Grassroots music venues have come out in support of a popular venue to express their sadness after its closure and their fear for the future of the music community.

The Dorothy Pax, a popular grassroots music venue beloved by its community, announced its closure on Wednesday with immediate affect. The venue said in a statement on social media: “We’re all trying to make this work on a profit margin of 0.48% whilst those at the top are reporting billions in profits.”

They added they were now just one of a number of grassroots music venues that have closed down over the last few years.

Other venues around the city are also feeling the loss. A Lughole Club founder has said that the closure of the Dorothy Pax is “a great loss to the city,” they warned that the community have lost a national community organiser which will reduce the chances for up and coming musicians.

He said the whole area benefited from the tourism that the venue brought into the area of Victoria Quays, with other pubs and shops reaping the benefits of The Dorothy Pax’s sold out venues.

The Lughole, as well as many other grassroot music venues throughout the city are not for profit organisations who want to make music more accessible. The club venue is volunteer run.

The Lughole and the Dorothy Pax are both apart of the Music Venue Trust, a charity organisation who raise money for the grassroots music community. In a statement the Trust said: “The profitability of grassroots live music has collapsed. “

In the Music Venue Trust 2024 annual report it was found that a total of 43.8% of venues within the Music Venue alliance suffered a loss in the last 12 months with 24.9% of the membership facing a threat of permanent closure. 

The Trust have said: “we need action, not words.”

The Dorothy Pax have asked for donations for their staff and freelancers to help them through this time and have called for people to support their local grassroots music venues before they too loose their livelihoods: “use them, or loose them.”