Photo Credit: Fatboy Slim / Facebook
Fatboy Slim has become one of the latest high-profile supporters of the UK’s grassroots music venue movement, investing in the community ownership of Brighton venue The Pipeline as part of the Music Venue Trust’s Own Our Venues initiative.
The acquisition sees The Pipeline brought under the ownership of Music Venue Properties (MVP), a charitable community benefit society established by the Music Venue Trust to purchase and protect buildings that house independent music venues. The organisation has been described as a “National Trust for Music Venues”, providing operators with long-term security against rising rents and commercial redevelopment.
Originally founded in East London in 2009 before relocating to Brighton in 2017, The Pipeline has become an important fixture in the city’s independent music scene, hosting emerging artists and alternative live events. Its inclusion in the Own Our Venues programme marks the tenth grassroots venue to be permanently secured through the initiative.
Brighton resident Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, said grassroots venues remain essential to the future of the music industry, arguing that they provide the spaces where the next generation of artists can develop their craft.
Since launching in 2022, Music Venue Properties has raised around £7 million through community investment alongside funding from cultural partners and government initiatives. More than 2,500 people have invested in the scheme, helping secure venues including The Joiners in Southampton, The Croft in Bristol, Northern Guitars in Leeds and Gut Level in Sheffield.
