LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment), which represents 15 live music industry organisations, has announced the appointment of Antonia Lines to the position of Senior Programmes Manager, LIVE Trust.

They will be based in London and will report to Jon Collins, CEO, LIVE & Kirsty McShannon, Chair of the LIVE Trust.

Antonia joins LIVE Trust having held senior posts within music charity operations & programming and brings with them a wealth of experience from across the live sector. Most recently they co-ran a music development CIC (Come Play With Me) and previously worked at labels, ticketing outlets and in both on-site roles at festivals and operational roles for venues. Throughout their career, they have centred on community engagement and have volunteered on the board of the Sister Midnight community venue and as chairperson of Stonewall Football Club. They also sit on the EDI steering group at AIM and are a member of the BRITS voting panel.

Established in response to the 2024 Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee report calling for an industry led solution to the crisis in the grassroots music industry, the LIVE Trust is responsible for overseeing a voluntary £1 ticket contribution on arena & stadium shows over 5,000 capacity. With over 3 million ticket sales now pledged from artists, including most recently Take That, Florence & The Machine, Ed Sheeran, Gorillaz, Lorde and Iron Maiden, this initiative is committed to delivering vital funding where it is needed most. It will act on behalf of the live music industry, which contributes £6.7bn to the UK economy while employing 230,000 people, and will support venues, promoters, festivals and artists among others across a grassroots sector which saw 125 grassroots music venues close permanently in 2023, 78 festivals lost in 2024 and a 50% decline in tour dates over the last three decades.

Antonia Lines said, “I'm really excited to be at the LIVE Trust. I'm already working with some incredible people who are keen to deliver much-needed support across grassroots music communities all over the UK. After a lifetime of working in roles across the music industry, I'm delighted to be part of the team addressing the challenges the sector faces and creating long-term solutions to protect it.”

Kirsty McShannon, Chair of the LIVE Trust said, “I’m thrilled to welcome Toni as the Live Trust’s first Senior Programme Manager. With senior leadership roles across the charity sector and the music industry, together with a strong track record in community engagement, Toni is ideally placed to work with the trustees to design, deliver and evaluate our funding programmes, ensuring the Trust has a meaningful impact on grassroots music across the UK.”

LIVE CEO, Jon Collins added, “As soon as we received Toni’s application it was clear they were perfectly suited to this position. They have a great blend of experience, sector understanding and process management. Most importantly, they share our values in wanting to support all across live music in the UK.”