Ed Sheeran inspires government-backed 'music in libraries' scheme — SkimNews
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- The UK government is launching a 'Music in Libraries' initiative that will turn public libraries across England into 'music lending spaces' offering free studio time and performance opportunities, backed by at least £12.5 million for recording booths, mixing desks and other equipment.
- Ed Sheeran inspired and co-designed the scheme, championing it to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy during a visit to the non-profit arts organisation Brighten The Corners in Ipswich last year; Sheeran's charity has previously funded instrument loans and similar schemes in libraries and youth centres.
- The government will allocate an extra £15 million to the pre-existing Music Growth Package for emerging artists and will relax licensing restrictions for music events while offering longer contracts to music festivals to make them more secure year-on-year.
- The LIVE Trust separately announced a £1 million funding boost for UK grassroots live music, raised by Sam Fender, Wolf Alice and Harry Styles donating £1 from every ticket sold on their latest tours; the trust has supported more than 100 artists, venues and promoters since launching in January 2025.
- Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy framed the changes as a way to make the £8 billion music industry more accessible, saying: 'pop is getting posher, and that must change. We believe music belongs to everyone, not just the privileged few.'
- The grassroots scene is under acute pressure: on average three nightclubs close every week in the UK, and more than half of small music venues make no profit, according to figures cited alongside Alt-J's Gus Unger-Hamilton of the Featured Artists Coalition.
Why it matters: The funding targets the grassroots pipeline where the industry is most fragile — three UK nightclubs close every week and more than half of small venues make no profit. By embedding studios in libraries and pairing that with a LIVE Trust model in which arena acts (Harry Styles, Wolf Alice, Sam Fender) subsidise small gigs, the package links government seed money to a new industry self-rescue template for keeping emerging talent alive.
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