Their sound – fierce yet playful – isn’t the kind that fits neatly into a record label marketing plan, and they know it. It has recently saved iconic music venues including The Ferret in Preston, The Croft in Bristol and The Joiners in Southampton, venues being actively marketed for sale. “Their operators were really suffering with the stress and uncertainty,” says Matthew Otridge, chief operations officer of Music Venue Properties, the charitable community benefit society created by MVT. In 2023, 125 music venues closed, and more than 40% of UK grassroots venues operated at a loss last year. “Our society loves music but often forgets what it takes to make a career from it,” says Youth Music CEO Matt Griffiths.