Grassroots music venue welcomes £29,000 grant

The Purple Turtle in Reading has launched a live music app

A music venue has secured its first Arts Council funding which will provide 26 fully funded events over the next year and help launch a live music app.

The Purple Turtle in Reading will use the grant of £29,502 to install two cameras to record and stream bands online "not just for Berkshire but for the world".

According to a report from the Music Venues' Trust, the UK lost a grassroots venue every two weeks last year and states Reading as one of 17 major towns no longer on the touring circuit.

Neil Goulding, from the Purple Turtle, said: "Nowadays it seems like we are being missed out."

"Many years ago we used to get quite large bands coming through at the Hexagon and even the Turtle," he said.

"Back in the day, there used to be some decent stuff, nowadays it seems like we are being missed out."

He told BBC Berkshire the drop could be due to costs or audience attendance as the "landscape has definitely changed" since the pandemic.

Mr Goulding said receiving the grant was a "surprise and really good".

"A big part of it is looking at what an audience is and how to connect to them," he added.

"In today's age of social media, it's hard to connect to the audience and cut through the noise."

He said the app has links to the venue's gigs and direct notifications of new gigs.

"It has links to Turtle TV, a channel established for live streaming which provides exposure to fans, new audiences and the venues," Mr Goulding explained.

The idea is "the music will be at the Turtle but the audience can be anywhere, through the app we connect".

"That way we aren't just limited to Reading, it's anywhere in the world which I think is great for grassroots music in general," he added.