Music Venue Trust say Manchester Co-Op Live Arena comments were “disrespectful and disingenuous”, and call on £1 ticket levy to save UK talent pipeline

A post shared by Tunbridge Wells Forum (@twforum)Recently, it was announced Alien Ant Farm and CKY had become the first American band to add a £1 ticket levy to their UK tours.It follows a similar move by Enter Shikari last year; last May, the band shared details of a 2024 run of UK tour dates, where £1 from each ticket sold was donated to the Music Venue Trust.Other companies have launched similar initiatives. Independent ticketing company Skiddle announced in October it would donate 50p of every ticket sold towards saving grassroots music venues, while taxi firm FREENOW pledged to donate £1 from every ride to the cause.Ticketmaster have introduced a Music Venue Trust charity upsell option, enabling fans to make direct contributions to MVT when purchasing tickets.

stand-up performances from Peter Kay on April 23 and 24. Following a test event with Rick Astley, however, the comedian’s gigs were postponed until April 29 and 30 due to a failed power test.A Black Keys gig that was scheduled for April 27 later had to be pushed back to May 15, and the Kay dates were delayed for the second time.Last night (May 1), A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s concert was cancelled at the last minute because of a “venue-related technical issue” before it was confirmed that Olivia Rodrigo’s shows at the Co-Op Live this Friday and Saturday (May 3, 4) had been postponed.

a performance by rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie last minute due to a “venue-related technical issue”.The venue announced just 10 minutes after doors had opened that the show could no longer go ahead due to technical problems. “We kindly ask fans to leave the area.

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BBC, Mark Davyd (CEO of the Music Venue Trust) said he was to meet with the Co-Op Live once the venue was up and running. The meeting comes amongst the furore with Co-Op Live’s executive director Gary Roden, who suggested some grassroots venues were “poorly run” whilst discussing the case for a £1 ticket levy to preserve them.Davyd later criticised Roden’s comments, pointing out the average age of the artists booked to play at the venue was 52: “The average length of time it takes for a British artist to be booked to headline the Coop Live Arena from the date of the release of their first album is 30 (THIRTY) years.

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marred by issues ahead of its launch, with both Peter Kay and The Black Keys being forced to postpone their shows at the last minute.The 23,500-capacity venue – now the largest arena in the UK – has faced numerous controversies and teething problems in recent weeks, including arena boss Gary Roden’s own resignation.Speaking to The Telegraph, Leiweke said it could be up to a year before plans become official. As for location, the investor said: “If you guessed Hammersmith, it would be a good guess.“We’re pretty focused on a particular site.

Peter Kay and The Black Keys being forced to postpone their shows.The 23,500-capacity venue, which is now the largest arena in the UK, has faced numerous rows, controversy and teething problems in the run-up to its official launch.It was supposed to open with performances from Peter Kay on April 23 and 24, However, following a test gig featuring Rick Astley at the weekend, the shows were moved to April 29 and 30 due to the venue’s power testing falling “a few days” behind schedule.Now, it has been confirmed that the upcoming gig from The Black Keys – set for tomorrow (April 27) – has also been postponed at the last minute, and the rescheduled shows by Peter Kay will be moved once again.“Since making the difficult decision to postpone the live shows at Co-op Live due to take place this week, we have been undertaking an extensive protocol of testing critical procedures to ensure all areas are ready for fans. To ensure that we can run all shows safely, regretfully we have now had to take the decision to reschedule the planned The Black Keys and Peter Kay shows,” read a new statement from the venue.It added that The Black Keys will now perform on May 15, and Peter Kay will now perform on May 23 and 24.

Manchester's brand new Co-Op Live arena has dramatically pulled MORE shows at the last minute amid news that the building is not yet ready to fully open. Peter Kay's gigs had already been rescheduled, but now they've been moved again to May 23 and 24.

performances from Peter Kay on April 23 and 24 but following a test gig featuring Rick Astley at the weekend, the shows were moved to April 29 and 30 due to the venue’s power testing falling “a few days” behind schedule.Organisers insisted they were “not embarrassed” by the postponements, saying they were now focused on “ensuring a consistent total power supply”.In an appearance on BBC North West Tonight, Managing Director Tim Leiweke echoed that sentiment (via Manchester Evening News). “I think it’s a source of commitment to safety and expectations and trying to make sure that when people come in the building we do it right.

recent gig postponements, and instead “focusing on ensuring a consistent total power supply”.The new venue, which is the UK’s largest indoor arena, is located opposite Manchester’s Etihad Stadium, and features a “unique bowl design” that will bring fans “closer to the artist than at other arenas of equivalent size”, according to a spokesperson.It was set to launch this week, with Bolton comedian Peter Kay scheduled to perform yesterday (April 23) and today (April 24). However, following a test gig featuring Rick Astley over the weekend, it was later decided that the dates would be moved to next Monday (April 29) and Tuesday (30) due to the venue’s power testing falling “a few days” behind schedule.“Following our first test event on Saturday, regretfully we have made the difficult decision to reschedule our two opening performances by Peter Kay,” the venue said in a statement.

BBC recently, where he discussed the proposed £1 ticket levy on all gigs arena-sized and above, to help secure the future of grassroots venues and artists.Roden said that he was “very aware it’s a hot topic”, and that he was “embracing the conversation”, but that he believed the levy was “too simplistic”.The report suggests that he thinks support should come directly from the government, and added that while he acknowledges the financial pressures on small venues, he thinks some of them are poorly run.“If the conversation stops being ‘Give me a quid’ and quite aggressive – if it changed to be, ‘What can we do together to help?’, that’s where I think we start to get into that apprenticeship conversation and all those different things that we want to work through,” he said.“We’ve got a list of ideas that we’re currently forming, and I think once we’ve been open six months or a year, we’ll be really able to add something very significant to the grassroots system in Manchester.”2/521.7% of all the shows will be performed by artists over retirement age. 8.6% of all the shows will be performed by artists under the age of 30.

The massive new Co-op Live arena, which opened its doors to the public for the first time last night (April 20), has already come under fire from some people who have been shocked by the food and drink prices advertised - with a beer setting you back an eye-wateriing £8.95.

Peter Kay shows.The Bolton comedian was due to perform tomorrow (April 23) and Wednesday (April 24) but following a test gig featuring Rick Astley at the weekend, it has been decided that the dates will be moved to next Monday (April 29) and Tuesday (30) due to the venue’s power testing falling “a few days” behind schedule.A statement from the venue said: “Following our first test event on Saturday, regretfully we have made the difficult decision to reschedule our two opening performances by Peter Kay. It is critical to ensure we have a consistent total power supply to our fully electric sustainable venue, the completion of which is a few days behind.An important update from Co-op Live.

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Pop superstar Harry Styles is one of the named investors on the huge new £365mn Co-op Live Arena in Manchester.

Peter Kay’s huge gig at Manchester’s brand new Co-op Live arena has been cancelled. The comedian's second show at the venue on Wednesday evening (April 24) has also been cancelled.

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