SEARCH DATE RANGE

SEARCH TERM OR WORD

INDEPENDENT VENUE WEEK IS BACK IN PERSON, AND ANNOUNCES 2022 AMBASSADOR - WET LEG

 

MONDAY 31 JANUARY - SUNDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2022
OVER 120 INDEPENDENT UK VENUES ARE ALREADY SIGNED UP FOR THE 2022 EDITION 
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH - ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND, CREATIVE SCOTLAND, ARTS COUNCIL WALES, SEE TICKETS
Independentvenueweek.com
#IVW22
 
Independent Venue Week returns, in person, for its ninth consecutive year - the annual, seven-day celebration of independent music venues around the United Kingdom is back and announces Wet Leg as its ambassador for 2022. #IVW22 will take place across the nations - England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland - from Monday 31 January to Sunday 6 February.

Each year, Independent Venue Week celebrates hundreds of truly independent venues and their communities, across the UK. The initiative provides a huge spotlight on the grassroots ecosystem within the live music sector, which has experienced the toughest 18 months in its history. This is an ecosystem which not only includes the venues and the people that own, run and work in them, but also artists, managers, crew, the kit, merch, ticketing, tour transport companies, and the all important music fans and gig-goers - much of who now need their communities support more than ever. So far this year, -- venues from -- different villages, towns and cities have signed up to take part, --% of which are outside of London with more to be announced over the coming weeks.

The official annual #IVW22 launch, hosted by BBC 6 Music's Steve Lamacq, took place on Wednesday 27 October 2021 at 229 London.  Lamacq chatted with Tim Perry from The Windmill, Brixton and Cath Hurley from Future Yard, Birkenhead about how the last year has been for them both as venues operators and what being a part of Independent Venue Week will mean to them this year. Lamacq also spoke to Wayne Yardley of Rippla, who started streaming live gigs before the pandemic and Charlotte Penny from Arts Council England about how they have supported Arts and Culture, and specifically the grassroots community, through the pandemic and what's next.

Lamacq then unveiled this year's Ambassadors, the up and coming Isle of Wightduo, Wet Leg. The annual launch event was rounded off with a live performance from London based band, Moa Moa.
In the band's short existence, Wet Leg have already garnered millions of plays across Spotify and gained a huge following from industry and the public alike. The band released their debut single 'Chaise Longue' earlier this year (June 2021) and have recently released a second 'Wet Dream' (Sept 2021). The duo are made up of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers and their music is sending critics wild with their provocative future pop that pairs unshakeable bubblegum melodies with robotically dispassionate vocals, including dirty jokes your mum wouldn't like... As part of #IVW22, Wet Leg will be playing shows across the UK and those dates will be announced soon. 

When asked about becoming IVW Ambassadors, Wet Leg said:
"We grew up in a place where we had no music venues at all and after living in Bristol and London, it's been incredible to experience what it's like to be a part of a scene; to feel that sense of community that you can pin point geographically to a place, to a venue, I think is quite important and quite special particularly for emerging bands and artists. 
It's a bit of a delicate ecosystem - Music makers and lovers are supported by the venues and in turn the venues are supported by bands/artists and their fans passing through. The way I see it is this - No Independent venues = No music scene. No community. And to me, I feel that that's something worth continuing to preserve and nurture. That's why we're super stoked and very very proud to be ambassadors for this year's Independent Venue Week."

Three additional ambassadors for the nations - Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, will be announced on Friday 29 October 2021.

The
Director of Music at Arts Council England, Dr Claire Mera-Nelson, said:  
"As we move beyond lockdown and into a recovery phase, the importance of independent, grassroots music venues to the local and artistic communities they serve is greater than ever. Independent Venue Week is a vital ingredient in the success of our grassroots live music sector, showcasing our brilliant independent venues and artists across the country each year. Thanks to National Lottery funding and the players that make it possible, we're delighted to be able to support Independent Venue Week and the grassroots venues and artists it supports."

Independent Venue Week, again is gratefully funded by a longstanding partnership with Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, Arts Council Wales, See Tickets,and loadin.com (plus more support to follow). See Tickets are the official ticketing partner for IVW 2022 championing independent venues across the UK.

