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Business News Live Business
Independent Venue Community encourages daytime activity in music venues
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 19 July 2022
The founders of Independent Venue Week have announced a new initiative called Independent Venue Community. It will encourage grassroots music venues around the UK to offer more daytime programmes of music-based activities in an effort to attract new audiences.
Initially IVC will encourage the launch of events that would connect with specific local groups or cover specific themes, with six categories identified: early years; young people; deaf, disabled and neurodivergent; mental health and wellbeing; LGBTQIA+; and older years.
“Independent venues are the absolute heart of the music business, from small villages, to towns and cities, all around the country”, says IVC founder Sybil Bell. “What’s less appreciated, however, is the role they can play as community spaces, where local people can express themselves, try new things or simply come together in person”.
“From first hand experience”, she adds, “with initiatives like The Warren Youth Project in Hull or our own Soundcheck Sessions and BE, activity like this can have genuinely life-changing outcomes for people, especially those who don’t normally get access to these kinds of opportunities”.
“Our goal with Independent Venue Community is to harness these individual pockets of brilliance, and to inspire more venues to engage with groups and individuals in their area”, she goes on.
“Ultimately, we want to build a national network of engaged local communities, and encourage more music venues to throw their doors open in the day. By doing this, I believe they can increase and diversify the people coming through their doors and unlock significant hidden value and talent. It’s a win-win situation”.
IVC is supported by Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, Arts Council Wales, the Welsh Government, and Youth Music. At launch, venues already involved include The Boileroom in Guildford, The Smokehouse in Ipswich and The Tivoli in Buckley, North Wales.
