Putting Grassroots Music on the TFL Tube Map!
We’re thrilled to be part of ‘London Creates Music’, a cross-city campaign launched today by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to celebrate and support the capital’s world-leading grassroots music scene.
The Mayor and TfL have joined with music industry and media leaders including the Music Venue Trust, Featured Artist Coalition, Outernet, the Metro and Universal Music to shine a spotlight on London’s fantastic music venues and artists and their significant impact.
This is the first ever specially-designed Grassroots Music Tube map created, featuring 25 of London’s music venues, iconic and contemporary artists, nightclubs, songs, albums, independent record labels, record shops and locations of music heritage. The tube map is launched to raise awareness a new detailed Google Map showing many more of what London has to offer.
It was launched today by inclusion in the Metro Newspaper and at an event at Outernet London, where this the unique map will be screened for a month.
At Grow, we’ve always believed in the value of grassroots spaces—not only as stages for emerging talent but as vital places of cultural exchange, experimentation, and community. That’s why we’re so proud to have been able to help contribute to the shaping of the campaign which recognises the essential role all venues play across the capital.
London’s 179 grassroots music venues welcomed over 4.2 million audience members in the past year, hosted 328,000 artists, and contributed £313 million to the economy.
But venues face immense challenges, from the long-term effects of the pandemic to the current cost-of-living crisis. This campaign demonstrates how industry leaders can come together to protect and champion the beating heart of London’s music scene.
We’re honoured to be included in this celebration and will continue doing what we do best: holding space for independent artists, nurturing local creativity, and being part of the fabric that makes London a global music capital.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
"London’s grassroots music scene is renowned around the world. From providing opportunities for talented aspiring artists to develop their trade, to giving Londoners a great night out, our venues are an essential part of our life at night and provide a huge boost to our economy. However, they have faced huge challenges in recent years, which is why we’re joining with partners across the capital to champion all parts of London’s grassroots music scene. This special edition Tube map is a great way to highlight what a huge impact the scene has on our capital, as we continue to do all we can to support venues and build a more prosperous London for everyone.”
Skin from Skunk Anansie said:
“You don’t get mainstream music without the grassroots and there’s no fast way to becoming a band or an artist. If you want to get on stage and learn you craft, the only way you're going to get good as a live band is in grassroots venues because they let you be as wild as you want to be. Everyone comes to London to hear music and we have some of the best venues in the world but I think what makes it so vibrant is because we have so much diversity in London. In London you have circles of creativity influencing each other. You have the art world influencing the music world. You have the literary world influencing music world. There's a lot going on here that can influence music and that's why London is so vibrant.”