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Music Venue Properties acquires tenth UK grassroots venue
July23
Music Venue Properties (MVP) has acquired The Pipeline in Brighton, bringing the number of UK grassroots music venues secured through its Own Our Venues community ownership initiative to ten.
The acquisition places the building housing The Pipeline into community ownership, providing the venue’s operator with long-term security and protection from changes in the commercial property market.
MVP is a Charitable Community Benefit Society that purchases properties occupied by grassroots music venues and leases them back to operators under terms intended to provide sustainable rents and greater security. The model has led to the organisation being described as a “National Trust for Music Venues”.
The Pipeline is an independent Brighton venue focused on emerging artists and alternative music. Venue operator Thomas Evrenos said the acquisition would allow the team to concentrate on programming shows and supporting grassroots talent.
“Knowing the building is now secured means we can focus on what matters most: putting on great shows, supporting grassroots talent and giving people a place to belong,” Evrenos said.
Brighton-based DJ and producer Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim, is among the investors in Music Venue Properties. He called on other artists and music fans to purchase community shares in the organisation.
“Our thriving music business needs grassroots venues,” Cook said. “The next Coldplay or Radiohead need places to hone their skills and find their audience.”
Cook described the scheme as an investment rather than a donation, arguing that community ownership could provide venues with fair rents and reduce the risk of buildings being converted to other uses.
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 MVP’s property portfolio.
According to the organisation, it has raised approximately £7 million since launching in 2022 through community investment and support from partners including Arts Council England, the UK Government and social investment organisation Figurative.
More than 2,500 people have invested in the scheme, including musicians Glenn Tilbrook and Katie Melua, Marshall Amplification representatives Terry and Lesley Marshall, and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Burnham became prime minister on 20 July 2026.
MVP has also secured £1 million from the UK Government’s Creative Foundations Fund for renovation and improvement work across its venues. The organisation said it is targeting further acquisitions through the Own Our Venues campaign.
Pictured: L-R Peter Cornforth (MVP board member), Norman Cook, Thomas Evrenos (Pipeline operator). Credit Lee London for MVT
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