Max SteventonMusic Venue Properties (MVP) has acquired Brighton grassroots music venue The Pipeline, taking the total number of venues secured through its Own Our Venues initiative to 10.
MVP is an initiative launched by the Music Venue Trust (MVT) in 2022. According to MVP, it has raised around £7m through community investment and support from Arts Council England, the UK Government and Figurative.
The purchase places the venue into community ownership, with MVP acquiring the building and leasing it to the venue operator to provide long-term security.
The Pipeline joins The Snug in Atherton, The Ferret in Preston, Le Pub in Newport, The Bunkhouse in Swansea, The Booking Hall in Dover, The Croft in Bristol, The Joiners in Southampton, Northern Guitars in Leeds and Gut Level in Sheffield in the scheme.
MVP said The Pipeline will continue operating as a grassroots music venue under its existing management.
The organisation launched Own Our Venues to acquire the buildings housing grassroots music venues through community investment and public funding.
More than 2,500 people have invested in the organisation, including musician Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim, Squeeze co-founder Glenn Tilbrook, Marshall Amplification’s Terry and Lesley Marshall, singer-songwriter Katie Melua and new PM Andy Burnham.
MVP has also secured £1m from the UK Government’s Creative Foundations Fund for renovation and improvement works across its venues. The organisation said it is continuing to pursue further acquisitions through the Own Our Venues initiative.
The Pipeline operator Thomas Evrenos said, “The Pipeline has always been more than just a venue. It’s a home for live music, emerging artists and the alternative community that has grown around it. I’m very proud that Music Venue Properties chose The Pipeline to become part of its portfolio.
“Everyone here is really happy about this, not just the team at The Pipeline but the wider Brighton music community, our staff, regulars and the musicians who have made this place what it is.”