RETAILERS WELCOME RATES CONCESSION FOR MUSIC VENUES BUT ASK “WHAT ABOUT US”?
Music retailers organised 4,000 gigs and performances last year
“Record stores have a cultural and social value too”
UK music retailers have welcomed yesterday’s new concessions by HM Treasury to offer a 15% relief on surging business rates bills which threatened venues across the country.
Kim Bayley, CEO of digital entertainment and retail association ERA, said, “We are grateful that there has been some long overdue recognition of the vital role of music venues in the UK’s music ecosystem. Without their work nurturing the next generations of UK talent, there would not be a British music business. Music venues deserve a bespoke solution to their situation and we support the Music Venue Trust’s argument for a specific valuation process that recognises their cultural and community value.
“The same arguments also apply to record shops whose own social and cultural value is beyond question, a point reinforced last year by Labour MP Jo Platt, chair of the Labour Group on Local Growth Funding. ERA research shows that UK record stores are currently organising around 4,000 gigs and performances a year, so while they welcome this latest relief for venues, record shops can forgiven for asking ‘what about us?’. Record stores have a cultural and social value too. In the coming weeks we will continue to make the argument to government that a modern business rates regime must recognise the wider context in which businesses operate.”