The CEO of two live music venues has said the rising cost of living is causing his industry more problems than the coronavirus pandemic.

David Gregg, who runs Albert's Shed live music venues in Shrewsbury and Telford, said: "At least during Covid there was some kind of light at the end of the tunnel and everyone was keen to get back to it."

He added that shrinking profit margins for music venues means they could take fewer chances on up-and-coming bands.

Mr Gregg said that is harming grass roots music and performers who want to perform their own original material.

In the past, he said he had been able to use profits made at the weekends to subsidise the nights he put on acts who "might not be as commercially viable".

Mr Gregg said it was exciting to "push the boundaries a little bit" with new acts, and that he really wanted to avoid "selling out" by taking the easy option with cover bands.

"Without being a little bit more adventurous grassroots music doesn't move on, it's just recycling the same old stuff," he said.

But a fall in profits has forced him to think more carefully about his finances and he admitted "it's clipped our wings really".

He's worried that without venues like Albert's Shed booking new bands, grassroots musicians might become discouraged.

"What you find then is that artists kind of give up on the original side or do it as a bit of a side project," he said.

More support needed

Some performers have made a name for themselves online, but Mr Gregg said: "I don't think TikTok is really a suitable pipeline, we're not going to see all our artists of tomorrow come from social media."

Instead, he said musicians needed to continue the tradition of "playing in rooms above pubs and backrooms".

Mr Gregg said he would like to see more support for grassroots music from the top of the music business, in the same way that top-flight football helps fund the lower levels of the game.

But he also said: "The best thing that people can do is go to gigs. Use it or lose it."