Overview

• Summer concerts drew more than 1.3 million music tourists to Manchester, delivering a multi-million-pound boost through park hires and business rates.
• Manchester City Council is allocating nearly £250,000 of that income into a competitive grant fund for grassroots music venues.
• The Music Venue Trust has been appointed to administer the new fund, with application criteria and distribution timelines to be confirmed.
• Council leader Bev Craig highlighted that major events depend on smaller venues and said the investment responds to growing financial pressures on grassroots clubs.
• The initiative aims to address funding gaps worsened by April’s cut to business-rate relief for grassroots music venues across England.