Katy Perry to donate £1 from every UK arena tour ticket to Music Venue Trust
The singer says she wants to make sure the UK can “continue to usher in the next generation of music talent” through supporting small venues
Katy Perry has become the latest artist to pledge to donate a portion of profits from an arena tour to support grassroots venues.
The singer will bring ‘The Lifetimes Tour’ to the UK in October of next year, with £1 from each ticket sold donated to the Music Venue Trust.
It comes after Coldplay announced that 10 per cent of proceeds from their UK stadium tour next summer will go towards the MVT, while Sam Fender’s upcoming arena tour will see £1 from every ticket sold going towards the organisation.
Most notably though, the move comes shortly after the UK’s live music industry was this month urged by the government to introduce a levy on all stadium and arena tickets to help the future of grassroots venues.
In the wake of the DCMS select committee report on grassroots music venues earlier this year, Creative Industries Minister Sir Chris Bryant has now called on the live music industry to support the introduction of a voluntary levy on all stadium and arena tickets which will help support grassroots venues, festivals, artists and promoters across the UK.
Perry said: “I’m proud to donate £1 from every ticket on the UK leg of The Lifetimes Tour to Music Venue Trust so that venues like Water Rats and Scala, where I played my first UK shows, can continue to usher in the next generation of music talent.”
“We want to say a huge thank you to Katy and her team for stepping up to support grassroots music venues, artists and promoters,” Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd said.
“The contribution from these shows will keep venues open, get new and emerging artists out on tour, and enable promoters to bring the best in new music to our communities.”
See Perry’s new UK tour dates below. Tickets will be available on pre-sale from 10am GMT on Wednesday, November 20, with a general sale at the same time on Friday, November 22. You can buy your tickets here.
OCTOBER 2025
7 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
8 – Manchester, AO Arena
10 – Sheffield, Utilita Arena
11 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena
13 – London, The O2
Of the new directive towards the UK music industry, Creative Industries Minister Sir Chris Bryant said: “Grassroots music venues are one of the UK’s most valuable and yet undervalued cultural assets. They are where bands try out new material, where whole new genres are born, where musicians experiment and where audiences get to experience the raw power of live music.
“These venues support thousands of jobs and are a vital part of our local communities. Without a flourishing grassroots music industry the rest of our music industry will wither.
“It is crucial that we work together to support the grassroots including venues, festivals, artists and promoters. That is why I am urging the industry voluntarily to introduce a ticket levy on the biggest commercial players, to help ensure the health and future success of our entire live music industry for decades to come.”