US pop superstar Katy Perry has thrown her support behind Britain’s grassroots music scene by becoming the first international artist to offer a voluntary donation on ticket sales.
Perry will contribute £1 from every ticket sale for next year’s The Lifetimes Tour to the Music Venue Trust campaign – following in the footsteps of Brit acts Sam Fender, Coldplay and Enter Shikari.
The singer, 40, shared that she’s “so incredibly chuffed” to bring The Lifetimes Tour to the UK, adding: “I can’t wait to have a big sing along of all the songs you love and more! It’s going to be a giant dance party, and everyone’s invited!”
Her relationship with the UK’s grassroots scene stretches back to 2008 when her first performances in the country saw her play small venues across London.
On her decision to support MVT, she said: “I’m proud to donate £1 from every ticket on the UK leg of The Lifetimes Tour to Music Venue Trust so that venues like Water Rats and Scala, where I played my first UK shows, can continue to usher in the next generation of music talent.”
The Teenage Dream singer will kick off the string of shows at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro Arena on October 7, before she heads to Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham, wrapping up the tour at London’s O2 Arena on October 13.
Mark Davyd, chief executive of Music Venue Trust, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to Katy and her team for stepping up to support grassroots music venues, artists and promoters.
“The contribution from these shows will keep venues open, get new and emerging artists out on tour, and enable promoters to bring the best in new music to our communities.”
The Daily Express’s Strike A Chord campaign is fighting to save the nation’s failing music education system and create a more successful funding model to enable a reinvigorated talent pipeline in which these students can flourish.
The sector offers emerging artists opportunities to hone their craft, employs more than 28,000 people including stage managers, security and sound and lighting engineers, and provides crucial support to local economies across the country.
But in recent years grassroots venues have faced considerable challenges such as the pandemic and inflation with 350 of the remaining 830 at risk of closure – threatening more than 12,000 jobs, over £250million in economic activity and the loss of over 75,000 live music events.
Last year the entire gross profit across these venues accounted for just £2.9million.
Last month, Music Venue Trust founder Mark Davyd told the Express that if industry big players failed to adopt the voluntary levy then they risked government intervention – with an uncomfortable spotlight being shone on every aspect of their business if that scenario emerged.
And now Mr Bryant has called on the industry to work together to ensure the levy kicks into place in 2025.
He said: “Grassroots music venues are one of the UK’s most valuable and yet undervalued cultural assets. 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.
“It is crucial that we work together to support the grassroots including venues, festivals, artists and promoters. 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.”
