London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a city-wide campaign to champion the local grassroots music venues.
It comes as part of a new collaboration with Music Venue Trust, Featured Artist Coalition, Outernet, the Metro and Universal Music. Together, they have reimagined the iconic London Tube map to shed light on the music venues and iconic artists from the city.
At time of writing, there are 179 grassroots music spaces in the capital and 2024 alone saw these spaces welcome over 4.2million music fans, hosted performances from over 328,000 artists, employed close to 7,000 people and contributed £313m to the economy.
They have also provided platforms for artists who have gone on to become household names. In 2024, seven of the Top 10 artists with the biggest-selling albums made their name in grassroots spaces in London. These include Chappell Roan who performed at the Garage, Coldplay who performed at The Dublin Castle, Noah Kahan who performed at The Social, and Charli XCX who performed in a number of east London clubs.
The new version of the Tube map sees the tube lines turned into electric cables and named after key parts of the industry. It also features the Bakerloo line as songs, the Central line as genres, the District line as 25 artists to see in 2025 and the Jubilee line as albums.
Also on the map, the Metropolitan line shows independent record labels, the Northern line shows iconic artists, the Piccadilly line displays contemporary artists, and the Victoria line highlights subcultures.
Key attractions also shown include 25 grassroots venues, 25 nightclubs and 25 record shops.
It was published exclusively in the Metro newspaper today (May 13) – available to view here – and will be displayed on screens at Outernet London on Denmark Street for a month. Elsewhere, ticketing platform DICE has shared 25 grassroots artists to see over the next six months, and Metro is also hosting a series of interviews online with artists and venues in partnership with the Featured Artist Coalition (FAC).
“London’s grassroots music scene is renowned around the world,” said Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. “From providing opportunities for talented aspiring artists to develop their trade, to giving Londoners a great night out, our venues are an essential part of our life at night and provide a huge boost to our economy.
“However, they have faced huge challenges in recent years, which is why we’re joining with partners across the capital to champion all parts of London’s grassroots music scene,” he added. “This special edition Tube map is a great way to highlight what a huge impact the scene has on our capital, as we continue to do all we can to support venues and build a more prosperous London for everyone.”
Others backing the initiative from Khan include Skin from Skunk Anansie, who highlighted how “you don’t get mainstream music without the grassroots”, and Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson, who recalled how the metal pioneers band started their journey at the Cart and Horses pub in Stratford, just a short distance from the stadium which they will be playing in June.
“London’s diverse music scene and its grassroots venues are essential to nurture and support new artists, to bring music fans together and create lifelong passions and memories,” he added. “We need to cherish it, celebrate it and protect it. There’s nothing like it anywhere else in the world so get out there and enjoy it!!”
Mark Davyd, Founder & CEO of Music Venue Trust continued: “London is one of the world’s great music cities, constantly reinventing itself with new sounds, new genres, and incredible new artists. The network of grassroots music venues in London are an essential part of what makes the capital’s music thrive, delivering an extraordinary range of music, community and life changing experiences at affordable prices. In London, there really is something for everyone, every night of the week, right the way across the city.”
The new campaign from Sadiq Khan and co. comes as grassroots spaces have been coming under threat in recent years. Last year, for example, saw the UK lose one grassroots music venue every two weeks – with nearly half making a loss and 200 remaining in a state of emergency as the country faces a “collapse in touring”.
Other startline reports have included how grassroots venues are being closed at a “disastrous rate”, and how the financial struggles faced by musicians and venue owners are causing “the complete collapse of touring” across the UK.
In a bid to save grassroots venues, there have been significant efforts laid out for 2025, which could make this year vital for securing the live music sector.The government, for instance, has started to back a long overdue call for a levy on tickets to gigs at arena level and above. This means the top tiers of the live industry adopt a ‘Premier League model’ and pay back into the ecosystem to keep the talent pipeline flowing.
The Labour government has also promised a price cap on touted tickets and an investigation into dynamic pricing after last year’s Oasis reunion tour controversy – potentially leading to a more stable future for UK music and fans.
