‘The Last Safe Space’ Podcast Lifts the Lid on PRS/PPL Struggles and Grassroots Music’s Hidden Conflicts

01 October 2025 - Press release

“It’s time to talk openly about the battles grassroots music venues face”

The Last Safe Space, the official podcast from Music Venue Trust (MVT), returns this week with an unflinching look at the challenges facing grassroots music venues (GMVs) across the UK, from disputes with performing rights organisations to landlord battles and the urgent need to formalise and properly roll out the grassroots ticket levy.

Launched earlier this month The Last Safe Space podcast breaks down the biggest news affecting the UK’s grassroots music venues – from government policy to crisis cases, campaign updates, and the actions fans and industry can take to support the future of live music.

Hosted by MVT CEO Mark Davyd and his colleague Toni Coe-Brooker who is Head of Campaigns & Communications for the charity, this latest episode of The Last Safe Space pulls no punches on the most pressing issues impacting the grassroots live music sector:
- Government action on the Grassroots Levy: a new Minister for Culture has set a December 2025 deadline, with the threat of a statutory levy if the industry fails to deliver a voluntary solution.
- Crisis cases: venues under threat in Sheffield, Manchester, and Kent as landlord sales, licensing confusion, and PRS/PPL invoices pile up.
- Sam Fender’s £100,000 lifeline: funding support reaching 38 grassroots venues.
- Coldplay at Wembley: using the world stage to spotlight emerging artists.
- Sonic Boom Festival: proof of the power of community-driven, independent events.
- The Hideous Collective: launching a double compilation album in aid of MVT and the UK Artist Touring Fund.
- Arts Council Grassroots Music Fund: new opportunities for venues to apply for support.
- Levy numbers breakdown: 24 million tickets sold in 2025, but only 8% carried a grassroots contribution.
- Quick wins for fans: the small steps audiences can take to keep their local venues alive.

Mark Davyd said, “There are too many conversations in this sector where people are told to ‘keep it in.’ The Last Safe Space is about opening that debate up, being fully transparent about the challenges venues face, celebrating our victories and discussing ways we can all work together to find solutions.”

This episode and others can be found on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and all other major podcast platforms