Fresh concerns have been raised over the future of independent festivals in the U.K. thanks to rising costs, which are having an impact on both artists and promoters, according to a report in The Observer.

The Association of Independent Festivals has said there’s a 30% rise in the costs of putting on a show, which has resulted in one in six festivals closing permanently since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the same time, low artist fees mean that some acts can’t afford to play at the events that are still intact. David Martin, chief exec of the Featured Artist Coalition, said “artists in the middle are being squeezed. We should heed the warnings we’re seeing from canceled shows.”

Since 2019, the number of independent festivals in the U.K. has dropped to 482 from 600, according to AIF data. John Rostron, chief exec of the trade body, said recent closures are partly due to organizers staging events in 2022 for “2019 prices” due to tickets that were honored from pre-COVID dates. In addition, he says that the market is losing interest from young music fans.

In May, Chagstock—a 5k capacity festival in Devon—announced its closure after 16 years in business, due to "the struggle to catch up after missing a year due to COVID, combined with increased competition, escalating costs, the cost of living crisis and lower than expected ticket sales," according to a post on Facebook.

Rostron is asking the government for a reduction in VAT, down to 5% as a temporary measure. He concluded: “That would mean we can get that cushion, find those young people that might be missing and rebuild.”

Maisie Peters is the first British female solo artist in nine years to land a #1 album on the Official Albums Chart, which this week feels the effects of last weekend’s Glastonbury. Dave & Central Cee hold onto the top slot at singles.

With a #1 secured for her second album, The Good Witch (Gingerbread Man/Atlantic), the 23-year-old Peters becomes the youngest British female to top the chart since then-18-year-old Ella Henderson did it in 2014.

The chart’s newcomers this week include Young Thug’s Business is Business (Young Stoner Life) at #15 and Kelly Clarkson’s Chemistry (Atlantic) at #22. It’s Young Thug’s third Top 10 entry and Clarkson’s eighth U.K. Top 40 LP.

The Top 40, meanwhile, is packed with albums by acts who performed at Glastonbury. Elton John and Lewis Capaldi fared best.

John’s greatest hits compilation Diamonds (Mercury) saw an uplift of 188% over the previous week, landing at #2. The Glasto Effect extended to John’s singles. Stephen Sanchez, who joined Elton on stage, saw a jolt in his “Until I Found You” (Mercury/Republic), which rose to a new peak of #14. John’s single with Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart,” lands at #30 and 1983’s “I’m Still Standing” pops in at #34, its first time in the Top 40 since its year of release.

Capaldi’s former #1 sophomore album, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent (EMI), rockets 13 places to #3, while his debut, Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent, is up 25 slots to #9.

The headliners on 6/23, Domino’s Arctic Monkeys, have the most albums in the Top 40 of any Glastonbury act: 2013’s AM is #7; 2005 debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not reaches #20; and 2006’s Favourite Worst Nightmare awakes at #38.

Foo Fighters’ surprise set helped push their latest, But Here We Are (Columbia), to #14 and The Essential Foo Fighters (Sony Music CG) to #22, a 41-place spike. Lana Del Rey’s debut Born To Die (Polydor) rose 14 slots #29; Guns N’ Roses’ Greatest Hits (Geffen) rose a staggering 65 places to #31. Also, GNR’s “Sweet Child O’ Mine” went to #40 on the singles chart, its first stint in the Top 40 in 34 years.

Speaking of singles, Dave & Central Cee’s “Sprinter” (Live Yours/Neighbourhood) claims its fourth consecutive week at #1, racking up 8.6m streams across the last seven days.

Stormzy & Fredo claim this week’s highest new entry with their first collab together, “Toxic Trait” (Def Jam), debuting straight in at #11.

Moving up to new peaks are several fast-rising dance hits: Rudimental, Charlotte Plank and Vibe Chemistry’s “Dancing Is Healing” (Room Two) up one to #5; Hannah Laing & RoRo’s “Good Love” (Polydor) at #7; and “(It Goes Like) Nanana” (XL) by South Korean DJ and producer Peggy Gou, which is up five spaces to #9.

Following its re-entry into the chart last week, Taylor Swift’s 2019 fan favorite “Cruel Summer” (EMI) continues its renaissance, vaulting 16 places to #12 and earning a new peak in the process.

