Featured Image: Magnus Lunay on Unsplash
Gigmate, a free event discovery and fan community service in the UK, has committed to supporting small, independent music venues by driving awareness and ticket sales for their events.
The service is currently being trialled in cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, London and Leeds, and hopes to extend throughout the UK and further afield.
Gigmate’s ambition follows Music Venue Trust’s 2023 report which stated that 16% of grassroots music venues had closed, while 38.5% made a financial loss last year. Additionally, research on behalf of the UK Government found that 6% of adults in the country reported feeling lonely often or always, while a further 20% said they felt lonely some of the time.
The event discovery and fan community is hoping to rectify both of these issues, and has recently been awarded an Innovate UK Creative Catalyst grant.
Moving forward, Gigmate will continue to work closely with the Music Venue Trust and its 835 members to support grassroots venues. The organisation will aim to facilitate supportive relationships, and tackle isolation through community building and live events.
“As a team, we are all very passionate about live music and have been lucky to work in such an amazing sector for over 50 years,” said Gigmate founder Rob March.
“We now want to use our experience and networks to support small independent venues when they need it the most. We believe that live music has the power to connect and help total strangers develop long-term friendships through their shared passions.”
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