Rob Wilmshurst, Global CEO at See Tickets said: 
"See tickets are once again proud to support IVW into 2022 and accordingly the acts, promoters, agents and managers that combine to place some fantastic emerging talent onto the stages of some incredible venues in the UK."
Launching as part of the announcement today is the new #JustAsk campaign from Attitude is Everything's artist development initiative "Next Stage". This campaign sets out to achieve a simple ambition – to help ensure that next year's Independent Venue Week is as accessible as possible for acts on the line-up, by equipping promoters to ensure that artists no longer hold the burden of having to bring up their access requirements. After holding a series of workshops with a flagship group of IVW promoters, Attitude is Everything will share guidance and run open training sessions for IVW promoters, with the aim for all artists to be asked in advance if they or their crew members have any access requirements.
Attitude is Everything's Artists Development Manager, Rich Legate, says:
"This campaign is going to be a hugely positive and beneficial collaboration between promoters and artists, aiming to enrich our future live music landscape. Attitude is Everything's Next Stage research shows that many artists with access requirements face challenges disclosing their health condition or impairment. We want to take the burden away and enable artists to flourish. It's really exciting to be tackling this in partnership with IVW and setting a blueprint for the future."

Sybil Bell, founder of Independent Venue Week, comments:
"Being able to announce our plans for #IVW22 this week is just brilliant on so many levels. To see so many venues, artists, industry and gig goers excited about the return, in person, of the UK's biggest celebration of live music in grassroots venues  is absolutely fantastic. There is such an overwhelming desire to see everybody, on and off stage, safely packing out these brilliant venues with some of the best talent in the world, enjoying the best of our arts and culture up close all around the country.
"We are incredibly grateful and humbled that Arts Council England are, once again, a major supporter of Independent Venue Week and our venue community more widely. We are also grateful for the support from Creative Scotland, Arts Council Wales and our wonderful ticketing partners, See Tickets. To everyone who has helped get us to this point, we thank you and we are excited to announce further partnerships in the coming weeks too."

 

Details of shows, tours and ticket links are available on the Independent Venue Week website which will be updated continuously over the coming weeks and months along with details of this year's
Independent Venue Week Live 2021 record release. 

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

Atlantic Screen Group Names Rupert Hollier as COO, Elevates Rosie Hill to President of Nightjar, it’s creative services and frontline publishing division

Company also unveils exclusive creative publishing partnership with 5DB Studios    Leading independent multi-disciplined music and media organisation Atlantic Screen Group (ASG) today announces a significant expansion of its music publishing and sync operations, supported by a series of strategic appointments and new...more

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

Notting Hill Music Signs Scottish Songwriter Declan Welsh

Notting Hill Music is proud to announce the signing of acclaimed Scottish songwriter Declan Welsh (Declan Welsh and The Decadent West). Emerging from East Kilbride, Scotland, Welsh has established himself as one of the nation’s most compelling contemporary voices, earning...more

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

Universal Music Group UK launches art and video studio ‘Pause’

  PAUSE PRODUCES PREMIUM, LIMITED-EDITION PRINTS THAT ALLOW FANS TO OWN UNIQUE MOMENTS OF VISUAL MUSIC HISTORY ANNOUNCEMENT OF PAUSE STUDIO ACCOMPANIED BY LAUNCH OF AMY WINEHOUSEYOU KNOW I’M NO GOOD COLLECTION    Fans can own a single frame from Amy Winehouse’s iconic music video,...more

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

2025 Budget statement from AIF CEO John Rostron

"The UK's independent festival sector is one built by entrepreneurs and so we welcome The Chancellor's announcement of a consultation on how the tax system can better back business founders and investors. We look forward to seeing how this government...more

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

Autumn Budget: Comment from Association of Independent Music

Gee Davy, CEO at AIM, said: “We welcome the Chancellor’s clear commitment to improving conditions for workers, especially young people. But SMEs – the talent engines of the UK - including those in the hugely diverse independent music sector, risk...more

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

Budget Hammerblow: Chancellor Dismisses Night-Time Economy Asks Says NTIA

Statement from Michael Kill, CEO, Night Time Industries Association"This Budget is a hammer blow to an already fragile night-time economy. Its impact will be felt across every high street and town centre in the UK. With inflation now higher than...more

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

Oasis Live ‘25 end of tour stores to open in London & Dublin

  London store will feature a visual content room showcasing highlights from the Oasis Live ‘25 global tour Product personalisation offered in-store on select days New and exclusive merchandise, a restocked adidas Originals range, gifting, vinyl and much more          ...more

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

UK Budget - A Statement from Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust

"This Budget is yet another episode in the long running saga of failures to seize opportunities to support Grassroots Music Venues. The Government's rhetoric on their support for this vital sector  is completely undone by the reality of their business...more

