Published
Fri, Mar 6, 2015, 17:21
- The new initiative will 'look at steps the city can take to protect and secure its vital network of live music venues.'
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has set up a new Music Venues Taskforce to try and stem the tide of closing event spaces in the city.
You don't have to live in London to know that the city's live music and clubbing scenes are in the midst of an upheaval. Amidst the closure of major venues like Plastic People and Madame Jojo's, there was also some controversy surrounding fabric's license.
Johnson's new Taskforce will be spearheaded by the Music Venue Trust with support from a number of other groups. It's meant to "look at steps the city can take to protect and secure its vital network of live music venues." Though it's not clear yet exactly what those steps might look like, they'll start by consulting the venues themselves, as well as local governments and artists.
In a taped statement (which you can watch below), Johnson acknowledged that property development and rising real estate prices have been squeezing venues out of certain neighbourhoods, saying that these spaces were "of huge economic importance, and not just cultural importance to our city," according to FACT.