Mike Weatherley, MP for Hove and Portslade, and former intellectual property adviser to the prime minister, has urged chancellor George Osborne to introduce tax breaks for live music venues.
In an open letter the Conservative MP called for the introduction of tax relief for small and medium sized live music venues as they play such a large part in helping the careers of new and emerging acts.
Mike said: ‘As you know, our music industry is an enormous asset to Britain both culturally and financially. At the heart of this success story are the incredibly valuable live music venues. I do not think that we can overestimate the value that live music brings to the lives of millions of people.
‘Unfortunately, for many reasons it is becoming harder for smaller live music venues to be financially viable and, as a result, alarmingly the number of venues is going down. Quite simply, the support of government and local authorities is key to the success of live music venues.’
Mike’s comments come in the wake of Independent Venue Week, a seven day celebration of the UK's network of smaller gig venues. .
We spoke to a number of venues around IVW including the Night and Day Café in Manchester, the Cavern Club in Exeter and the Boileroom in Guildford.
Check out interviews from some of the acts who turned out for IVW including Prinzhorn Dance School, Stornoway and event ambassador Frank Turner.
In an open letter the Conservative MP called for the introduction of tax relief for small and medium sized live music venues as they play such a large part in helping the careers of new and emerging acts.
Mike said: ‘As you know, our music industry is an enormous asset to Britain both culturally and financially. At the heart of this success story are the incredibly valuable live music venues. I do not think that we can overestimate the value that live music brings to the lives of millions of people.
‘Unfortunately, for many reasons it is becoming harder for smaller live music venues to be financially viable and, as a result, alarmingly the number of venues is going down. Quite simply, the support of government and local authorities is key to the success of live music venues.’
Mike’s comments come in the wake of Independent Venue Week, a seven day celebration of the UK's network of smaller gig venues. .
We spoke to a number of venues around IVW including the Night and Day Café in Manchester, the Cavern Club in Exeter and the Boileroom in Guildford.
Check out interviews from some of the acts who turned out for IVW including Prinzhorn Dance School, Stornoway and event ambassador Frank Turner.