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

Record Store Day Black Friday: Exclusive releases land in independent shops

  Record Store Day’s annual Black Friday celebration returns this Friday, bringing a brand-new selection of exclusive, limited-edition vinyl titles to independent record stores across the UK. Available from 8am on Friday 28th November, this year’s collection features standout releases from Sam...more

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

LALAL.AI Launches Andromeda, a New Benchmark in Stem Separation & Vocal Isolation

AI-powered stem splitter’s Andromeda model interprets audio tracks with near-human precision LALAL.AI has officially launched Andromeda, its most advanced audio separation model to date. The new neural network builds upon six generations of LALAL.AI's audio source separation technology. The result is...more

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

Impala launches new storytelling campaign, Faces of the Independent Sector, to celebrate its 25th anniversary

To celebrate 25 years championing the independent sector in Europe, IMPALA launches a new project to put the spotlight on individuals working across the industry. The Faces of the Independent Sector campaign will offer monthly insights into the inner workings...more

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

Realize Music: Sing Launches on Meta Quest With Broad Catalog From Universal, Warner, Sony and Beggars, Delivered by Tuned Global’s Music Technology

Groundbreaking singing game for wellness and creativity expands beyond VR with a PC Gaming release planned for 2026, with the support of Tuned Global’s backend music platform enabling scalable catalogue delivery and lyric integration.   Realize Music, in collaboration with leading music...more

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

Inaugural Folk Album Of The Year Award Shortlist Revealed

  146 album submissions received  Nine albums selected by jury of performers, music and media professionals Winner revealed and nominees to perform at live finale hosted in Rochdale, Greater Manchester on 17 March 2026   The Folk Album of the Year Award has revealed its...more

27 Nov 2025 | Press release

International music conference FFWD (FastForward) returns to London in February 2026 for FFWD>>LDN 26

International music conference FFWD (FastForward) returns to London in February 2026 for FFWD>>LDN 26 - celebrating its community in a special 10th anniversary edition, at a brand new location. Taking over Hackney Church for the first time on Tuesday 10 February...more

26 Nov 2025 | Press release

UK nightlife isn’t dead, it’s thriving underground - One in three Gen Z say the best DJ sets happen at house parties

  New research highlights the enduring role of house parties, with over a quarter of  Gen Z and Millennials playing their first DJ set at one One in three Gen Z say they have been inspired to learn to DJ after experiencing a house...more

26 Nov 2025 | Press release

Alex Black named Vice President, A&R, Peermusic

Peermusic, the world’s largest global independent music publishing and neighbouring rights company with 39 offices in 32 countries, has appointed Alex Black to Vice President, A&R as announced today by Jamie Cerreta, President U.S. and Canada, Peermusic. In this role, Alex Black will work...more

26 Nov 2025 | Press release

PPL appoints Anne-Marie Pearce as Chief Financial Officer

PPL has appointed Anne-Marie Pearce as its new Chief Financial Officer. She succeeds Chris Barton, who announced earlier this year he would be leaving the collective management organisation at the end of 2025. As CFO, Anne-Marie will join the Executive Leadership...more

26 Nov 2025 | Press release

Reservoir announces joint venture with Jamaican star Skatta Burrell & Abood Music

Reservoir Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSVR, the “Company”), an award-winning independent music company, today announced a new joint venture with multi-hyphenate Jamaican star Cordell “Skatta” Burrell and reggae and dancehall publisher Abood Music. Together, they will look to both acquire catalogs...more

26 Nov 2025 | Press release

Help Musicians Partner with Tiffany Calver to Launch UK Rap Award Career Accelerator

  Help Musicians launches new Career Accelerator for rap artists. Charity joins forces with Tiffany Calver to highlight the contributions of UK rap. Addressing barriers facing Black and underrepresented artists in the music industry.  Help Musicians today announces the launch of the UK Rap Award, a...more

26 Nov 2025 | Press release

Warner Music Group and Suno forge groundbreaking partnership

Companies will collaborate on next-generation licensed AI music that empowers the creative community and opens new revenue opportunities for artists and songwriters   Warner Music Group (Nasdaq: WMG), one of the world's largest music companies, and Suno, the leader in AI music,...more

26 Nov 2025 | Press release

UK’s leading Choir for Refugees and Allies releases debut album Echo of Your Voice

  Echo of Your Voice - a 10-track album bursting with hope and joy - is available for pre-save from Wednesday 26th November, 2025   Celebrating the rich diversity and wonderful community of this never more relevant choir, the Citizens of the World...more

25 Nov 2025 | Press release

The Snuts launch new label Happy Artist Records for the band's next record and partner with Virgin Music Group for global distribution

