Jacaranda, the Slater Street venue where the Beatles first played, told the BBC that grassroots music venues were "operating on really small margins" but were a "hotbed for emerging talent".

"People are willing to shell out large amounts of money to see premium artists and their favourite artists," he said. "But it gets to the grassroots level it's a whole different story."

The programme, run by Liverpool City Council and the Music Venue Trust, will allow venues to apply for support to put on six nights of live music.

Businesses will also be offered support and advice on how to navigate trading challenges and how to offer platforms to new artists.

The council said it was committed to protecting its live music scene as part of its status as a UNESCO City of Music.

Councillor Harry Doyle said: "This package is about investing in that creative energy, supporting venues to grow sustainably, and giving local artists the opportunity to perform and develop right here in our city.

"Our local music scene is one of Liverpool's greatest strengths, enriching our culture and contributing to the economy."

While the biggest artists such as Taylor Swift, Oasis and Bruce Springsteen have sold out stadiums and arenas up and down the country, the picture for grassroots venues has looked bleak.

Stanley told the BBC: "I think one of the statistics is that lower than 50% of grassroots music venues make a profit annually.

"It is something people do as a labour of love, it's certainly not the business you'd get into if you wanted to become rich."

In Liverpool, the Zanzibar, a 35-year mainstay of the live music scene, announced its closure in October 2024.

It is set to reopen as an Irish themed late-night bar called McNasty's.

"Without the ability for performers to develop their talent, to develop their stage skills, to develop their songwriting, where do the artists from the future come from?" Stanley said.

"These venues, including ours, are running on really small margins.

"But they are a vital pipeline in creating music, because if people don't have a place to start, they're never going to become an arena artist, so they're a really important hotbed for developing talent and for people to hone their skills."

Kevin McManus, Liverpool's head of UNESCO City of Music, said: "To be a great music city you absolutely have to have grassroots music venues at your very heart.

"This is where emerging artists take their first nervous foray on stage and where audiences are inspired by what they see and hear on stage."

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