Fatboy Slim backs community ownership drive to secure Brighton grassroots venue
Brighton and Hove-based DJ Fatboy Slim has backed efforts to secure the future of grassroots music venues by investing in Music Venue Properties, as Brighton venue The Pipeline becomes the tenth venue protected through the Own Our Venues initiative, writes Music News Blitz's Josh Johnston.
Fatboy Slim has thrown his support behind efforts to safeguard the future of grassroots live music by investing in Music Venue Properties (MVP), helping secure Brighton venue The Pipeline as community-owned.
The acquisition means The Pipeline has become the tenth venue to be protected under MVP’s Own Our Venues £7 million initiative.
Supporting grassroots music
The initiative aims to provide greater long-term stability for independent venues by purchasing the buildings they operate from, helping to reduce the uncertainty often associated with commercial leases.
DJ and producer Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, who attended university in Brighton has publicly backed the campaign.
He also invested a substantial sum to help protect the spaces where future generations of musicians and DJs can develop their careers, highlighting the importance of grassroots venues to the wider music industry and encouraging further support for initiatives designed to protect them.
A more secure future for The Pipeline
The Pipeline will continue operating under its existing management, with the new ownership model intended to give the venue a more secure future while allowing it to continue supporting Brighton’s live music scene.
The Pipeline’s operator, Thomas Evrenos, has welcomed the initiative. He said the venue has become an important part of Brighton’s grassroots music community, a home for live music and emerging talent.
By securing its future, it will be able to serve the Brighton community for many years.
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Growing the Own Our Venues initiative
The Own Our Venues initiative, created by Music Venue Trust’s charitable organisation Music Venue Properties, works to secure the long-term future of grassroots venues by placing them into community ownership.
With The Pipeline now joining the growing portfolio of protected venues, the Own Our Venues initiative continues its mission to strengthen the UK’s grassroots music network through community investment.
For Brighton’s music scene, the acquisition represents another step forwards, in safeguarding its independent venues, while Fatboy Slim’s backing shines a spotlight on a wider campaign to secure the future of grassroots music across the country.
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