A youth music project has launched a £50,000 appeal to transform its venue.
The appeal will fund essential fire safety work, a new PA and lighting system, and soundproofing, rising to a fully equipped youth venue with sensory spaces, an employability café and training facilities at higher funding levels at the Jamming Station in Totnes.
The Devon venue known as the Town Mill “is part youth club, part rehearsal room, part training ground for the music industry” for young people. according to a press release.
Jamming Station co-director Jacqui Perks said: “For many of our young people, this is the place where they finally find their tribe. They come out of school carrying all that pressure and enter an environment where they can unwind among other young musicians who see them, understand them and accept them.
It began in 2012 when Perks and fellow musicians Beth Coombes and Lee Friese-Greene started loading amps into cars each week because “their children had nowhere in Totnes to play”.
Former Jamming Station student Izzi Warburton has gone on to tour internationally as a session musician, with the likes of Primal Scream and Kula Shaker.
Izzi Warburton CREDIT: Jamming Station.
Meanwhile, The Music Venue Trust recently reported that that 30 grassroots music venues closed forever between July 2024 and July 2025 while 48 stopped operating as gig spaces.
Of those that survive, an average profit margin of just 2. 5 per cent saw a staggering 53. 8 per cent of grassroots venues report no profit in the last 12 months, with a loss of over 6,000 jobs (19 per cent) across the year.
The loss of venues in regional areas across the UK has already caused what many think of a “the complete collapse of touring” in recent years, while last year’s MVT report showed that the UK was losing one music venue every fortnight.
Last year saw the Royal Albert Hall in London become the first arena to commit to a LIVE ticket levy to help support grassroots venues, which sees £1 from every ticket sold invested back into the UK’s live music scene and helps smaller venues keep their doors open and for grassroots artists to tour.
Huge names who have been supportive of the levy include Coldplay, Sam Fender and Katy Perry – who have all vowed to donate a portion of their tour revenues to support the grassroots sector.
Last May, Wolf Alice‘s Joff Oddie also joined industry leaders at a government hearing and insisted that not enough progress was being made in saving venues and new artists.
It was reported that UK tour ticket contributions have raised £500,000 for grassroots music venues thanks to artists like Pulp and Mumford & Sons.
How ‘Diablo’ continues to provide the definitive dark-fantasy game soundtrack.
KATSEYE – ‘Wild’ EP review: global girl group struggle to find the sweet spot.
This Is Lorelei was only meant to be a side project. It’s made Nate Amos an indie darling.
Este Haim on scoring Bella Ramsey film ‘Sunny Dancer’ and Haim’s New York-inspired fifth album.
Dominic Sessa on why Anthony Bourdain’s life “was not a tragedy” but “a symbol of hope”.
Watch actors in upcoming Beatles biopics recreate iconic ‘Abbey Road’ album cover.
Phil Collins says he is three years sober after “dark times” with alcohol addiction.
Kelly Osbourne hits back at Dee Snider’s “attempt to belittle” Ozzy Osbourne.
Queens Of The Stone Age announce new album ‘Perfecth’ in bloody reveal video.
Johnny Marr shares “brilliant answer” he got from Paul McCartney about the break-up of The Smiths.
Bring Me The Horizon and Rose Gray took Sziget Festival 2026 to new heights.
Fontes
Informação baseada em material público de NME, reescrito pela redação ULTRA NOTÍCIAS.
