Birmingham’s leading live music venue, XOYO Birmingham, is to return to its independent roots after being acquired by the newly-formed Propaganda Independent Venues. Propaganda’s Dan Ickowitz-Seidler, along with Richard Buck, announced the acquisition of XOYO Birmingham as part of their acquisition of TEG’s UK venue estate. This also includes XOYO London, Camden Assembly (formerly legendary indie venue Barfly), and Tramshed and The Globe in Cardiff.
The change in ownership marks an exciting moment for music in Birmingham. Propaganda is the UK’s biggest indie night, and Propaganda Independent Venues is committed to supporting grassroots venues, artists and music fans. The new company aims to ensure that XOYO Birmingham continues to thrive under independent ownership and becomes a cultural hub for the area, offering opportunities and support to local artists and businesses.
Propaganda Independent Venues plans to open a submissions page on its website, www.propagandavenues.com, where local bands and artists can apply for a slot to play on the hallowed XOYO Birmingham stage in support of bigger-name artists appearing at the venue. The new owners are also keen to work with local artists and creatives outside of music.
Dan Ickowitz-Seidler said, “I am really excited to have acquired XOYO Birmingham, a venue that Rich previously owned as The Mill, and which has such an important place in the Birmingham live music scene. It is a challenging time for grassroots venues, and we want to support the touring ecosystem as much as possible. We also want to engage with the local community to bring the events they want to see to the venues. We are committed to bringing more artists to Birmingham as well as larger acts whenever we can.”
Propaganda brings considerable experience to Birmingham, as co-owners of The Warehouse in Leeds, one of the UK’s oldest venues. Further experience comes in the shape of a partnership with Ghostwriter, who will support the operational delivery of the venues.
Local promoters will benefit from a new, fairer ticketing allocation model, and artists will not be charged merch fees, all of which will help support the local creative community and provide a positive experience for everyone involved in bringing music and the arts to one of the second city’s best independent live music venues.