HAPPY ARTIST RECORDS - LED BY THE SNUTS’ FRONTMAN, JACK COCHRANE - WILL SUPPORT AND CHAMPION EMERGING SCOTTISH AND REGIONAL UK TALENT The Snuts have announced the launch of Happy Artist Records, a new label created to release the band’s next record...more

25 Nov 2025 | Press release

Impala welcomes the EC’s findings so far that UMG’s proposed acquisition of Downtown has risks for Europe’s digital market – issues reminder that concerns go beyond data

In response to today’s press release from the European Commission, IMPALA has issued the following statement: “IMPALA welcomes the European Commission’s statement today confirming to UMG that the proposed acquisition of Downtown raises concerns about restricting competition in the wholesale distribution of recorded music market, in...more

25 Nov 2025 | Press release

European Commission sends Statement of Objections over proposed acquisition of Downtown by UMG

The European Commission has informed Universal Music Group ('UMG') of its preliminary view that its proposed acquisition of Downtown may restrict competition in the market for the wholesale distribution of recorded music. UMG  is globally active in music recording, music publishing, merchandising, and audiovisual content.  Downtown  is a...more

25 Nov 2025 | Press release

Propaganda Independent Venues Acquires TEG's UK Venue Estate

The Bristol-based independent reacquires Tramshed in Cardiff together with XOYO London, XOYO Birmingham, Camden Assembly, and The Globe in Cardiff...    Propaganda's Dan Ickowitz-Seidler, along with Richard Buck, have together launched Propaganda Independent Venues and announced the acquisition of TEG's UK venue...more

25 Nov 2025 | Press release

Warner Music India Inks Exclusive Global Distribution Deal with Ultra Music India

Warner Music India has announced a strategic partnership with Ultra Music, one of India's most prominent music labels, establishing an exclusive worldwide distribution alliance.  As a part of the deal, Warner Music India will take over the distribution of Ultra Music's...more

25 Nov 2025 | Press release

As autumn budget looms - 73% say government failing UK nightlife says new NTIA & Obsurvant consumer survey

  Feedback from people taking part in the NTIA & Obsurvant survey have highlighted that they feel that Government Neglect, Streets Unsafe, Transport not sufficient, Culture at Risk. New research from Obsurvant, in partnership with the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), paints...more

24 Nov 2025 | Press release

Game My Fan launches world's first "Album as a Game" in partnership with Primary Wave Music

Revolutionary Music Distribution Platform Taps $80 Billion Gaming Market for Artists' Direct-to-Fan Engagement Rock Legends Bad Company Become First Artist to Launch Album as a Game Game My Fan, a direct to fan music distribution platform founded by the team behind...more

24 Nov 2025 | Press release

The F-List for Music announces DJ Paulette to be 6th President

The F-List for Music is delighted to announce that internationally renowned DJ Paulette will serve as its 6th President. Paulette takes on the honorary role from Miranda Cooper, following in the footsteps of Hannah Peel, Professor Shirley J Thompson, Brix...more

24 Nov 2025 | Press release

Britain’s Late-Night Economy Could Lose 10,000 More Businesses and 150,000 Jobs by 2028 - Chancellor Must Act in Autumn Budget

Industry Leaders Warn That Without Intervention, Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs, Businesses and UK Cultural Identity Are at Risk   Britain’s late-night economy is under severe strain. Rising costs, shifting consumer behaviour, and the potential for higher taxation in the upcoming Autumn...more

27 Nov 2025

  • AI slop: Spotify, Tunecore, and credibility (see Comment)

26 Nov 2025

  • Warner Music signs deal with Suno, settles lawsuit (see News)

25 Nov 2025

  • EC sends UMG its statement of objections to Downtown acquisition (see News)

24 Nov 2025

  • 20 years of Spotify — who’s winning, losing and making money? (see Features)

21 Nov 2025

  • The future of labels: Shifting sands (see Comment)

20 Nov 2025

  • Robert Kyncl on Udio deal: Growing the value of music for artists and songwriters (see News)

  • Ticket touts’ worst nightmare has finally come true (see Comment)

19 Nov 2025

  • Universal's bid for Downtown is set to be hit by a formal warning from European Union watchdogs (see Business)

18 Nov 2025

  • Reselling tickets for profit to be outlawed in UK government crackdown (see News)

  • Some answers to Haven's 'I Run' chart-excluded track (see News)

17 Nov 2025

  • "Without competition, the free market becomes a monopoly" (see Opinion)

14 Nov 2025

  • What are pop-up shows teaching us about building fandom in 2025? (see Analysis)