London’s O2 Arena announces funding for UK grassroots gig venues

The 20,000-capacity venue will feed revenue back into smaller venues to nurture the next generation of breakthrough artists'

London's O2 Arena, the UK's second-largest indoor concert venue, has announced it will donate a portion of proceeds from its concerts to grassroots gig venues across the country.

The 20,000-capacity venue has partnered with the Music Venue Trust charity (MVT), which has been pushing for artists and arena operators to support the venues that often provide a space for musicians to hone their craft, before they hopefully step up to arena-level popularity.