Belfast City Council will be the first local authority in the U.K. to support its local grassroots music venues via Music Venue Trust’s Pipeline Investment Fund.

As part of their recently launched Music Matters program, the City Council has committed £20k to the PIF which will be ring-fenced for Belfast venues, who in turn will be able to apply for grants up to £5k to be used for sound, lights, sound, access, ventilation and minor building alterations, or for staff training, diversifying workforces, succession planning, skills development, and strengthening local community ties. Applications will be open from 7/3 July to 8/25.

“Our council is committed to supporting and nurturing our local music scene, and capitalizing upon the economic, social and regenerative value music can bring to our city,” said Councillor Clíodhna Nic Bhranair, chair of the council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee. “Igniting the live experience and supporting venues to deliver the best experiences they can is a key pillar of our Music Matters strategy. The Pipeline Investment Fund will support small venues to make improvements to enhance what it’s like to attend a gig or perform your music in front of a live audience.

“I’d encourage all eligible venues to take a look at the funding available and see how it can best support them, whether through physical improvements or behind the scenes in the shape of staff training or improving skills.”

The U.K.’s Official Chart has unveiled a new brand identity and public digital platform along with a new independent cultural study, The Official Chart – The “People’s Algorithm.”

The new immersive chart offers users the ability to listen to audio clips of any song that has ever charted, watch a 60-second video countdown of the Top 10, discover chart facts about any song or album, and explore its week-by-week chart journey.

OfficialCharts.com’s artists section has doubled in size to house dedicated pages for more than 50k acts and also provides a view of 50+ specialist charts, ranging from Afrobeats to Vinyl. A new international chart section features the Official French Singles and Albums Charts for the first time, alongside the Official Irish Charts.

 “Since 2011, we have been on a journey to create a brand and digital platform worthy of the iconic role that the charts play in British life,” says Official Charts Co. CEO Martin Talbot. “But now it is time for another step-change, and we are delighted to be unveiling this fresh new look, new web platform and Culture Studio report.”

The study conducted by CultureStudio indicates that 69% of chart followers (rising to 72% of under 25s) say it is their #1 way of discovering new music. Respondents also revealed a new role for the Official Charts as a valued antidote to the algorithm bubbles of today.

The report highlights that The Official Chart remains one of BBC Radio 1’s biggest on-demand programs, with 55% of fans also considering the Official Charts to be a “British institution.”

WME’s Lucy Dickins will receive the Music Industry Trusts Award for her immeasurable contributions to the music industry. She’ll receive the MITS award 11/6 at a gala ceremony at Grosvenor House Hotel.

WME’s global head of Contemporary Music and Touring, Dickins’ roster includes Adele, Mumford & Sons, Stormzy, Little Simz, Bryan Ferry, Laura Marling, David Kushner and many others. Since joining WME four years ago, her impact on the company has been transformational, with several new key agent and executive hires, and having booked over 40k dates in 2022 alone.

Dickins began her career as a junior product manager for independent U.K. record label PWL before joining International Booking Talent, which her father, Barry, founded, as an assistant in the early 1990s.

“I’m truly humbled by this recognition and honored by the many colleagues and clients I’ve gotten to work with throughout my career and at WME,” Dickins said. “The live music industry has faced many challenges, but we always come back stronger because of the artists and their fans who are at the core of what we do. It’s been an opportunity of a lifetime to grow in this industry and serve our clients and their teams and I look forward to coming together to celebrate with the people who have been central to my journey.”

The co-chairs of the MITS Award committee, Toby Leighton-Pope and Dan Chalmers, had glowing things to say about Dickins.

Leighton-Pope said: “Lucy's track record speaks for itself... Adele, Olivia Rodrigo, Mumford and Sons, Laura Marling and so many others, all with whom she’s achieved extraordinary acclaim and success. That kind of impact on the industry is undeniable and her contributions continue to shape the industry landscape. I've known Lucy for more than 25 years…and she is above all else one of the nicest people you will ever meet.”

