YTL Arena Bristol has spoken out after arenas were criticised for not doing enough to protect grassroots music venues. A report released by Music Venue Trust (MVT) has highlighted the challenges in the grassroots music sector and calls on new arenas to invest in this £ 500 million area of the industry.
The charity, which represents almost 1,000 grassroots music venues across the UK, said venues reported an average profit margin of just 0.2 per cent. The report stated that audience numbers for grassroots music venues have dropped by 11 per cent since pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
MVT has "outlined plans to ensure all new arenas opening in the UK contribute to the security of the wider music eco-system by investing a percentage of every ticket they sell into the grassroots music eco-system", the report says. Bristol's YTL Arena is one of eight new arenas proposed to be built in the UK, set to open at the old Filton Airfield in late 2025 or early 2026 with a capacity of 19,000.
