LISTEN: Glasgow's small music venues under threat

Glasgow music venues could be under threat if the Government pushes ahead with plans to change commercial property rates.

The Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, will announce plans in his Spring Budget on Wednesday which could lead to huge rises in costs and force many small and grassroots venues to shut down.

Brian Reynolds runs the Hug and Pint on Great Western Road and told Radio Clyde News costs are already too high without extra pressures...

Increasing tax paid by venues could pose a major threat to the UK's live music scene, according to academics.

Matt Brennan, of the University of Edinburgh, who is leading the UK Live Music Census said venues operating at grassroots level are particularly vulnerable.

He said: “Venues around the country have been telling us that they already operate on thin margins, so proposed increases in rateable values of up to 55% in some cases will have a significant impact.

“The UK Live Music Census will be very important in identifying challenges that the industry faces, such as rising rates and other issues. It will give us a detailed picture of what exactly it means to be a venue owner, a musician and a live music lover in 2017.

“Our hope is that the census will be a vital tool in strengthening a much-loved part of the UK's culture.”

Described by its organisers as a “Springwatch for live music”, the census is led by the universities of Edinburgh, Newcastle and Glasgow.

For 24 hours, volunteers will track performances in cities across the country from lone buskers to massed choirs and from dance floors to stadium concerts.

There will be co-ordinated censuses in Glasgow, Newcastle, Oxford, Leeds, Southampton and Brighton, with volunteers attending live music events including Olly Murs at Leeds Arena, Nicola Benedetti at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, RnB in Oxford, and jazz in Newcastle.

Jo Dipple, chief executive of UK Music, one of the partners of the census, said: “The findings for each of the six cities will inform academics, entrepreneurs and music fans alike. It will help organisations like UK Music to understand better the pressures on music businesses and venues so we can lobby for the most effective policies in each area.

“For example, we know that a disproportionate hike in business rates could pose a serious threat to qualifying music SMEs and grassroots venues. The more we are able to identify threats, the more effective our lobbying for policy change in that area will be.”

Lord Clement-Jones, a Liberal Democrat peer and spokesman for the creative industries, said: “Live music is facing a number of challenges at the moment, from venues closing down to the threat of increased business rates.

“However, data about the sector has so far been relatively scarce and mostly anecdotal, and so the much needed data collected by UK Live Music Census will help us protect live music going into the future.”