MVP says it has earned the nickname “The National Trust for music venues” due to its model of buying venues to secure their futures. With its tenth purchase, it becomes the largest landlord of dedicated music venues in the country.
Thomas Evrenos, who has run The Pipeline in Brighton since 2017, said: “For the future of the venue this means a lot because having a landlords that understands what we are doing, and realises that our purpose is to create a place that is good for musicians, is super important.
“I’m super happy. If it didn’t turn out like this and someone had tried to increase the rent, then I would have probably given up.”
Peter Cornforth, of MVP, added: “Brighton is a really vibrant place but you need live spaces for people to come and learn their craft.
“We are about the preservation of the key role that grassroots venues play, both for artists and in their communities.”
According to the Music Venue Trust, more half of the UK’s grassroots venues made no profit last year. Thirty live music venues closed and 6,000 jobs, representing almost 20% of the workforce, were lost across the sector.
However, the number of people attending gigs at a grassroots level rose by 13%, with 21 million fans attending concerts by up-and-coming acts.
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