MVP steps in to protect Newport venue’s future

National World - LocalTV

Le pub is at the heart of Newport just like plenty of venues like this are at the heart of their cities. We’ve lost far too many venues in the past, plenty of which might have survived if organisations like the music venues properties existed in the past. For now, Le pub can be sure that they’ll be here in 10 or 20 years time, but for too many venues, that future is not so sure.

Transcript

00:00So, we're here today to celebrate the music venue's properties purchase of Le Pub, which

00:08means that we own the building here and that we can work with Le Public Space, who run

00:13Le Pub at the moment, and ensure that they have a sure tenancy for years to come and

00:18to ensure that this space always remains a grassroots music venue.

00:22Well, this is the fifth venue to be bought by Music Venue Properties, which is a new

00:26community benefits share society that we created by Music Venue Trust, and the concept

00:31is pretty simple.

00:33We want music fans to own the freeholds of buildings like this, Le Pub, because that's

00:37the best way to protect them, secure them for the future, and make sure they're always

00:41theirs.

00:42Securing the future of Le Pub makes it seem like the buyer itself was suffering, but in

00:45reality, Le Pub is usually busy, and according to the manager, Sam, the business is doing

00:49fine.

00:50It's outside factors, like landlords, whose main focus is the bottom line, rather than

00:55the grassroots venues they're homing, that cause the biggest issues in the music community.

00:59We're doing fine as a business, you know, we pay the bills.

01:03It's all about security and having a benevolent landlord, there's a phrase, benevolent landlord.

01:10I think having the future of the building secured is, it's just one less thing to worry

01:16about.

01:17Running a grassroots music venue is really difficult, especially in today's financial

01:20climate, but knowing that the landlord's not suddenly going to put the rent up or sell

01:24the building, or build some flats, it gives you a real sense of relaxation, and one thing

01:30less to stress about.

01:32These kinds of venues are so important to people, and those involved with Le Pub and

01:35those in the Music Venue Trust are both excited by what it means.

01:39You know, I think last year there was a record amount of venues closed, and these places

01:43are just more than a place that you go and watch a band, this is a place that brings

01:46communities together, it's where culture thrives, where new music is created.

01:52You know, it's not just about the culture, it's about the community element.

01:56I think the fact that we are staying open and the fact that we have this security now

02:03means that we don't have to worry in the future of like, are we going to close, are we going

02:07to have to stop doing gigs, which is ultimately something that we would never want to do.

02:11We are a music venue at the end of the day, and I feel like we are a pillar of the community

02:16in Newport.

02:17Le Pub is like hundreds of venues all across Wales and the rest of the UK who have been

02:22at risk, but unlike the others, that risk has now been washed away for this place.

02:26Others aren't so lucky, and Mark from Music Venues Properties wants to help more venues

02:31in the future.

02:32These venues aren't respected enough across the country, and they certainly haven't been

02:35respected enough by the music industry, but we're there now, and we're doing the big things

02:40now.

02:41And this is a really big thing.

02:42Just imagine if we could do this in 100 places or 200 places across the country, we'd have

02:46a really solid, grassroots touring circuit that everybody knows.

02:51These are not-for-profit places, these reinvest in artists, they invest in their communities,

02:56their gathering spots, they're where live music happens.

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