Co-operative Conversations with Matt Otridge

Matt is Chief operating officer for Music Venue Properties - a community benefit society -  and is a community ownership consultant for Music Venue Trust.

Music Venue Properties has raised almost £3m to purchase the freeholds of grassroots music venues (GMVs). It seeks to remove the threat of commercial landlords and support community operators with their aims to deliver culture in their communities. 

Music Venue Trust, a UK registered charity, acts to protect, secure, and improve GMVs. Matt previously founded Exchange, a Bristol based GMV, and spearheaded its campaign to become community owned in 2018. In his role at Music Venue Trust, he supports grassroots music venues across the UK to explore new models of operation by and for the community, and to secure funding through community shares, social investment, and grants such as the Community Ownership Fund.