Charity launches daytime events at independent music venues

A newly-formed national music charity is aiming to help independent music venues develop extensive programmes of daytime activities.

Independent Venue Community (IVC) launches today (September 12) with a mission to showcase the potential of live music venues as cultural and creative hubs in their local community.

Its work begins with a pilot project in the East of England, known as Soundcheck Sessions, that offers young people the opportunity to experience behind-the-scenes at a gig.

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Delivered in partnership with Arts Council England and local music education hubs, Soundcheck Sessions will give participants from local schools, colleges and youth groups the chance to visit a venue before doors open for a gig and speak with artists, technical crew and staff to learn more about the live music industry. 

Venues in Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Ipswich, Norwich and Peterborough are participating in the pilot, which will run from this autumn to spring next year. IVC says more venues will follow, as it envisages the project will expand into a nationwide programme later in the year.

“This project will help enable young people to have an insight into the industry, what roles and pathways to employment there are while making connections in an aspirational environment,” said Joe Bailey, CEO of Ipswich-based not-for-profit venue operator Brighten The Corners.

“We have high levels of need for youth provision in our area and it's really important that young people are made aware of opportunities in an industry which often seems misrepresented, mystical or impenetrable.”

‘Meaningful change’

Other initiatives planned by IVC include parent and toddler gigs, a gig buddy scheme for audiences and artists with learning disabilities, mental health support for artists and crew, a series of LGBTQIA+ inclusion sessions and access training for promoters.

The charity also plans to run an environmental project to bring planters into unused outside spaces at venues for various local community groups.

IVC’s founder, Sybil Bell, who also established and is CEO of Independent Venue Week, says the charity will help independent venues grow their business in their downtime and increase engagement with their local community. 

“We also aim to inspire more venues to throw open their doors outside of nighttime hours, to build new programming strands that can engage with new or underrepresented audiences,” Bell said.

“At a time when so many local community spaces have disappeared I believe that IVC can help deliver meaningful change through our existing independent venue infrastructure.” 

Yolanda Brown, a member of the charity’s board of trustees, added that music venues are “uniquely positioned to make a meaningful difference in so many lives by providing inclusive, accessible environments where people can come together, find support and have fantastic experiences”. 

“With the support of IVC, local music venues can be transformed into hubs of connection and well-being, creating vital opportunities for relationship building and positive change and helping to strengthen the bonds that hold communities together,” Brown added.