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The BRIT Awards is the biggest night in British music, celebrating the very best in the industry, however, this year it became a mouthpiece for the pressing issues affecting the industry.

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With millions watching, one thing that emerged throughout was the issues facing the future of British Music, from protests surrounding AI, the lack of support for grassroots music venues and a scathing political rant.

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This was the night The BRIT Awards turned ‘Brat,’ as Charli XCX dominated, taking home five awards, including Best Artist, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. While Charli’s meteoric rise to a music industry powerhouse was rightly celebrated, the event also became a rallying point for those fighting for the future of British music.

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Before the awards even began, ongoing protests against AI took place on the red carpet, where the UK’s biggest acts and rising stars came together for the campaign Make It Fair: Don’t let AI steal our music to protest government proposals on AI and copyright, and to protect creators' rights.

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Myles Smith, Lola Young, Rachel Chinouriri, Nia Archives, The Last Dinner Party, and Paloma Faith were among the many artists who showed their support against government proposals to remove AI from copyright laws. If passed, these laws would allow AI companies to freely use British music without compensating or seeking permission from its creators.

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Organisers set up a protest photo booth on the red carpet. Inside the venue, massive screens projected the ‘Make It Fair’ banner alongside the urgent plea: ‘Don’t Let AI Steal Our Music,’ highlighting the damage this could have on the industry.

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Beyond AI concerns, the awards ceremony was dominated by the role of grassroots music and its importance to the industry's ecosystem.

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As The Last Dinner Party collected their award for Best New Artist, bassist Georgia Davies took the opportunity to highlight the current issues tackling independent venues.

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She said: “We wouldn’t be a band, and a lot of the artists here would not be bands either, without the UK’s incredible independent venues, and they are the lifeblood of the music industry, and they are dying.”

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With 125 grassroots music venues closing in 2023, one shutting every two weeks in 2024, and those that do remain open operate on a razor-thin profit margin of just 0.48%, underscoring the importance of highlighting this issue.

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But the impact extends beyond venues. Without spaces for artists to perform, they can’t climb the ladder in the music industry, gain exposure and build a community around their music.

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This is why it is essential to support grassroots music venues in 2025.

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����app is helping to provide emerging artists with spaces to perform. The platform connects musicians directly with venues, helping them secure paid gigs and supporting the live music scene.

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It’s also supporting hospitality venues by streamlining and simplifying their music operations, giving them unparalleled access to thousands of artists, with all the tools they need to grow their live music offering and in turn increase customer satisfaction, footfall and revenue.

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A voluntary £1 ticket levy has been introduced across the music industry, providing a much-needed lifeline for grassroots venues. Davies passionately called for large venues and stadiums to contribute.

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“If venues like this, like the O2, arenas, stadiums across this country contributed even a tiny bit towards these independent venues, then we would not be losing them at this alarming rate. We wouldn’t be here without them. None of this would be happening without them,” Davies continued.

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The Music Venue Trust hailed the levy as the most significant shift in the UK music industry in over 50 years. A response to a recommendation by the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, the initiative ensures a small portion of ticket sales from large-scale events supports grassroots venues, promoters, and artists.

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This aims to secure the future of the grassroots music scene, which came as a response to a recommendation by the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee. It would allocate a small portion of ticket sales from large-scale events to grassroots music venues, promoters and artists.

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But the conversations didn’t end there when Myles Smith received the coveted Rising Star award, he used his speech to highlight the neglect of British music infrastructure. “If British music is one of the most powerful cultural exports we have, why have we treated it like an afterthought for so many years?

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“How many more venues need to close, how many music programs need to be cut before we realise that we can’t just celebrate success, we have to protect the foundations that make it.”

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However, despite major artists like Coldplay, Sam Fender and Katy Perry implementing ticket levies on their tickets to support the music ecosystem, additional support is essential.

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This is set to come into play this year. The British government took a landmark step to ensure the sustainability of the grassroots music sector by backing the voluntary ticket levy and forcing it to become mandatory if it’s not implemented.

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While the Brit Awards celebrated the incredible talent within the UK music scene, the conversations and headlines should be dominated by the issues surrounding the music industry highlighted on the biggest stage for British music.

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