The Quietus: How Community Ownership can Save our Grassroots Venues

King Street Social Club in North Shields has also been running on such a model for decades. “It’s completely member-owned as an organisation, and the organisation owns the site too,” says Geoff Kirkwood (aka Man Power), the founder of King Street’s Are You Affiliated, and who has taken on a ten-year license to operate events within the venue. “The members are essentially shareholders, but the organisation is structured not to make a profit beyond the upkeep of the site. It’s the only place I’ve ever been to where I’ve seen a sign warning people that the price of beer is about to be reduced in the next month.”

At a time when 90% of grassroots music venues are tenants, many are left vulnerable to rent hikes, lease non-renewals, and redevelopment – particularly if the landlord has no stake in the cultural value being created onstage. In this way, mutual-ownership models can offer a level of built-in ballast. “The social club model works really well when you have a full and engaged membership which generates plenty of money and sees a ready supply of experienced people willing to step into leadership roles for their community,” says Kirkwood. Still, mutual ownership is only part of the equation. “A lot of social clubs have been operating as mutually-owned sites for years, and they’ve still managed to close down. I think the model is definitely the starting point, but I also think we need to be coming up with more creative solutions than those already in play.”

Read the full feature on The Quietus