Youth Music UK has launched an urgent £1 million fundraising campaign named ‘Rescue the Roots’, aimed at tackling the persistent funding crisis facing grassroots youth venues and music projects. The organisation announced the campaign alongside a set of alarming statistics, among which was the very real possibility that young people across 8 UK regions could lose access to music spaces within the next decade.
The crisis is well-documented, with the main issues remaining: the years of funding cuts that have hit the arts sector hard, and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis that sent bills spiraling. Statistics published as part of the campaign paint a bleak picture, with 41% of grassroots youth music projects are now at risk, a 17% increase from 2024, and half of Youth Music-funded spaces have waiting lists due to a lack of resources.
Another disturbing figure is that Youth Music can currently only fund 18% of all applications for help they receive, which leaves an estimated 260,000 young people without access to music spaces within their communities. The need for the urgent fundraising is paramount, with over a quarter of those lucky enough to receive funding from Youth Music still facing uncertainty over their future.
In their own words, the ‘Rescue the Roots’ campaign is Youth Music prepared to seek a solution rather than just raising the alarm. As part of the effort, the organisation will also match every pound donated up to £1 million, taking the total fund up to £2 million. Youth Music estimates that this amount will provide support to over 18,000 young people.
Jordan Stephens, one half of Rizzle Kicks, has lent his support to the cause, even getting “Rescue the Roots” tattooed on his arm. Stephens was awarded the Youth Music Awards Grassroots Hero in 2024, and as a rallying cry, said, “Rescue the Roots isn’t just a phrase, it’s a call to arms and a plea for fundraising support – it is the most important thing we can do to safeguard the next generation of musical talent. If we don’t, there will be no new artists, no fresh sounds, no future for UK music.”
As working class young people strive to succeed in music and the wider creative industries, it is essential to retain other routes for talent development.
That’s why we are backing @YouthMusic‘s #RescueTheRoots with @jordanfstephens
Watch the documentary: https://t.co/Rm0D3hBorh— The FAC (@FeaturedArtists) March 11, 2025
Back in November, Youth Music teamed up with music streaming platform Spotify to help save 15 youth spaces up and down the UK that were facing closure. On the partnership, Spotify’s Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Impact, Dina Gabriel said “By working with Youth Music, we can safeguard these spaces and the opportunities they create.”
The Music Venue Trust is another organisation fighting hard in this space, and has become one of the biggest voices for music venues. They were invited to Parliament to launch their 2024 report, with Kate Nash performing at the event, and shortly after being named as a patron of the trust. In December, MVT secured £60,000 through a partnership with Ticketmaster which supported the Pipeline Investment Fund.
The need for systemic change is obvious. Temporary measures can only paper over the cracks, but the ‘Rescue the Roots’ front-foot approach could be the catalyst for change that grassroots music spaces and venues so desperately need.
