Music Venue Trust campaign #SaveOurVenues has saved more than 140 venues from 'critical danger', it is claimed.
The campaign was launched at the beginning of the coronavirus shutdown, a crowd-funding measure aiming to connect fans with their favourite venues.
With doors shut and no means of income available, more than 550 venues were placed at risk by the Music Venues Trust.
Launching the campaign, the trust said it wanted to stop “damage that would undermine the UK music industry for 20-30 years”.
Now in a fresh update Music Venue Trust has revealed that fans have raised more than £1.5 million, helping to save more than 140 venues from 'critical danger'.
Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd said in a statement:
“The fact we have managed to remove 140 grassroots music venues off of our critical list in the last three weeks is, of course, a cause for celebration. But we are not complacent as this is only a relatively short-term fix. Whilst the immediate threat of closure for these venues has been halted, they are still under real threat in the coming months as are over 400 others.”
“This is a good start and we can’t emphasise how grateful we are to those music fans, music industry companies and public organisations who have supported the #saveourvenues campaign so far, but we cannot relax as we still have a mountain to climb to secure the long-term future of this sector.”
“We still desperately need more music industry companies to step up and help with donations alongside real action from government specifically around rent relief, more financial help and clearer guidance.”
Related: This Is The Reality For Grassroots Music Venues Right Now
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