Pressure on UK to support the Grassroots Music Sector continues to rise

On Tuesday 13th May at Westminster, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) hosted an inquiry into the grassroots music sector. The DCMS heard from three panels spanning various corners of the industry, including Mark Davyd (Music Venues Trust), Jon Collins (LIVE), Marit Berning (Music Managers’ Forum), Joff Oddie (Wolf Alice/Featured Artists Coalition) and Nancy Skipper (National Arenas Association), among others. To conclude, Alistair Jones and Sir Chris Bryant appeared before the committee to discuss how the DCMS can best respond to the issues facing grassroots music.

The industry panels focused largely on the importance of the Grassroots Music Levy, its progress so far and the necessity of a music touring deal between the EU and the UK. Panelists explained how the grassroots sector is a vital part of the musical ecosystem and discussed how up-and-coming artists need greater support if the UK is to ensure the longevity of its £6.6bn music industry. Joff Oddie highlighted the risk of music becoming a “middle and upper class sport”, as the costs in every facet of the industry are rising.

While the levy has now received over £700,000 in pledges, Mark Davyd revealed that only 8% of the 6 million tickets released since 18 December 2025 have contributed to this grassroots support initiative. Nevertheless, it’s likely the levy’s sign-ups will gain momentum once a concrete plan to redistribute the funds is published and artists know what they’re contributing to. The LIVE Trust will work towards this upon finalising its board of nine expert trustees.

With the loss of touring opportunities due to post-Brexit complications, it’s becoming increasingly hard for artists to break out beyond the UK. Joff Oddie called attention to “the huge amount of things that artist have to pay for in order to go out on the road” and outlined the importance of touring in building a career.

The panels called upon Parliament to forge a deal with the EU that benefits both UK and EU-based artists. Jon Collins specified that the deal must ease restrictions on transporting music equipment, allow artists to sell merchandise and go beyond the existing 90/180 rule in the Schengen Area, a regulation that allows visa-free stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period across the 29 European countries that make up the Schengen Area.

When addressing concerns regarding touring the EU, Sir Chris Bryant reassured listeners that UK-EU cultural relations are moving positively, citing the presence of UK Culture ministers at EU Culture meetings for the first time since Brexit. However, the deal agreed at the summit (19 May) merely recognises the “value” of touring artists and promises to continue efforts “to support travel and cultural exchange”. Concrete solutions to the issues facing live music exchange are yet to be offered.