Manchester Co-Op Live Arena boss resigns after rows, controversy and venue problems

The boss of the new Co-Op Live Arena has resigned after the opening of the venue was beleaguered by rows, controversy and teething problems.

Gary Roden had come under fire in particular for his comments about grassroots music venues, arguing some of them were “poorly run” and insisting a proposed £1 ticket levy to preserve their future was “too simplistic”.

The 23,500-capacity venue, which is now the largest arena in the UK, was supposed to open with performances from Peter Kay on April 23 and 24 but following a test gig featuring Rick Astley at the weekend, the shows were moved to April 29 and 30 due to the venue’s power testing falling “a few days” behind schedule.

Organisers insisted they were “not embarrassed” by the postponements, saying they were now focused on “ensuring a consistent total power supply”.

In an appearance on BBC North West Tonight, Managing Director Tim Leiweke echoed that sentiment (via Manchester Evening News). “I think it’s a source of commitment to safety and expectations and trying to make sure that when people come in the building we do it right. We have work to do this week, we’re not embarrassed by moving Peter Kay.”

Now, in a series of statements published today (April 25), Jessica Koravos, the president of international at US-based venue operator Oak View Group (OVG), said that Roden had “decided to resign” [via The Telegraph].

She added in a separate statement: “Neither Co-op Live nor Oak View Group share the sentiment expressed by former Co-Op Live general manager Gary Roden regarding the grassroots industry. As OVG chairman and CEO Tim Leiweke has repeatedly stated, Co-Op Live remains committed to grassroots music in Manchester and beyond, including teaming up with mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham on the Artist of the Month campaign, and as a founding partner of Beyond The Music [festival].

“Co-op Live also donates over £1million a year to the Co-Op Foundation to support communities and empower young people to take social action through its new Young Gamechangers fund.”

She added that Oak View Group and Co-Op Live are “happy” to meet with grassroots organisations once the venue is “fully operational”. Koravos wished Roden “the best for the future”.

In addition, the test event with Astley was also beset with issues, with bosses forced to apologise after some tickets were axed ahead of the show in order to reduce the capacity to 11,000.

“To enable us to test the spaces effectively, we have made the difficult decision to reduce overall capacity for today’s test event,” a Co-op Live spokesman told BBC News.

Tickets have instead been offered The Black Keys on April 27 “as a gesture of our appreciation”, the spokesman added.

There were also complaints online about the prices of drinks at the event, with pints of beer setting gig goers back £8.95 each.

In response to Roden’s resignation, Samuel Sweek, convener of Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘Music For The Many’ campaign, said: “The lack of support from corporate arenas is undoubtedly one of the biggest factors in the uncertainty faced by so many grassroots music venues.

“Gary Roden’s comments earlier this week were ill-informed and arrogant, and his decision to resign over the botched launch of Co-op Live puts into context the unprecedented difficulties grassroots music venues in the UK face.

“All corporate-backed music arenas should be engaging with the delicate venue ecosystem to ensure the sustainability and security of the British music pipeline.”

The launch of the venue, located opposite Manchester’s Etihad Stadium, comes after Co-Op Live and the existing, 21-000 capacity AO Arena in the city came to blows in a licensing row. ASM Global, which operates the latter venue, objected over “public safety” concerns and accused the application for a licence as being “simply unlawful”.

Despite the row, the venue officially had its licence granted last month.

The uncertainty about the venue’s opening also arrives shortly after the executive director of the site said that some smaller venues in the UK are “poorly run” and dismissed calls for a £1 ticket levy on all gigs arena-sized and above.

Roden told the BBC he believed the levy was “too simplistic”, and says it should fall on the government rather than major arenas to support the live music ecosystem.

“If the conversation stops being ‘Give me a quid’ and quite aggressive – if it changed to be, ‘What can we do together to help?’, that’s where I think we start to get into that apprenticeship conversation and all those different things that we want to work through,” he said.

In response, Mark Davyd, CEO of the Music Venue Trust, told NME that he believes Roden’s comments are “disrespectful and disingenuous”, while also highlighting the irony of making such “ill-judged, unnecessary and misleading” remarks on the week that their own venue was forced to postpone their own launch, due to a number of logistical problems. He also criticised the venue for publicly stating that “they don’t believe there are problems with the UK music talent pipeline.”