Barfly’s fight to rebuild Camden’s grassroots music community

Four months after its reopening, the long-term viability of music venue Barfly is threatened by mounting financial pressure on live grassroots music.

Once a Camden live music staple, hosting early performances by Coldplay and The Strokes, Barfly closed in 2016 before reopening as Camden Assembly. New owners Propaganda Independent Venues revived the Barfly name in June 2026.

Music Venue Trust’s pilot study, published on Thursday, has raised questions about whether the music licensing system accurately reflects the repertoire performed at live events, potentially affecting venues’ costs and songwriters’ royalties.

The study found that only 21% of audio recorded at grassroots venues matched recognised, registered music.

Mark Davyd, chief executive of MVT, said the findings called for “an evidence-based approach that works fairly for venues and songwriters alike.”

While the study does not establish that venues are overpaying for licences or that songwriters are losing royalties, it highlights concerns about how accurately the current system accounts for music performed live.

With a capacity of 200, balancing these priorities is difficult for Barfly, where capacity limits the potential income from each performance.

Louis Fennell, bartender at Barfly, highlighted the importance of bar sales.

“The bar makes the money,” he said. “You get someone who’s a name [performing] and you know it’s going to sell out, but then no one’s drinking.”

Venues must attract audiences and support artists while also depending heavily on customers spending money beyond ticket sales.

Barfly promotes artist-friendly practices including taking no commission on merchandise sales. While this helps artists retain more earnings, it raises the question of how venues can support musicians without compromising financial stability.

MVT’s January 2026 report found that 53.8% of grassroots music venues made no profit in the previous 12 months, while the average profit margin stood at just 2.5%.

For Barfly, the test is whether it can sustain its cultural ambitions while generating enough revenue to support emerging artists.

MVT plans to publish the study’s full findings in January 2027.

For Camden New Journal