MVT buy Dover’s The Booking Hall through ‘The National Trust Of Music Venues’

Dover’s The Booking Hall has been purchased by the Music Venue Trust (MVT) through ‘The National Trust Of Music Venues’.

The venue – which is located in Kent and is known for its rich history and role in live music and events and is situated in a 165-year-old, former train station – has offered a 280-capacity space for both up-and-coming and established artists including Don Broco, Frank Turner and Soft Play.

The acquisition of the venue by Music Venues Properties (MVP) – which was set up by Music Venue Trust, after a fundraising drive – is part of MVP’s mission to safeguard grassroots music venues across the UK, ensuring that they remain cultural hubs for their communities.

The purchase of the venue makes it’s future secure and liberated from the uncertainty which many grassroots music venues are currently facing.

Speaking about the acquisition in a press release, Stuart Cameron, the owner of The Booking Hall, said: “Following the owner’s decision earlier this year to put the building up for sale, we were trying to purchase the building ourselves, but did not have the capital up front for a deposit. Without Music Venue Properties stepping in to purchase the venue, the most likely outcome would have been a property developer turning the building into flats/offices.”

He continued: “To know that the venue is secure for many generations to come is a great relief and definitely something to celebrate. Having MVP as a landlord, one who shares our vision for the venue, enables us to plan for the future – both in the short term and long term.

“As well as continuing to support local musicians and provide a stage for up-and-coming artists, we are already having positive discussions with MVP about how we could make changes to the building, which could allow us to increase our capacity and in turn bring bigger bands to Dover. These certainly weren’t the kind of conversations we could have had prior to MVP’s ownership so we look forward to working together to realise the potential of the building. Exciting times are ahead!”

Matthew Otridge, COO Music Venue Properties said: “We are delighted to announce that The Booking Hall has become the fourth venue that MVP has moved into community ownership. As the only recognised Grassroots Music Venue in Dover, it was crucial that MVP got involved when we did to safeguard this vital community hub.

“It became clear to us that we had made the right decision when the campaign to save the venue received significant backing from the people of Dover and beyond, and we’d like to thank them alongside our partners at Arts Council England and Figurative, for making this happen.”

Back in 2023, the MVT had announced its first acquisition of  The Snug – a 100-capacity venue in Atherton, Greater Manchester – under its public ownership scheme.

The #OwnOurVenues initiative was first announced in May 2023 following the news that legendary gig spaces like North London’s Nambucca and Sheffield’s Leadmill were closing their doors or under threat, respectively.

Having been backed by Ed Sheeran, the scheme aims to secure the long-term futures of such venues by directly tackling the issue of ownership.

The campaign has been likened to “The National Trust, but for venues”. Earlier this year, a similar stand-alone initiative was launched by Sister Midnight in a bid to become Lewisham’s first community-owned venue run by shareholders.

Other venues saved by the purchase of MVP include The Bunkhouse – a grassroots music venue in Swansea – and The Ferret in Preston.

This past year has seen pressure mounting for the UK’s smaller venues and rising artists to receive a contribution from arena and stadium gigs to ensure their survival. The model, similar to the one seen in the Premiere League of football and already in use in several countries across Europe, was recommended by MPs after a DCMS investigation back in Spring.

Recently, The Culture, Media and Sport Committee welcomed the UK government’s new backing of a levy on gigs at arena level and above to help save the grassroots music scene, but MVT continued to warn that an urgent deadline must be set to prevent “an even gloomier future”.

Yesterday, Music Venue Trust (MVT) shared that it has joined forces with Save Our Scene (SOS) to launch the ‘LiveLine Fund’ –  a new initiative where companies and artists can donate to help protect the UK’s grassroots music scene.

The fund is aimed at providing support for the independent music scene, and protecting the future viability of the UK grassroots music ecosystem. As well as donations to ensure that grassroots music venues across the country can remain open, the ‘LiveLine Fund’ also means that artists and independent promoters can apply for funding through an open application process, which will be managed by MVT.

The news of the initiative arrives as NME reported at the start of this month that the touring circuit across the UK’s grassroots music scene is said to be facing “complete collapse” without urgent help, and revealed ways that music lovers can get involved to protect the local spaces.

MVT’s reports have painted a concerning picture of the current UK live music scene over recent years. At the start of 2024, for instance, they shared a full report into the state of the sector for 2023, showing the “disaster” facing live music with venues closing at a rate of around two per week.

In a statement shared with NME earlier this year, David Martin of the Featured Artists Coalition outlined the uphill battle faced by venue owners, artists and promoters alike. “How does any artist these days make live touring commercially viable? Especially those beneath the top of the pyramid. For while the wider world endures a cost of living crisis, many artists are also facing a cost of touring crisis,” he said.

“Even those playing to relatively modest audiences have to bear substantial costs to tour the UK – from transportation, accommodation and rehearsals to paying the salaries of musicians, crew, production, agents and managers. That’s on top of recording, and the increasing demands of promotion – all activities which create the demand for shows in the first place.

“These too are also shouldered by artists. Against some harsh economic headwinds, it’s no wonder some are starting to buckle.”

Grassroots spaces that have come under threat in recent days alone include The Moon in Cardiff  – which announced its closure with immediate effect – Boom in Leeds, which is closing in March 2025, and the Motion Bristol nightclub, which may be shuttered by next summer.