Wednesday briefing: ​Can we afford to be optimistic about grassroots music venues?

In today’s newsletter: ​M​usic spaces are welcoming bigger crowds again, ​b​ut the industry remain​s fragile as rising costs and shrinking local circuits threaten the next generation of talentGood morning. The music industry has long been one of the UK’s successful export stories, whether it was the British invasion of the US spearheaded by the Beatles and the Stones in the 1960s or the contemporary success of the likes of Adele and Ed Sheeran.In recent years, however, there has been a steady drumbeat of doom in the background. Artists have concerns about artificial intelligence slop replacing them, they face dwindling earning power due to paltry streaming royalty rates, and crucially, there has been a contraction in the number of venues where musicians can hone their craft and build a fanbase.UK news | The government has approved the construction of a vast new Chinese embassy complex in east London despite concerns about security and its impact on political exiles in the capital.Chagos Island | Donald Trump has suggested Britain’s decision to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is among the reasons he wants to take over Greenland.Social trends | Rightwing movements are struggling to gain support among graduates as education emerges as the most important dividing line in British attitudes towards politics, diversity and immigration.Middle East | Israeli crews have started bulldozing the Jerusalem headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and fired teargas at a UN vocational school in Qalandia in the West Bank.US news | An Indiana state court judge and his wife were in stable condition on Monday as authorities continued to search for suspects who shot the couple the day before at their Lafayette home. Continue reading...