Chalmers added: “Lucy is a force to be reckoned with within our music industry. She has always had an innate ability to spot talent and nurture it, she was one of the first to meet an unknown Adele at the time and take her CD and we all know where that led. Lucy is extremely popular and it’s those strong industry relationships, unwavering dedication to her clients and fierce reputation that makes her one of the most sought-after agents of all time. It's clear that her clients trust her implicitly, she always goes above and beyond to ensure their success, and that’s why she is so deserving of her MITS Award.”

Celebrating its 32nd year, the Music Industry Trusts Award is one of the benchmarks of achievement in the U.K. music business. The MITS Award supports two important charities, the BRIT Trust and Nordoff & Robbins.

Sam Ryder and Bloc Party have joined the National Lottery and Music Venue Trust’s United By Music Tour of 150 gigs in 130 grassroots music venues.

Bloc Party is booked at The Hairy Dog in Derby on 7/20; Sam Ryder will perform at Chinnerys in Southend on 9/8.

The tour starts Tuesday (6/27) with Amber Run’s first tour date at Epic in Norwich. National tours will feature more than 20 artists including Ed Harcourt, 86TVs, Hamish Hawk, Lily Moore, Newton Faulkner and Noah & The Loners, with all tickets available on a 2-for-1 basis to National Lottery players as a thank you for their support.

Count Blossoms, Metronomy and Cat Burns among others playing one-off shows to highlight the importance of grassroots music venues.

“These are the venues where myself and so many of my pals started at and still play,” Ryder said. “They are crucial for young artists getting into the music industry to be able to experiment across the entire spectrum of musical genres, and to go out and cut their teeth in front of real-life people and create connections that live in the physical world. Can’t wait to come sing my head off with you all and celebrate what music is all about—connection.”

This tour takes The National Lottery’s contribution to grassroots venues through the United By Music Tour to £1.5m and comes at a time when many venues are still suffering the fallout from the pandemic and the impact of the cost of living crisis. The funds committed underwrite the costs of bands’ performance and touring costs ensuring venues get artists at no cost to them and is the single largest legacy initiative announced for Eurovision 2023 to date.

Following their surprise appearance at Glastonbury, Foo Fighters have announced their return to the U.K. for five concerts in June 2024. The U.K. run will succeed the Foos' nine dates Down Under in November and December of this year.

Dave Grohl & co. will open the U.K. run in Manchester on 6/13, stop for two shows at London Stadium (6/20 & 22) and wrap 6/25 in Cardiff. Presales start Wednesday (6/26). The general on-sale begins Friday.

Singer-songwriter Maisie Peters is on track to score her first U.K. #1 album while Dave & Central Cee are about to land a full month atop the Official Singles Chart.

Peters’ second album, The Good Witch (Gingerbread Man/Atlantic), has taken the lead on the Official Albums Chart while acts that played Glastonbury over the weekend are flying up the album chart.

Lewis Capaldi’s former #1, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent (EMI), is on track to rebound 12 places to #4 and his Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent is up 22 to #12. Elton John’s Diamonds (Mercury) is up to #5 followed by Arctic Monkeys’ classic AM (Domino) at #6, and Foo Fighters’ But Here We Are (Columbia) at #16.

Two new entries vying for a Top 10 placement are Young Thug’s Business Is Business (Young Stoner Life/300) at #9 and Kelly Clarkson’s Chemistry (Atlantic) at #10, which would be her highest charting album in the U.K. since Piece To Piece hit #6 in 2015.

Kim Petras’ major label debut Feed The Beast (Island) is roaring toward a Top 40 debut, currently #24 and potentially her first project to chart in the U.K.

At singles, Dave & Central Cee’s “Sprinter” (Live Yours/Neighbourhood) is looking to equal the run of Dave’s career-best chart-topper, “Starlight,” at four weeks.

After securing her first-ever Top 10 entry last week, DJ Hannah Laing is looking to reach a new peak of #8 with “Good Love” (WUGD) featuring vocalist RoRo. Stormzy and Fredo’s first collab, “Toxic Trait” (Def Jam) is #9 and could become this week’s highest new entry. Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night” (Warner) is eyeing a new peak at #11; Nathan Dawe, Joel Corry and Ella Henderson’s “0800 HEAVEN” (Atlantic), Anne-Marie & Shania Twain’s “Unhealthy” (Asylum/EMI) and Jonas Brothers’ “Waffle House” (Republic) are on track to break into the Top 20.