UK Independent Music Bodies Partner for Grassroots Networking Day

The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), the Association of Independent Promoters (AIP) and Music Venue Trust (MVT) have partnered to create a new networking day for the sector, supported by Arts Council England.

The event:

• Will take place on 14 October at 229 London.

• Bookers and programmers from independent festivals and grassroots music venues, promoters and booking agents will gather for a day dedicated to building new relationships and developing alliances to work more effectively together.

• In addition to structured networking between bookers, agents and promoters, there will be opportunities for parties to develop cohorts with similar interests, be they regional clusters or genre-based groupings.

The trade bodies:

• Collectively, AIF, AIP and MVT represent the largest employers in the grassroots music sector, commissioning the highest number of shows by grassroots artists, and investing over £500 million per annum into live music.

• ATC-Live, Runway Artists, International Talent Booking (ITB), Pure Represents and Primary Talent are already on board, with more to join the mix for a UK-wide drive to strengthen the shows on offer at grassroots level.

What they said:

• John Rostron, AIF CEO: “Live music is an ecosystem where audiences, artists and freelancers move in and out of grassroots venues, festivals and shows on their journey perhaps without noticing that these three pillars are so intertwined yet also unique and distinct. I’m so pleased that we three representative organizations have found common ground and are coming together to work in this way, bringing those who book, program, develop and showcase artists into a space for what will be an incredibly fruitful day.”